Certified Lover Boy
Certified Lover Boy is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper Drake, released on September 3, 2021, by OVO Sound and Republic Records. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, and Vinylz, among others. Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Giveon, Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Yebba, 21 Savage, Project Pat, Tems, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Kid Cudi appear as guest artists. It is the first part of what Drake described as a "trilogy" of albums, that also includes the follow-ups Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss (both 2022).
Certified Lover Boy
September 3, 2021
2019–2021
86:02
- 40
- Alex Lustig
- Ambezza
- Austin Powerz
- Bink
- B-Nasty
- Cardo
- Dez Wright
- Eli Brown
- FaxOnly
- Govi
- Harley Arsenault
- J.L.L.
- BKH
- Jahaan Sweet
- James Francies
- Jarrel Young
- Jean Bleu
- Kid Masterpiece
- Leon Thomas III
- Maneesh
- Mark Borino
- Masego
- Metro Boomin
- Monsune
- Nineteen85
- Noel Cadastre
- OZ
- PartyNextDoor
- Patron
- Peter Lee Johnson
- Preme
- Skip2Fame
- Supah Mario
- TM88
- Too Dope
- Travis Scott
- Tresor
- Vinylz
- WondaGurl
- Yebba
Similar to Drake's previous releases, the album predominantly deals with his views on fame and success, particularly his dominance within the music industry, alongside misplaced loyalty, tainted romances, feuds, and loneliness. Primarily a hip hop record, a hazy atmosphere dominates the album's sound, which includes elements of crunk and trap. Several writers found aspects of the album to be reminiscent of Thank Me Later (2010), Take Care (2011) and Nothing Was the Same (2013). Designed by English artist Damien Hirst, the album's artwork, which features 12 emoji of pregnant women, was the subject of much controversy.
Certified Lover Boy was met with mixed reviews from music critics upon release, most of whom felt it was comparable to Drake's other releases and highlighted its structure, but criticized the level of lyrical insight and the production's lack of sonic variety. Nevertheless, it was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards, until Drake withdrew the album from consideration in December 2021, and won Top Rap Album at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 613,000 album-equivalent units. It became Drake's tenth US number-one album and achieved the largest opening week in the US for an album in 2021 at the time, breaking Apple Music and Spotify records for the biggest opening-day streams on those platforms. It achieved 9 out of the 10 spots on the Billboard Top 10 with its lead single, "Way 2 Sexy", debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 as Drake's ninth US number-one hit.
Background[edit]
During one of his concerts, in April 2019, Drake announced that he had started to work on a new album.[1] In June 2019, he teased the album via Instagram, where he captioned a post with "Album mode".[2] On December 10, Drake made a guest appearance at DaBaby's concert in Toronto, where he revealed that he was working on the album: "I'ma go back to the crib and try to finish this album up so we can turn up in 2020".[3] In March, on Instagram Live, Drake confirmed a finalized version of "Not Around", a leaked song later retitled to "TSU", would feature on Certified Lover Boy.[4] That same month, frequent collaborator Boi-1da previewed two snippets of songs with Drake during a Verzuz with Hit-Boy.[5] The two snippets were dubbed "I Did" and another snippet with Roddy Ricch was dubbed "In the Cut".[6][7] Drake officially announced his sixth studio album just hours before the release of Dark Lane Demo Tapes, and scheduled for release in late 2020.[8]
Drake later previewed two new songs, one an unreleased track titled "Lie to Me" and the other a demo version of his 2020 DJ Khaled collaboration "Greece", on Instagram Live.[7] On July 29, 2020, Drake's recording engineer Noel Cadastre revealed the album was "90% done".[9] On August 14, 2020, Drake announced the title of the album.[10] In October, Drake announced that the album would be released in January 2021, but it was postponed once again due to Drake suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.[11]
Certified Lover Boy was dedicated to the late models Nadia Ntuli and Miss Mercedes Morr.[12] Ntuli, who was a close friend of Drake's, was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Dubai in early 2021.[12] Morr, born Janae Gagnier, was found dead in her Texas apartment on August 29, 2021. She was believed to be the victim of a murder–suicide.[12] On November 26, 2022, Drake revealed that the album is part of a trilogy of albums with Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss.[13]
Themes[edit]
Some critics found aspects of Certified Lover Boy to be reminiscent of Thank Me Later (2010),[14] Take Care (2011)[14] and Nothing Was the Same (2013).[15] The album generally surrounds individualism;[16] similar to Drake's previous records it predominantly deals with his views on fame and success,[17] particularly his dominance within the music industry.[18] Further themes concern disloyalty[19] and tainted romance,[19] feuds[19] and loneliness.[20] The album is noted for its hazy atmosphere.[21][22][14] Genres featured on the album include chipmunk soul,[14] crunk,[14] and trap.[14]
Craig Jenkins of Vulture called Certified Lover Boy a "patient trickle of Drake lore and fan service that could have come out as is at almost any point along the last decade in his career".[23] "We worry not about the shaky present and the unknowable future but about the recent past, the objects of our scorn and the ones who got away", Jenkins notes.[23]
Release and promotion[edit]
On May 1, 2020, Drake released his mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which was announced mere hours before its release. In the mixtape announcement shared on his Instagram account, Drake revealed that his sixth studio album, then untitled, would be released sometime in the third quarter of 2020.[24] Although the album was not released that summer, the non-album single "Laugh Now Cry Later" featuring Lil Durk was released in August.[25] On October 24, a teaser trailer for the album was released, revealing that the album was to be released in January 2021.[26] American football player Odell Beckham Jr. later said it would be released on January 1, 2021, which later went unreleased.[27] The teaser referenced covers of Drake's previous albums and mixtapes: So Far Gone (2009), Take Care (2011), Nothing Was the Same (2013) and Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020).[26] Drake announced in January 2021 that the album would no longer be released that month, due to a leg injury he sustained that required surgery.[28]
