Drake put the world on notice when he revealed that he's almost ready to drop his upcoming album, Certified Lover Boy. Of course, this generated hype as fans anxiously await the drop. But even those closest to The Boy aren't sure when Drizzy will unleash CLB.
During an appearance on Kevin Durant's The ETCS podcast, Drake's close friend and trusted engineer/producer, Noah "40" Shebib, explained how Drake's sporadic creative process makes it impossible to pinpoint when he's ready to "pull the trigger."
"He's always got it. ... Now does that mean he's done? I don't know, shit. He might make 10 songs next week. I don't know. But he's got it," 40 said around an hour and 20 minutes into the conversation. "But when are you going to pull the trigger? I don't know when you're going to pull the trigger."
Drake has been poised for superstardom since he first breached the mainstream. Yet, the 6 God is far from the rapper who was crooning on "Best I Ever Had." Now, he's a global juggernaut and arguably the biggest artist in the world. 40 recognizes this. As a result, he tells KD that it doesn't matter when Drake drops his album because the world will stop to make room for him.
"He's going to pull the trigger when he wants to pull it. But he's got it. He always got it. ... He's always ready," 40 continued. "If Drake wants to drop the album tomorrow, it's coming out tomorrow. ... Drake can make the industry move."
40 and Drake have a strong relationship. In fact, their connection is so solid that the producer doesn't feel the need to work with any other artists.
"I probably solidified the decision when I, I won the ASCAP Songwriter Award three years in a row. And I think it was '11, '12, '13. And so, in '13 when I won it a third year in a row, I'm sitting there like, 'Yo, I only have ever worked with one artist. This is crazy.' Like, what, like... I'm songwriter of the year again? Right, this is like, insane. Like, what,'" he explained.
"That moment, I was like, 'I'm never working with anybody ever again.' Because it's just too much work. It's too much effort. I don't need to do that. It's, and it's a very emotionally exhausting experience to go into the studio with somebody and create from scratch and do all of that," 40 continued. "I found one of my best friends, and we make incredible music together. ... And truthfully, I don't think every other artist in the world is good enough to take my weird ass shit and turn it into something as incredible as Drake."
Listen to 40's full appearance on Kevin Durant's The ETCS podcast below.
