“What’s Next” by Drake

According to DJ Akademiks, a prominent social-media personality who has the inside scoop on news related to hip-hop (and Drake), Drizzy described “What’s Next” as being a “warm up (thing)”. 

Chances are that means this is sort of a freestyle or even more likely a track which he did not vest too much energy in. And such shows in the lyrics, though not in a bad way. Rather it is clear that Drizzy did not overextend himself in terms of dropping dope metaphors and what have you. But at the same time, being the exceptional lyricist that that he is, the wording is still more unique than what most other rappers have to offer.

In the refrain he is addressing some unspecified individual. Honestly this person reads as if it is a close romantic interest. For instance, Drake tells this figure that he cannot ‘be with just you and only you’. It seems he or she has also done something to the rapper to upset him, i.e. giving his or her “chain away”, which Drizzy equates with “giving your fame away”. And he also uses the passage, somewhat unrelatedly, to certify that he’s drunk and also is a “boss”.

Song’s Core Sentiment

And that latter assertion can be concluded as the prevailing sentiment of the song. That is to say that for the most part the lyrics serve the purpose of exhibiting how successful the narrator is. And going back to the lyrical style of the tune, he doesn’t do so by actually listing the items he owns, as is the established hip-hop norm. 

Rather he notes for instance, in a roundabout way, how he possesses some type of one-of-a-kind (or more specifically two-of-a-kind) luxury watch. Then he points out how his career trajectory has been successively ‘improving’. Along a similar vein, he gives a shoutout to Weezy (aka Lil Wayne) and lets the world know that after being put on by Wayne, he has moved forward, no fail. 

Additionally the rapper reveals, again in sort of an indirect fashion, that he patronizes high-end hotels and drives expensive cars. Drake also addresses a popular belief these days, i.e. people being under the impression that major stars such as himself have sold their souls for riches and fame. 

And to him, such conspiracy theories are indicative of the masses wanting to delve into the intricacies of his life, i.e. being nosy so to speak.

Meaning of “What’s Next”

And the above is the idea upon which the title of this track is based on. Drake knows that people are curious in terms of “what’s next” in his life. And he does list some general things he has done, such as rest during the summer, stretch during the New Year’s and having sex on Valentine’s Day. 

And the overall implication behind such bland, shall we say, assertions is that there’s no need to ask “what’s next” when it comes to Drizzy. That is because the rapper is basically doing the same thing all the time, which is relaxing and chillin’.

And in putting all of the lyrics together, it can be concluded that he is able to do so because, once again, he is damn rich.

Facts about “What’s Next”

This track came out on 5 March 2021 as part of Drake’s three-song EP, Scary Hours 2. And on that same date a music video for the track was released. Said clip, which employed Theo Skudra as its director, features Drake touring his hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Drake’s private jet, known as Air Drake, also makes an appearance on the music video.

The labels behind this track are Drake’s own OVO Sound, in conjunction with Republic Records.

This song actually leaked about a week before it was officially released. At the time fans were speculating that it would be featured on Certified Lover Boy, the title of Drake’s sixth album that was supposed to come out during January of 2021.  However, still as of the release of this track, no one knows exactly when said project will in fact be released.

Within mere hours of its release, “What’s Next” quickly claimed the top position on the iTunes sales’ chart for the United States. In doing so it greatly outperformed “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” and “Wants and Needs“, the other two tracks from “Scary Hours 2”, which respectively feature Rick Ross and Lil Baby.

Drake wrote this track alongside its producers, Maneesh and Supah Mario, both of whom he has worked with prior. And its chorus interpolates an unreleased leaked track he put together with Young Thug entitled “What a Time to Be a Slime”.

Drake underwent knee surgery in late-2020. And it has been speculated that when he refers to ‘stretching’ during New Year’s in the song, said statement alludes to him rehabbing the knee.

Performance on the Charts

“What’s Next” held #1 positions in these countries:

It also was placed in the Top-10 in the following countries: