Drake Teases New Music with Noah “40” Shebib, Fans Await Collaborative Album with PARTYNEXTDOOR

Drake’s recent months have been anything but predictable. Despite facing what many saw as a significant loss in his battle with Kendrick Lamar, the rapper has continued to rack up accolades. He was once again crowned the most-streamed rapper on Spotify, and earned three awards at the Billboard Music Awards. But now, with the calendar quickly winding down, it seems the 6 God is ready to focus on new music, and he’s letting fans in on the process.

On Thursday, December 19, Drake shared a cryptic post on Instagram confirming that he’s back in the studio working on new material. The photo, which shows his longtime collaborator and producer Noah “40” Shebib working on a song in front of a Christmas-decorated fireplace, sparked immediate excitement. While Drake himself doesn’t appear in the image, he captioned it with the intriguing phrase, “strong winds from the north.” Whether this refers to the north of Toronto or his new home in Texas remains unclear, but the message is clear—Drake is back to work.

This post marks the first official confirmation that new music is on the way, which comes as a relief for fans who have been eagerly awaiting new material. While there has been speculation about a possible follow-up to his 2023 album For All the Dogs, what fans are really waiting for is the highly anticipated collaborative album between Drake and his OVO labelmate, PARTYNEXTDOOR.

Drake had previously announced that the joint album with PND would be released before the end of 2024, but with only a few weeks left in the year, it’s beginning to look like that timeline may be delayed. PARTYNEXTDOOR, who has been touring, promised fans he would focus on finishing the album once his tour wrapped up, but it remains unclear if his contributions have been completed. It’s possible that the song 40 is working on in the Instagram post could appear on the collaborative project, but for now, fans will have to keep speculating.

The announcement of new music, even if it’s not yet clear whether it’s part of the PARTYNEXTDOOR album or something else entirely, comes at a strategic time for Drake. Despite his recent accolades, much of the press surrounding the rapper has been negative, particularly after his public exchanges with Kendrick Lamar. By confirming that he’s in the studio, Drake is stoking anticipation for what comes next, ensuring that the focus remains on his creative output rather than the controversies of the past.

As 2024 inches closer to its end, fans will be watching closely for any more updates. Will Drake deliver on his promise of new music before the year is over, or will the delay continue? Either way, the anticipation is only growing.