Drake's 'For All The Dogs': Rumored Release Date & Frank Ocean Collab

Get ready for Drake to dominate headlines for the next few weeks as For All The Dogs quickly approaches 🐶 Chances we’ll get another Drake x Travis Scott song? In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵 

• Drake’s For All The Dogs: Rumored Release & Frank Ocean Collab 📆 

• A$AP Rocky & Rihanna welcome their 2nd child 🍼 

• Murder charges against King Von’s alleged killer dropped 😳 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

The Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on a combination of streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Hip-hop continues to decline on the Hot 100, and there’s never been a better time for Drake to dominate the charts. Gunna’s “fukumean” drops from #5 to #7 this week, and Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” holds steady at #15 for the second week in a row. Travis Scott’s “Meltdown” drops from #12 to #19, saying goodbye to any hopes of a Top 5 hit.

The Rap Index ft. Quavo, Takeoff, Polo Go, Lil Tecca & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

1. “Patty Cake” by Quavo, Takeoff (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

2. “I THINK” by EST Gee, Lil Baby (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

3. “Blood Moon” by Mike WiLL Made-It, Lil Uzi Vert (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

4. “HVN ON EARTH” by Lil Tecca, Kodak Black (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

5. “PAMPER PAMPER” by Dro Kenji, Mike Dimes (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

6. “UNAVAILABLE” (Remix) by Davido, Musa Keys, Latto (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

7. “Barely Holdin’ On” by Polo G (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

8. “Da One” by Dame D.O.L.L.A, Lil Wayne (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

Drake’s ‘For All The Dogs’: Rumored Release Date & Frank Ocean Collab

Yesterday, Drake revealed the highly-anticipated cover art for his upcoming album, For All The Dogs, designed by none other than his son Adonis. The cover art flex is just one of the many humble brags that come along with being Drake’s son. Rumors are swirling about the album’s features and release date—here’s everything you need to know.

The cover art

The scribbled image of a dog with demon-like eyes prompts many questions. Did Drake commission the drawing from Adonis’ home-schooled art teacher? Was there any creative direction, like white for primary colors and red for accents? Does this mean the album is for the Kindergarten dogs too?

Drake has a history of using his album covers to spark controversy and conversation. It’s a solid promotional tactic that’s spurred many memes—CN Tower Drake from Views, alternate emoji covers from Certified Lover Boy, and of course, the customized writing from If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.

The release date

When the cover art drops, you know the album isn’t far behind. In a since-deleted tweet, Amazon Music seemingly confirmed this Friday, August 25th, as the release, which caught wildfire on the platform as the “official” date. Chances are this was a mistake on Amazon’s part, which is why it was swiftly removed.

If August 25th was the planned release date, then the information was likely revealed to Amazon Music as confidential, and a Social Media Manager fumbled the tweet. Drake doesn’t like to be upstaged, so what now? It’s a fair assumption that he’ll announce it himself in the coming days or postpone it out of pettiness that it got leaked.

It is worth noting that the day after August 25th is International Dog Day 👀 🐶 

The Frank Ocean rumor

The zestiest rumor about FATD is that Frank Ocean is on it. Reports emerged of Zane Lowe hinting at an album feature that’s “industry-shaking” and “never-been-done-before” during a recent Apple Music Radio broadcast. Allegedly, he also called the cryptic collab a “feature of dreams” before playing Frank Ocean’s song “Nikes,” which gave internet philosophers enough of a seed to water into a rumor.

Turns out the whole report was delulu as Zane shut down rumors by saying, “100% untrue. Never said it. Haven’t even been on radio for the last two weeks.”

The confirmed features

Drake’s been using his recent tour as an unofficial way to release information about the album. On July 8th, he told the crowd in Detroit that his Young Money alum, Nicki Minaj, will be on the album.

"I’m gonna give away one thing for you tonight because I got a lot of love for Detroit. So I’m gonna have to tell you that 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.

On August 13th, he told the crowd in Inglewood, California, that Bad Bunny would also make an appearance on the album. "It’s been like six years since me and Benito did a song. So, we got a song coming for y’all on my album,” he said.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Drake first announced the FATD album in June to coincide with the release of his poetry book, Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness. “I made an album to go with the Book. They say they miss the old Drake, girl don’t tempt me,” he wrote on the book’s website.

