Drake sets date for Certified Lover Boy, shares emoji-inspired album art
Certified Lover Boy will be rapper's first full-length album in three years
Drake's new album Certified Lover Boy is headed to streaming services on Friday.
After lengthy delays and months of internet hype, the Toronto rapper finally locked in the release date for his first full-length album in three years.
And he did it all through a simple Instagram post.
Early Monday, Drake uploaded an image composed of 12 pregnant women emojis alongside the album title and date.
Elliott Wilson, the chief content officer of the Tidal streaming music service, tweeted saying the emoji creation was Drake's official Certified Lover Boy album art.
Confirmed that’s the cover art. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLB</a> 9.3 <a href="https://t.co/Y2L4BidP2X">pic.twitter.com/Y2L4BidP2X</a>
—@ElliottWilsonThe revelation set off a mixed reaction on social media as some fans questioned whether the image of pregnant women was a cryptic message to fans, while others criticized the simplicity of the design.
Drake is no stranger to getting deep in his emoji feelings.
Five years ago, he tattooed "6" and the emoji prayer-hands on his right arm, which his fans interpreted as a tribute to his track 6 God.
Certified Lover Boy has been veiled in secrecy since its anticipated release last January was postponed, giving way to months of rumours and teasers.
Last week, Drake began dropping more hints, posting a video on Instagram of a car driving down the highway past the CN Tower in Toronto, which fans interpreted as a sign the album was on its way out of the city.
Then Drake captured attention when a clips package on the ESPN SportsCenter broadcast appeared to be hijacked by grainy footage that briefly revealed a cardboard sign that read: "CLB September 3."