Kendrick Lamar did, in fact, go “Back To Back” as promised and dropped another Drake diss, “6:16 In LA,” on Friday morning (May 3) three days after dropping “euphoria.” Moreover, this diss is a much more focused and specific takedown of the 6ix God rather than the multi-faceted and expansive set of points made on the first diss track. This time around, K.Dot is focusing on how much of his opponent’s OVO camp is supposedly against him, willing to give up info and only staying loyal because of money. Furthermore, he achieves this through lines like, “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me?,” “Know the wires in your circle should puzzle you,” “If you were street smart, then you would’ve caught that your entourage is only to hustle you.”
Of course, as Kendrick Lamar fans tend to do, they will probably peel back a lot of other possible meanings and references in many of these bars in the next few days, so expect even more stuff to come out from both “6:16 In LA” and “euphoria.” But the points made here are very clear. On the other hand, Drake fans are already calling into question the Compton MC’s lyricism, specifically pointing to battle rap lines that he allegedly stole. But commonly repeated lines and metaphor openings that are peppered across The Boy’s catalog as well won’t be enough to change the narrative, or at least, that’s what Kendrick argues on this new song.
Elsewhere, people are already going wild with their reactions to “6:16 In LA.” Many of the bars here could relate to many references on previous disses, such as the Gunna bar on “euphoria” and Kendrick Lamar’s allusions to Drake’s bodyguard Chubbs. Still, it’s clear to see that people are really running with the idea that the Toronto collective is not as tight-knit as they would have you believe, which is probably exactly what Kendrick wanted to paint with his bars. Whether it’s true or not, they are some heavy claims to tackle.
Meanwhile, everyone’s now patiently waiting to see what Drake could offer in response to Kendrick Lamar. They’ve teased some really damaging ammunition for another round, and it seems like the former TDE lyricist is calling Aubrey’s bluff here. It’s not impossible for him to bounce back with a strong retort, and that might just lock them in a war for life. Regardless, it’s all been a pretty interesting spat to witness, and one that will go down in the history books no matter what.
In case you missed it (somehow), Kendrick Lamar and Drake are beefing right now. In March, Lamar went after Drake (and J. Cole) on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” Last month, Drake responded with “Push Ups,” and a few days ago, Lamar fired back with “Euphoria.”
It’s Drake’s turn, but Lamar decided to skip the line and go again: Today (May 3), he dropped another Drake diss, “6:16 In LA.”
On the track, Lamar implies that people in Drake’s camp aren’t loyal to him, with lines like, “Have you ever thought that OVO is working for me,” “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it,” “If you was street smart, you woulda caught your entourage is only to hussle you,” “100 guy that you got on salary, and 20 of them want you as the casualty,” and “It’s time you look around and see who’s really around you.”
This comes shortly after Rick Ross advised Drake to not respond to “Euphoria,” saying, “He may not even heard this yet but look, white boy: I know we not friends, but let me give you this advice because you ain’t got nobody around you, you ain’t got no real n****s around you. Let me put it like that: ain’t no real n****s. Stop. Don’t respond. Don’t respond. You ain’t even peep when the intro came on with that Teddy Pendergrass, that was that Black vibe. Don’t do it. Don’t go write an 8-minute verse.”
It’s been a flood of PARTYNEXTDOOR news in the past week. Fans of the OVO R&B singer got a new album from him over the weekend. It was his first project since 2020’s PARTYMOBILE and his first new entry in his self-titled PND series since 2016. Songs like “R e s e n t m e n t” and “H e r O l d F r i e n d s” that dropped in advance of the album are already racking up millions of streams. The album will make its debut on the Billboard 200 later this week.
Now fans who are loving his new music will get the chance to see him perform live later this year. Earlier this week he announced that he was taking off on a tour. It’s called the “Sorry I’m Outside” tour and while it didn’t have dates confirmed right away, it didn’t take long. The 24-date tour includes a number of American and Canadian cities and numerous festival stops. He’ll play sets at Cowboys Music Festival, Broccoli City Festival, and Afro Nation Detroit in the next few months. Check out the tour announcement and full lineup of shows below.
