UPDATED: Drake has postponed the release of his eighth studio LP, titled “For All the Dogs,” due to his ongoing It’s All a Blur Tour with 21 Savage. The album is now scheduled to drop Oct. 6.
Drake announced the new release date on his Instagram Story late Friday night: “Okay my dilemma I am faced with is either cancel shows to finish the album or I complete the mission and drop the album before the last show. I owe you all these memories we are building and anywhere we have missed to-date we will be spinning back for sure. ‘For All the Dogs’ October 6th. It’s only right…”
Drake shared the initial release date on his Instagram on Sept. 6 alongside video footage of his father Dennis Graham. The album was originally scheduled to drop Sept. 22.
The new full-length project comes after weeks of teasers from the Toronto rapper and serves as the follow-up to his and 21 Savage’s “Her Loss.” It also comes as both Savage and Drake are on a co-headlining tour across the United States.
Back in June, Drake announced the project as part of a promo campaign for his poetry book, “Titles Ruin Everything,” which he co-wrote alongside songwriter Kenza Samir; “I don’t know if I have ever wanted people to buy or support something more in my life,” he wrote in the announcement post. The social media blast also included a link where the album’s impending arrival was initially revealed. “They say they miss the old Drake girl don’t tempt me. For All The Dogs,” he added.
In the weeks leading up to the project, Drake was spotted wearing dog masks in New York City and hinted that the set would include a feature from Nicki Minaj during his Detroit tour stop on July 8. He also shared the cover art, drawn by his son Adonis, on Instagram on Aug. 21.
“Me and Nicki Minaj did our first song together in, like, a really long time. I got a lot of love for her,” he said. The Young Money duo last appeared on Minaj’s 2021 track “Seeing Green,” which also featured Lil Wayne.
Drake has released a solo full-length album each year for the past three years. “For All the Dogs” follows 2022’s “Honestly, Nevermind,” and 2021’s “Certified Lover Boy,” both of which topped Billboard’s albums chart with impressive streaming numbers. During his Apollo concert earlier this year, the Canadian-bred rapper said he was thinking about releasing another album simply because he “might get bored and make another one, who knows?”
He made a similar assertion about his workflow during the opening night of his tour: “I don’t know about these guys that go away for three, four, five years, [and] wanna chill out and all that shit. That’s not me,” he told fans.
Drake will be on tour with 21 Savage through early October, wrapping with two back-to-back dates in his hometown of Toronto. See the full schedule here.
