By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Drake surprised fans on Thursday by declaring he was dropping his seventh studio album, casually announcing on Instagram that “Honestly, Nevermind” would be available for streaming.
The album was released shortly after midnight on Friday, Variety reported. It comes less than a year after the Toronto rapper released “Certified Lover Boy,” which debuted on Sept. 3, 2021.
The album quickly became Spotify’s most-streamed album for a single day, beating the record previously held by his 2018 album, “Scorpion,” People reported. “Certified Lover Boy” also broke the same record on Apple Music, according to Variety.
There are only two rap songs on Drake’s new album, Rolling Stone reported. They are “Sticky” and the 21 Savage collaboration “Jimmy Cook’s.”
The rest of the album has Drake singing in a voice reminiscent of previous hits like “Passionfruit” and “One Dance,” according to the magazine.
Drake’s news was celebrated by friends and fans in the comments section of his Instagram, People reported. “Get your spritzers ready!” DJ Khaled wrote. “It’s your time to shine Jimmy Brooks,” Lil Yachty commented, referring to Drake’s character from “Degrassi.” LaLa Anthony, Jay Pharoah and Rich the Kid responded with fire emojis, according to the magazine.
Photos: Drake through the years Here are some memorable photos of rapper Drake through the years. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
Photos: Drake through the years 2006: Drake arrives at the 20th annual Soul Train Music Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 4, 2006, in Pasadena, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2007: "DeGrassi High" cast members (from left) Cassie Steele, Shane Kippel, Drake and Shenae Grimes pose for a photo backstage during MTV's Total Request Live at the MTV Times Square Studios on October 2, 2007, in New York City. (Scott Gries/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2009: Rapper Drake poses in the press room during the Grammy Nominations Concert Live! at the Club Nokia on December 2, 2009, in Los Angeles. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2010: Drake accepts the awards for Best Male Hip Hop Artist during the 2010 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2010, in Los Angeles. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2011: Singers Drake (left) and Rihanna perform onstage during The 53rd annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2012: Rapper Drake performs at ESPN the Magazine's "NEXT" Event on February 3, 2012, in Indianapolis. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for ESPN)
Photos: Drake through the years 2013: Rapper Drake smiles during the 2013 NBA All-Star game at the Toyota Center on February 17, 2013, in Houston. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2014: ESPYs host Drake backstage at the 2014 ESPYS at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on July 16, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for ESPYS)
Photos: Drake through the years 2015: Recording artists Madonna (left) and Drake kiss onstage during Day 3 of the 2015 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2015, in Indio, California. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)
Photos: Drake through the years 2016: Drake presents Rihanna with the the Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016, in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2017: Drake (left) and Future perform on the Coachella Stage during Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 15, 2017, in Indio, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
Photos: Drake through the years 2018: Rapper Drake attends Day 8 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2018, in London. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2019: Drake accepts the Best Rap Song award for "God's Plan" onstage during the 61st annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for the Recording Academy)
Photos: Drake through the years 2020: Recording artists Rosalia and Drake attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympic collection fashion show at the Shed on February 5, 2020, in New York City. (Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
Photos: Drake through the years 2021: Drake, winner of the Artist of the Decade Award, poses backstage for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on May 23, 2021, at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for dcp)