PND’s new album has been getting quite a lot of love from fans since it dropped. Many have praised its sensual ambitions and catchy songwriting online. What do you think of PARTYNEXTDOOR announcing his tour dates for this year’s “Sorry I’m Outside” tour? Do you plan on seeing him perform anywhere this year? Let us know in the comment section below.
Tour Dates: 06/19 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 06/21 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA 06/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ LIV Nightclub Las Vegas 06/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium 07/1 – Oakland, CA @ The Fox Theater 07/3 – Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre 07/5 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum 07/7 – Calgary, AB @ Cowboys Music Festival 07/9 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall 07/12 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium 07/14 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom 07/15 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center 07/18 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy 07/20 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach 07/23 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues 07/25 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore 07/27 – Washington, D.C. @ Broccoli City Festival 07/30 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues 08/6 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS 08/8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount 08/11 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre 08/13 – Philadelphia, PA -@The Fillmore 08/15 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed 08/18 – Detroit, MI @ Afro Nation Detroit
PARTYNEXTDOOR is riding high right now. The singer’s new album, P4, has been well-received by fans, with many praising the production and sticky melodies. It’s a comeback of sorts for PND, given how quiet he’s been during the first half of the 2020s. Thankfully, he’s seizing the moment. The OVO vet gave fans exactly what they wanted on April 29 when he announced that he will be going on tour during the second half of the year. The tour, titled “Sorry I’m Outside,” came with an appropriately moody trailer.
The trailer, which runs just under 50 seconds, matches the aesthetic of PND’s new album. It’s a montage of images and moments mashing up PND’s recording sessions in Hollywood with life in Toronto. We even see the Hollywood sign get replaced, at one point, by the title for lead single “Real Woman.” The swirling editing then shows a crowd of people chanting the chorus of the DMX classic “Party Up (Up In Here).” It doesn’t provide any dates, but PND confirmed that they would be revealed on April 30 via Instagram. As far as teasers go, this one was pretty effective.
PARTYNEXTDOOR is notorious for being a shy artist, but he has been pushing himself to perform more. His nonexistent touring schedule post-pandemic has increased gradually to include stops at Rolling Loud California, Souled Out in Australia and SXSS in Texas. His manager, Tyler Henry, talked about the pointed decision to increase the singer’s number of performances during a March profile with Billboard. “We like to do a few each year to make sure we’re fresh and in front of people’s minds,” he explained. “It keeps us sharp for when a moment like this album comes.”
PARTYNEXTDOOR has said that P4 is his most focused album yet. “This is the hardest I’ve ever worked on an album. This is the proudest I’ve felt,” he told the outlet. “I’m excited to grind even more for the next [one]. I’m in love with how hard you should work for it.” It’s safe to assume the hard work that went into the album will also make its way into the tour. Drake might even take a break from beefing with the hip-hop world to make a surprise appearance during the Toronto stop.
Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR have a legendary partnership dating back to 2013. The latter was the first artist signed to Drake’s OVO label, and he’s been a key collaborator on the last decade of Drake albums. The 6 God has returned the favor by hyping up PND’s solo outings and dropping a guest verse once in a while. He’s nowhere to be found on the singer’s latest, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4, but he’s been busy feuding with entire rap industry. Nevertheless, Drake found time to praise PND for dropping another stellar body of work.
Drake’s Instagram Story was dominated by PND content on April 25. There were screenshots from the music video for “For Certain” and photos from the singer’s wrap party. The thing that really clicked with fans, though was when Drizzy praised the quality of the album overall. He posted a screenshot of the single “No Chill” with the caption: “Played this 100000 times before release.” The rapper lamented not being able to count his spins towards the song’s overall numbers. “Wish they logged my streams.”
PARTYNEXTDOOR has often been described as the introvert to Drake’s extrovert. The two performed together during a 2022 concert in Toronto, and the latter commented on this dynamic. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot or anything. I know you hate this the most,” he noted. The “Push Ups” rapper then talked up PND’s impact on his music to the crowd. “I’m so grateful for you,” he announced. “I would not be the artist I am if it wasn’t for you. This is really my favorite artist in the world.”