On March 5, 2021, Drake released an extended play titled Scary Hours 2, a sequel to the 2018 EP, to generate further anticipation for the upcoming album.[29] The EP included three songs, and includes guest appearances from Lil Baby and Rick Ross.[29] The music video for the EP's lead single, "What's Next", premiered on the same day.[29] All three songs from the EP respectively debuted at number one, two and three on the Billboard Hot 100.[30] In April, Drake appeared on the YSL Records song "Solid" with Gunna and Young Thug. The song was originally intended for Certified Lover Boy, but because the album was postponed, Drake gave the song to Gunna.[31]
On June 13, 2021, Drake revealed on Caffeine.TV that he would be releasing the album before the end of summer.[32] Making an appearance on Fri Yiy Friday on July 30, a radio show on Sirius XM channel Sound 42, Drake revealed that Certified Lover Boy "is ready. [I'm] looking forward to delivering it".[33][34] On August 27, the album's release date of September 3 was revealed during a teaser aired on ESPN's SportsCenter.[35][36] Drake later confirmed the date and revealing the album artwork on August 30.[37][38] That same day, billboards featuring lyrics from the album were plastered around Drake's hometown of Toronto.[39]
On September 1, two days before the album's release, billboards were placed throughout the United States, Canada, and Nigeria revealing the album's featured artists according to their hometown. An Atlanta billboard announced 21 Savage, Future, Lil Baby, and Young Thug, a Chicago billboard announced Lil Durk, and a New York City billboard announced "the GOAT", which was assumed, and later confirmed, to be Jay-Z. A Memphis billboard announced Yebba and Project Pat, while Tems was announced on a Lagos billboard. Both Giveon and Ty Dolla Sign were announced on a California billboard.[40][41][42] As the reveal continued, a Cleveland billboard announced Kid Cudi, a Miami billboard announced Rick Ross, cited as "the biggest boss", a Houston billboard announced Travis Scott, referred to as "the hometown hero", and another Toronto billboard announced Lil Wayne, who Drake coined as the "best rapper alive".[43]
"Way 2 Sexy" was released as the album's lead single on September 3, 2021, as well an accompanying music video.[44][45] The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[46] "Girls Want Girls" featuring Lil Baby, was released to rhythmic contemporary radio on September 28, 2021, as the album's second single,[47] the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[46]
The music video for "Knife Talk" featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat, was released on November 4, 2021,[48] The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[46] It later impacted US rhythmic radio on November 16, 2021, as the album's third single.[49]
Artwork[edit]
The album's artwork features 12 emoji of pregnant women in varying clothing colours, hair colours and skin tones.[50][51] It was designed by English artist Damien Hirst.[37] The artwork was met with a negative reception from fans and critics alike, who called the image "lazy" and "ridiculous".[52][53] It was named the worst album artwork of the year by Exclaim! on their "30 Worst Album Covers of 2021" list.[54]
Commercial performance[edit]
Certified Lover Boy was highly anticipated.[78][79][80] It broke Apple Music and Spotify 2021 records for largest streaming debut within a single day, beating Drake's own previous album Scorpion (2018).[81][82] The album set the record for most US top-ten singles from one album, with lead single "Way 2 Sexy" becoming his ninth number one, surpassing albums by Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.[83][84]
In the United States, Certified Lover Boy debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart as Drake's tenth consecutive chart-topping album in the country. It opened with 613,000 album-equivalent units, which consists of 46,000 album sales, and 562,000 streaming units calculated from the 743.7 million on-demand streams of the album's tracks. The 613,000 tally marked the biggest debut-week units of 2021 at that time, surpassing Kanye West's Donda (309,000), and the biggest opening week since Taylor Swift's Folklore (2020) debuted with 846,000 units. Drake became the eighth artist in the Billboard 200 history to accumulate ten number-one albums. Certified Lover Boy also marked the biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album, a rap album, and an album by a male artist, since his own Scorpion.[85][86] As of December 27, 2021, Certified Lover Boy was the third best-selling album of the year according to Hits, moved a total 1,850,000 album-equivalent units, including 67,000 pure album sales, 181,000 song sales, 2.275 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 110 million video-on-demand streams.[87] As of January 7, 2022, the album has moved two million album-equivalent units, being only rap album from 2021 to reach double platinum status.[88] The album was the tenth best-selling album of the 2022 in the United States, according to Hits, moved a total 1,197,000 album-equivalent units.[89] On October 25, 2023, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a three millions units in the United States.[90] As of December 27, 2023, Certified Lover Boy was the thirty second best-selling album of the year according to Hits, moved a total 862,000 album-equivalent units.[91]
In the United Kingdom, Certified Lover Boy debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 46,000 units sold in its first week while the tracks were streamed 70.4 million times, accounting for 96% of his first-week sales, becoming Drake's fourth album to reach the top spot in the country.[92]
In February 2022, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that Drake was the world's fourth best selling artist of 2021, behind BTS, Taylor Swift and Adele.[93]
Notes
Sample credits