Drake’s FOMO could have been anything: a short film, a whole new album. Leading into its premiere on Tuesday night (Sept. 15), no one really knew for sure.
As it turns out, the answer is: a bit of both, and more. Familiar tracks were given fresh visual interpretations, new ones were heard for the very first time, the existence of Drake’s previously rumored take on Ella Langley’s gargantuan hit “Choosin’ Texas” was confirmed; and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There was no clear overarching narrative to the short film, which, not unlike the Iceman-debuting livestream from May of this year, instead saw Drake and company moving through a series of vignettes. In its final moments, FOMO took on a more legacy-focused approach, with Drake poignantly nodding at a number of instantly recognizable moments from across his blockbuster career.
Fans were also inundated with cameos, as everyone from Lena the Plug to Drake’s mom ultimately showed up.
Of course, this was all hinted at in the days leading up to FOMO’s unveiling. In a note shared to his Instagram on Monday (Sept. 14), the OVO founder promised “self-funded surrealism” with the “not so short film,” which marks his fourth major outing this year alone.
“I hope this serves as motivation to make that call, take that trip, drop that song, open that shop, see your parents, leave that relationship or stay in it forever, spend the bread, get some more etc.,” Drake told fans when offering some pre-FOMO advice. “They keep saying our genre is dying. Videos don’t matter. Nobody is watching nobody is listening. I still care. As much as I did on the set of ‘Best I Ever Had.’ So be kind and rewind.”
Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti all arrived in May, the latter two coming as a surprise. The move made Drake the first-ever artist to hold down the top three spots on the Billboard 200 albums chart, all at the same time.
Though decidedly rare, the three-albums-at-once strategy wasn’t entirely without precedent. As of this writing, the new FOMO tracks have not been given a formal streaming release, though it’s safe to say that’s on the horizon.