Drake isn’t the only who’s impressed by PARTYNEXTDOOR 4. PND told Billboard that he has never put more work in on an album, and is thoroughly satisfied with how P4 turned out. “This is the proudest I’ve felt,” he admitted. “I’m excited to grind even more for the next [one]. I’m in love with how hard you should work for it.” He also doubled down on his preference to stay out of the spotlight. “The only thing that’s important, that has changed my life, is dropping music,” he told the outlet. “I’m not worried about the fame.”
Naomi Sharon arrived on the scene in 2019, and immediately drew comparisons to Sade. Not only in terms of her production choices and lovesick subject matter, but her sultry vocals. “Breeze” and “The Moon” were chilled-out singles that split the difference between pop and R&B. Sharon hasn’t broken through the way that peers like Jorja Smith and Snoh Aalegra have, but she drew lots of attention on social media recently. It wasn’t to discuss her music so much as her label situation. Despite not being considered a household name, Sharon is signed to one of the biggest artists in the world: Drake.
Not only is Naomi Sharon the first female artist signed to OVO Sound, she’s the only one. She’s the first lady of the label, as evidenced by her debut album, Obsidian. The thing that caught most fans off guard was the fact that Drake has rarely discussed Sharon or her music publicly. He signed her to the label in 2023 but the two have never collaborated. For an artist like Drake, who has a track record of working with singers in Sharon’s style, this was odd.
Fans took to the Instagram comment section to voice their confusion over Drake’s decision to promote artists outside of his label. “Why would he promote [Sexxy] Red and not his own artist,” one user asked. Another accused Drake of always putting his own music first, and failing to do the legwork to make sure his OVO artists get the exposure they need to pop. “If y’all learned nothing Drake don’t do the foot work for his artist,” they reasoned. “He makes them get it out the mud and uses them for his own albums and needs.”
Naomi Sharon talked about working with OVO during an interview with NME. She noted that they have a very “easy going” atmosphere in the studio, but that she had to request a goal so that she knew what to aim for in terms of song amount and due date. “I was like, ‘No, I need a goal,’” she said. “I was planning to go to Toronto for three weeks to record a little bit… We ended up in the studio making a song every day, which is very special.” While the working process may have been tricky, Sharon did state that her label boss has been helpful as a mentor. “Drake is one example of being an icon and doing the right things with music,” she told Clash. “He gives good advice.”
Hopefully this recent attention will lead to Sharon and Drake linking up on a song.
Drake and The Weeknd are two of music’s biggest stars right now. The two first crossed paths in the early 2010s when The Weeknd was hardly known. Since then, their relationship surprisingly seems to have gone bad. Now, it looks like The Weeknd has taken the beef to the studio.
While they started off as collaborators, their friendship slowly deteriorated over the years, possibly to a point of no return. In the last few weeks, Drake has been dissed by a handful of rappers. With the release of Future and Metro Boomin’s latest collab project WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU, fans are wondering if The Weeknd also took a shot at Drake. Here’s a timeline of the two’s relationship over the years.
The story of Drake and The Weeknd begins in 2010, the start of a significant decade for both artists. In December 2010, Drake introduced his fans to The Weeknd, who, at the time, had very little following. Two of the singer’s songs were shared on Drake’s October’s Very Own blog with the caption “Introducing The Weeknd.” Subsequently, the two linked up in 2011 during one of The Weeknd’s shows in Canada and began working together soon after. When Drake’s sophomore album eventually dropped in November 2011, the pair’s first collab was shared with the world. “Crew Love,” a standout track from Take Care,introduced a host of new fans to The Weeknd and his music. The song was the first of a handful of collaborations between the two iconic artists.
2012: The Weeknd Turns Drake Down And Signs A Deal With Republic Records
You won’t get away with just a thank you…you owe me a favor.
Following their successful collaboration in 2011, Drake tried to get The Weeknd to join OVO Sound. At the time, the singer was garnering some significant media buzz and was on the verge of superstardom. Speaking to MTV in May 2012, Drake shared, “As far as on paper, it’s all being worked out, but that’s not really what counts anyway. What counts to me is the fact that the affiliation is so known, and that’s all I really care about.”
Despite his statement about caring more for the affiliation than the paperwork, Drizzy seemed optimistic that The Weeknd would join his label. However, in a surprising turn of events, the singer chose to go with Republic Records instead. Following a cryptic tweet from Drake on December 11, 2012, fans speculated that the rapper was displeased with The Weeknd’s decision. However, the following year, the two were back to working together like nothing happened.