Earlier this month, Drake gave an update during one of his Inglewood, California concerts. “I kinda got a chance today to listen to my album in full. I’m very excited to give it to you. I hope you’re excited for it too,” he said. “It’s coming real soon. It’ll belong to you very shortly,” he shared.

Why this matters

Following Travis Scott’s Utopia, Drake’s new album is the second biggest rap release of the year and will round out a prolific run for the rapper. It’ll mark his fourth full-length album in the last two years following Certified Lover Boy, Honestly, Nevermind, and Her Loss.

CLB was new Drake, HN was electric Drake, HL was collab Drake, and FATD promises to be the old Drake. This is the same rapper that said he’s contemplating retirement and a “graceful exit” in the near future but shows no signs of slowing down.

Rihanna & A$AP Rocky Welcome Their 2nd Child

Bad news for A$AP Rocky fans who’ve been waiting for his new album and good news for fans who love to love the famous couple. A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have reportedly welcomed another child into their growing family. TMZ broke the news, although neither parent has confirmed that Rihanna quietly gave birth on August 3rd in Los Angeles to a baby boy whose name starts with “R.”

It’s All in a Name

The couple’s first child is named RZA Athleston Mayers, paying homage to the famous leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. In case you don’t know, A$AP’s government name is Rakim Mayers, and Rihanna’s full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty—their children’s names sentimentally start with “R,” creating a generational tradition of R-names.

A$AP and his sister Erika were both named after the iconic ‘80s hip-hop duo of Eric B. & Rakim. Considering A$AP’s first son was also named after a famous hip-hop artist, it’s not a stretch to say that his secondborn will probably follow suit.

If you ever need humbling, remember that A$AP and Rihanna’s first son, RZA, was on the cover of Vogue before he turned one. Meanwhile, their second son, “R,” attended the Oscars and the Met Gala and appeared in Pharrell’s first Louis Vuitton campaign—before he was born.

Context for those of you out touching grass

A$AP seemed to step back into his main character role as of late, directing and starring in a commercial for Dr. Dre’s Beats, releasing his single “RIOT” and accompanying music video, and previewing unreleased music at Rolling Loud Miami with an unconfirmed Travis Scott diss. On August 1st, he tweeted “AWGEST,” causing speculation the album was dropping soon. But looking back, maybe he was referring to Rihanna’s due date.

Why this matters

Although all signs were pointing towards a 2023 release for A$AP’s Don’t Be Dumb album, the arrival of his second son will most likely slow things down. From what was made public, A$AP seemed hands-on during his first year of parenting. An album release involves press, listening parties, events, and touring—things that don’t make it easy to be home before your sons’ bedtime. Where Tom Brady seemed unable to walk away from his career, at the cost of his marriage allegedly, A$AP seems to have happily forgotten about his career.

Murder Charges Against King Von’s Alleged Killer Dropped

King Von’s alleged killer, Lul Timm, has been cleared of the 2020 murder charges in the state of Georgia. In a statement to XXL, Timm’s attorney confirmed the news, saying, “The case against Mr. Leeks was dismissed prior to ever being indicted.” Timothy Leeks is Timm’s government name.

Asian Doll, Von’s ex-girlfriend, responded to the news on Twitter. In a since-deleted tweet, she cryptically said, “Because the police said Tim ain’t kill him the police did.” Von’s family was on IG live and vented their frustration over finding out charges had been dropped at the same time as the public.

Not long after, Lul Timm released a new song and music video titled “Left A Stain.” He hangs out with Quando Rondo in the video, who was also there when Von was murdered, and raps, “I told him ‘bout my good news, I’m ‘bout to beat this case.”

Context for those of you out touching grass

King Von was shot on November 6, 2020, outside a hookah lounge in Atlanta. His crew got into a fight with another group of people, including Quando Rondo and Lul Timm. Six people were shot in total, three of whom died, including Von. Lul Timm was arrested and charged with felony murder for Von’s death in March 2021. Shortly after, he was released from police custody after posting a $100K bond.

• Lil Uzi Vert’s Barter 16 hangs in limbo as more than a dozen songs leak. The project has no official release date, but this may setback Uzi’s plans for the Young Thug-inspired album.

• A snippet of J. Cole’s collaboration with Burna Boy leaks online. The tracklist for Burna’s upcoming album, I Told Them, also includes 21 Savage and UK rapper Dave.

• YouTube launches ‘Music AI Incubator’ to figure out how to adequately compensate artists and rightsholders for AI music. The platform is working with Universal Music to ensure the integrity of artists’ work is protected.

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