The coronavirus lockdown has given Drake the opportunity to give his upcoming album 100 per cent of his attention for the first time in over a decade.
Drake shared an update on his new material late on Sunday, when he joined hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for his digital dance-a-thon to raise COVID-19 relief funds.
During the Instagram Live chat, Drake, whose club residency in Las Vegas was postponed due to the public health crisis, admitted the last time he was able to clear his schedule and really focus completely on a single project was back in 2009, when he was sidelined by a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
“I’m working on the album, I’ve been working on it for a while now,” he said.
“Another silver lining (to lockdown) is, when God does get you to sit down – I remember the last time I had to sit down was when I tore my ACL. And I made a great album out of that,” Drake continued of his hit 2010 debut, Thank Me Later.
“Obviously God has us all inside the house right now sitting down, so the amount of focus I’m able to put into this album is probably way different than it would’ve been if I had to go through the residency in Vegas…”
And the forced downtime has been great for his creativity.
Teasing the forthcoming material, Drake smiled, “Definitely, this is the most excited I’ve been about an album in a long time. A lot of little stuff has been trickling out but all the stuff on the album is fresh, it’s brand new. I’m excited. This is probably the most music I’ve ever been sitting on. I’m hyped.”
The new release will serve as the follow-up to 2018’s Scorpion, although Drake has continually served up musical treats for fans, including his latest track, Toosie Slide.
Diddy played the single during Drake’s appearance on his charity fundraiser, and they even performed the viral dance routine together live online.
Elsewhere in the chat, Diddy revealed Drake had made it onto his top five list of all-time great MCs.
“Two years ago, three years ago, I didn’t know,” he confessed. “It’s clear the work you put in, you’re in my official Top Five. For real. That’s right. Y’all heard it. Hits, hits, hits, hits, hits, hits!”
Flattered by the huge compliment, Drake replied, “Thank you. That means the world to me. There’s very few opinions that hold as much weight as yours…”
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