2015: The Weeknd Says He Gave Up Half Of His Album For Drake
During an interview with Rolling Stone in October 2015, The Weeknd shared some interesting news. The singer revealed that he made significant contributions to Drake’s 2011 album Take Care. “I gave up almost half of my album. It’s hard. I will always be thankful—if it wasn’t for the light he shined on me, who knows where I’d be. And everything happens for a reason. You never know what I would say if this success wasn’t in front of me now,” he said. The revelation was particularly damning for Drake because he had been facing ghostwriting allegations. Following this interview, there was a noticeable rift between Drake and The Weeknd.
After the two barely interacted for over a year, they seemingly reunited in February 2017. The Weeknd made an appearance during a stop in Germany on Drake’s Boy Meets World tour. Subsequently, in May 2017, Drizzy returned the favor when he performed “Crew Love” with The Weeknd at two Toronto shows during the singer’s Starboy: Legend of the Fall tour. Later, during the OVO Festival in August 2017, Drake teased a joint project with The Weeknd. “I want you to understand what this is. First of all, I don’t want to do this to you on stage, but I feel like that OVOXO project has to happen at some point. I just want to say that,” he said to the singer on stage as the crowd went wild.
October – November 2017: Murky Waters Again
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 20: Model of the Year Honoree Bella Hadid (L) and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye attend The Daily Front Row “Fashion Los Angeles Awards” 2016 at Sunset Tower Hotel on March 20, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The Daily Front Row)
However, tension arose again later in 2017 when rumors started spreading that Drake was dating Bella Hadid, The Weeknd’s ex-girlfriend. In October 2017, Page Six reported that Bella Hadid hooked up with the “Hotline Bling” rapper. Subsequently, Hadid commented that she was friends with Drake and nothing more. However, fans claimed to notice that Drake and The Weeknd were not on the best terms following the rumors.
Later, on November 15, 2017, Drake celebrated the six-year anniversary of Take Care. He shared a photo of a rare draft of the album’s tracklist on his Instagram account, evidently happy. However, his mood was subsequently dampened when his attention was called to a comment someone left under the post. The commenter discredited Drake’s work on the album, claiming that The Weeknd wrote most of it. “Abel Tesfaye CO WROTE on ‘Shot For Me’ and ‘Practice,’ obviously was featured on ‘Crew Love’ and ‘The Ride’ and that’s it. There’s 20 songs on that album … don’t try me,” Drake responded.
January 2019: The Weeknd Seemingly Disses Drake On “Lost In The Fire”
On January 11, 2019, The Weeknd released “Lost in the Fire” a collab track with French DJ Gesaffelstein. The track contains a lyric that sparked debate among listeners soon after its release. “And I just want a baby with the right one / ‘CauseI would never be the one to hide one,” The Weeknd sings. Fans speculated that the line was aimed at Drake who had recently been revealed to have a son.
December 2019: Drake Clears The Air About Beef With The Weeknd
Several months later, Drake seemingly addressed the feud rumors on the track “War.” The song was released on December 24, 2019, and contains lyrics fans were convinced were about The Weeknd. “And the boy that sound like he sang on ‘Thriller,’ / You know that’s been my n***a, yeah / We just had to fix things, family, 6 tings, we can’t split up,” Drizzy raps on the track. Many listeners believed that he was alluding to wanting to leave their feud behind in 2019. “War” seemed, to most fans, as a peace offering from Drake to The Weeknd.
July 2022: Drake Reminisces About The First Time He Heard The Weeknd
On July 8, 2022, Drake shared a series of videos on his Instagram story where he spoke about listening to The Weeknd for the first time. “Okay, look. This right here, this little driveway area right here was the first place that I ever heard The Weeknd’s music. Shoutout to Oliver, of course, my brother. Oliver played me The Weeknd right here. This is my old building in Toronto. We were parked out here. It was raining,” the rapper recalled. “That same guy is selling out the SkyDome tomorrow. That man is selling out the SkyDome tomorrow,” he continued. Many fans were happy to see him celebrate The Weeknd’s win and reminisce on his journey like that.
