Drake Announces New Album Amidst Kendrick Lamar Feud

Drake made an exciting announcement on Friday during a colossal show in his hometown of Toronto. Deviating from his usual hip-hop beats, the rapper performed a full set of R&B songs, hinting that his forthcoming album would be released in the autumn. This revelation naturally stirred a wave of comments, particularly in relation to Drake’s ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar.

According to a report by Billboard, Drake’s setlist was exclusively R&B songs. The evening culminated with the rapper announcing an upcoming collaborative album with PartyNextDoor. He told the crowd, “On behalf of me and Party, we’ve been working on something for y’all. So, you get the summer over with, you do what you need to do. I know all you girls are outside. When it gets a little chilly, PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting right there for you.”

Interestingly, PartyNextDoor was the headliner for the Friday night show, not Drake. They performed at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto as part of the Sorry I’m Outside Tour. PartyNextDoor wrapped up the night by expressing gratitude: “I’m here tonight as a thank you to each and every one of you for all your years of unwavering support.”

Naturally, the performance was rife with allusions to the viral rap beef between Drake and Lamar. Drake’s choice to stick to R&B reminded many online commenters of Lamar’s lyric “I like Drake with the melodies, I don’t like Drake when he act tough.” Additionally, his use of the slang “outside” referenced several lines in Lamar’s viral song “Not Like Us,” which has often been dubbed the “song of the summer.” It appeared intentional that Drake invited fans to join him again post-summer.

One unique highlight of Drake’s set was the first-ever live performance of “Wah Gwan Delilah” – a pseudo-cover of Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah” sung in Jamaican patois. Released online in June, the track initially led some listeners to speculate it was generated using AI, doubting it was Drake’s voice. Through this performance, Drake claimed ownership of the song, and the crowd seemed to accept it.

Despite recent hostile exchanges through diss tracks earlier this year, Drake does not seem eager to prolong the feud with Lamar. Many interpret this as a win for Lamar. He has not shied away from leveraging “Not Like Us” but hasn’t released any new diss tracks or insults either. While Lamar is reportedly working on a new album, there are no confirmed release dates for either his project or Drake and PartyNextDoor’s collaboration.