Moving into 2021, there were a fair number of fans who expected to catch Drake‘s upcoming album Certified Lover Boy by this point in time. Yet Drizzy proceeded to switch gears and delay the project, which was originally slated to be released in January. “I was planning to release my album this month, but between surgery and rehab, my energy has been dedicated to recovery,” he wrote, in an Instagram update. “I’m blessed to be back on my feet, feeling great and focused on the album, but CLB won’t be dropping in January.”

Drake Certified Lover Boy

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Since then, Drizzy has been active in the studio front, manifesting bars and appearing razor-focused behind the boards and microphone. While we haven’t been receiving much in the way of actual musical updates, it would appear that the rapper is still putting the finishing touches on his anticipated Scorpion follow-up. In fact, Complex recently caught another picture of Drizzy in the booth, indicating that there remain vocals to be laced before the big release. 

One has to wonder if Drake was stricken with a surge of late-game creativity, or if Certified Lover Boy‘s initial release date was simply a projection based on progress made. Either way, it’s looking like Drake’s new album will be one of the year’s major releases, and one that many are hopeful will spark an avalanche of big drops to follow. Check out the behind-the-scenes studio picture below, and sound off if you’re eager to catch Certified Lover Boy when it eventually releases.