April 12th, 2024: The Weeknd’s Subtle Shots
On April 12, 2024, Metro Boomin and Future released WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU. The 25-track album is a follow-up project to their earlier release, WE DON’T TRUST YOU. The Weeknd appears on two tracks in the album: the title track, and “All to Myself.” The latter is the song that has sparked debate about whether or not the singer dissed Drake. According to listeners, some of the lines he delivers on the track seem undeniably directed at Drizzy.
“Ooh, look at how we movin’, baby (Movin’, baby) / They could never diss my brothers, baby (Future) / When they got leaks in they operation / I thank God that I never signed my life away / And we never do the big talk (No, no, no, no, no) / They shooters makin’ TikToks /Got us laughin’ in the Lambo (Yeah) / I promise that I got your back,” The Weeknd croons.
Admittedly, The Weeknd did not directly mention Drake on the track. However, it is very hard to ignore the line about signing his life away, considering that Drake tried to sign him to OVO Sound several years ago. So, did The Weeknd diss Drake on this track? Well, we can’t say for certain, but by Drake’s reaction, it sure looks like he did.
April 13th, 2024: Drake Claps Back At The Weeknd On Diss Track
After WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU dropped, Drake supposedly responded to all the disses he’d received with a track of his own. On April 14, 2024, Drizzy’s “Push Ups” was leaked on the internet. On the song, the rapper fired back at everyone who had previously come for him, including The Weeknd. “Claim the 6 and boys ain’t even come from it / And when you boys got rich you had to run from it / Cash blowin’ Abel bread, out here trickin’ / S**t we do for b***hes he doing for n***as,” the rapper spits, even firing at The Weeknd’s manager, Cash XO. In response, The Weeknd shared a photo of himself laughing on a couch with a bowl of popcorn on his life while Cash simply posted a flick of himself with Future and Metro Boomin.
Drake and Future proved themselves to be an unstoppable duo over the course of their careers. They have an extensive history of collaborating, including a full-length album and countless guest features. The two even co-headlined arena shows across North America on their Summer Sixteen Tour. In the booth and on stage, Drake and Future bring the best out of one another. Their working relationship has been championed by fans, encouraging their prolific output as collaborators. The alliance between Drake’s OVO Sound and Future’s Freebandz supposedly ended recently following subliminal disses and rumors. In 2023, N.O.R.E. suggested that Future was upset with Drake teaming up with 21 Savage for their Her Loss project. These unconfirmed rumors coincided with fans noticing tension between Drake and Metro Boomin, with whom Future recently released We Don’t Trust You.
Despite denying any beef between them, Kendrick Lamar’s vicious verse on “Like That” has sparked further discussion about their relationship. Lamar sent shots at Drizzy and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” collab and dismissed the notion of them as “The Big Three.” With the hip hop community in a frenzy, both Drake and Future’s respective camps are shrugging off rumors and shutting down any potential beef. With Drake walking out to a Future song at a recent show, it appears that any sort of feud is already underway. Whether or not they are actually beefing, we have gotten a sizable amount of legendary music from Drake and Future. Today, we are looking at their history of collaborations.
Building Their Collaborative Chemistry
Drake and Future first teamed up in 2011 when Drizzy hopped on the remix of Future’s breakout hit, “Tony Montana.” While it opened the door for more music, it also foreshadowed any bubbling tension between the two as Future was upset with Drake for not showing up to the song’s video shoot. Many of their other collaborations in their early careers were featured on other artists’ songs. Both artists appeared on DJ Drama’s “We In This Bitch 1.5,” Lil Wayne’s “Love Me,” and Preme’s “DnF.” Besides “Tony Montana,” Drake jumped on some of Future’s other early projects, including FBG: The Movie, on the song “Fo Real.” He was also on the “Sh!t Remix” and “Never Satisfied” from 2014’s Honest.
What A Time To Be Alive & Creative Winning Streak
After building their collaborative chemistry for a few years, Drake and Future’s rapport culminated in a creative winning streak. This musical peak started in 2015 when Drake served as the lone guest feature on “Where Ya At” from Future’s DS2, which Metro Boomin primarily produced. The song foreshadowed what was to come from their full-length collaboration, What A Time To Be Alive. The project arrived the same year, boasting major hits like “Jumpman.” With Metro Boomin executive producing, the album displayed the magic of their musical partnership. Their commercial and creative streak continued into 2016, with Future appearing on “Grammys” and co-writing “Feel No Ways” from Views. Following the conclusion of their Summer Sixteen Tour, they released “Used To This,” a standalone single affirming the alliance between OVO and FBG. Additionally, Future provided background vocals on “Blue Tint” from Drake’s Scorpion.
The Supposed End Of An Era
Before any tension arose between them, Drake and Future started the 2020s with a run of major collaborations. Ten days into 2020, they unleashed “Life Is Good,” a two-part song where each had their own moment to shine. Not too long after, they reconnected for the toxic anthem “Desires” and “D4L,” which also featured Young Thug. Both of these tracks appeared on Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes, a compilation of previously released and leaked songs. Going into 2021, Future guested twice on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, contributing vocals to “N 2 Deep” and the hit single “Way 2 Sexy.” Like “D4L,” the latter also featured Young Thug.
As of now, Drake and Future’s final collaborations were both on 2022’s I Never Liked You. Drake rapped on “I’m On One” and sang on “Wait For U,” which sampled Tems’s “Higher.” The latter won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance. If Drake and Future’s supposed beef continues, they certainly ended their musical run on a commercial high note, winning a Grammy and securing a No. 1 single.
PARTYNEXTDOOR season is officially upon us. The Canadian R&B star just shared his latest single, “Real Woman,” along with an announcement of the release of his upcoming studio album. PND 4 will arrive on April 26. It has been four years since PARTYNEXTDOOR’s last album, 2020’s PARTYMOBILE. In between projects, he has contributed occasional guest features to albums from Summer Walker, Diddy, Popcaan, and Kali Uchis, as well as frequent collaborators including Drake and OG Parker. Besides the latest single with “Real Woman,” PARTYNEXTDOOR had previously shared two tracks from PND 4, “Her Old Friends” and “Resentment.” Both of these tracks arrived back in 2023, giving Party time to slowly build excitement for his forthcoming studio album. As we await its long-anticipated release, here are five things we want from PARTYNEXTDOOR’s PND 4.
Moody late-night vibes are almost guaranteed on a PARTYNEXTDOOR album. Cult classics like “Grown Woman,” “Come and See Me,” and “Split Decision” exhibit his knack for creating dark yet warm and ambient moods across each of his albums. Party built his devout fanbase with this unique sound of R&B that he helped pioneer. His core followers know that he will continue his tradition of modern R&B perfect for contemplation after hours. So far, PND 4 seems promising in delivering more late-night slow jams. New singles like “Resentment” and “Real Woman” are quintessential PARTYNEXTDOOR in their tempo, melody, production, and lyrics. Let’s hope that these new tracks indicate that Party’s upcoming album will contain more of his signature sound.
Savage Anthems
PARTYNEXTDOOR is known for his emotionally transparent lyrics where he is most vulnerable. Fans also love him for his spiteful material. PARTYMOBILE’s closing track, “Savage Anthem” is the epitome of Party’s relationship with toxic love. Songs like “Options” and “West District” are also fan favorites among his discography. “Her Old Friends,” the first single for PND 4, lies within the same vein of those tracks as Party calls out his girl’s friends who encourage poor decisions. The song is a good sign that we can look forward to more toxicity on PARTYNEXTDOOR’s upcoming album.
PARTYNEXTDOOR established himself as not just a vocalist, producer, and songwriter for his own music, but for other artists. He has co-written on notable tracks such as Rihanna’s “Work” and “Sex With Me,” as well as her song with DJ Khaled, “Wild Thoughts.” Additionally, he has worked on songs for Kali Uchis, Christina Aguilera, Ne-Yo, and Kanye West. With many of these tracks being major hits, PARTYNEXTDOOR usually experiments more when it comes to his own albums. The first two classic PND installments contain his most undeniable anthems. Hopefully, he aims to outperform them on his next project. We can expect Party to make some more infectious hits of his own with his skillful songwriting on PND 4.
A Taste Of The Caribbean
PARTYNEXTDOOR has previously nodded to his Jamaican and Trinidadian heritage in his music. Songs like “Not Nice” and “Only U” on PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 contained elements of dancehall, as did “Run Up,” his hit collaboration with Major Lazer and Nicki Minaj. More recently, PARTYMOBILE also included dancehall tracks like “Eye On It” and tapped into West African and Brazilian influences. Also in 2020, he teamed up with Popcaan and Drake for “Twist & Turn,” a masterful blend of R&B and dancehall. Given how comfortable he sounds over music from the islands, we hope to receive more Caribbean-inspired music on PND 4.
PARTYNEXTDOOR can certainly hold down an album on his own, but fans would not mind some collaborations with his OVO contemporaries. They would welcome another song with dvsn and a possible collaboration with the newly signed Naomi Sharon. PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake have a spotless track record of collaborative chemistry as Drizzy appears on each of his studio albums. They recently continued their musical streak on “Members Only” from For All The Dogs. In addition to his fellow OVO signees, we are hoping that Party will have producers from the label contributing beats to PND 4. He has a long history of working with OVO beat makers like 40, Boi-1da, and Frank Dukes, so we hope to see them in the album’s credits. Even if they do not produce on PND 4, we can count on PARTYNEXTDOOR to produce quality music for himself like on his previous works.
The wait for PARTYNEXTDOOR’s highly-anticipated fourth studio album PND 4 is almost over. This past weekend, he announced the album’s release date along with its third single, “Real Woman.” PND 4 sees PARTYNEXTDOOR continuing his legendary self-titled album series and marks his first full-length release in four years. Back in 2020, he dropped PARTYMOBILE, which included singles like “Loyal” featuring Drake and “Believe It” with Rihanna. Party began teasing PND 4 last year with cryptic hints on social media. He eventually announced its title alongside Drake at a “PARTYNEXTDOOR & Friends” show in Toronto.
Now, he is officially rolling out the album with official singles and a release date. Last week, the elusive Canadian R&B star sat down with Billboard for a rare interview. He provided context about its creation along with stories of his musical journey and biggest collaborations. As we await the album’s release, here is what we know so far about PARTYNEXTDOOR’s PND 4.
Last Thursday, PARTYNEXTDOOR premiered “Real Woman” as PND 4’s third single at a live performance at Billboard’s Stage at SXSW. At the end of the show, he revealed the album’s release date of April 26, 2024. Building further excitement for his latest effort, the release date and title are some of the only concrete details that he has shared. So far, he has not confirmed any possible collaborations with artists or producers. No tracklist or cover art has been revealed. One could speculate that the album’s artwork could potentially include the female silhouette that can be seen in both the release date announcement and the cover art for “Real Woman” and “Resentment.”
PARTYNEXTDOOR Is Confident In His Next Release
In his latest Billboard cover story, PARTYNEXTDOOR declared that PND 4 will be his “most focused project yet.” “This is the hardest I have ever worked on an album. This is the proudest I’ve felt. I’m excited to grind even more for the next [one]. I’m in love with how hard you should work for it,” he elaborated. Considering the classic status of the first two installments of PARTYNEXTDOOR, the singer is setting the bar quite high for himself. He also told Billboard that “he didn’t have that laser focus when it came to making his last two studio albums, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 and PARTYMOBILE.” Admitting to “handling that sh*t like demos” on those albums, he said he was not “using everything” he learned as a producer, writer, and engineer, but promised to “never cheat on the quality of his art again.” This time, PARTYNEXTDOOR is clearly confident in his next release.
So far, PND 4 already sounds promising, based on its singles. Ahead of the album’s release, we have received three different singles. In January 2023, PARTYNEXTDOOR released “Her Old Friends” and dropped off “Resentment” in July. The third and latest single, “Real Woman” coincides with the announcement of the album’s release date, Party’s Billboard cover story, and his recent live performances. There is no indication of whether a fourth single will drop before the album arrives, but there are numerous unreleased tracks that have become fan favorites.
Other Potential Songs
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 20: Jahron Anthony Brathwaite aka PartyNextDoor performs live on stage during a concert at the Astra on February 20, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gina Wetzler/Redferns)
PARTYNEXTDOOR’s catalog of unreleased snippets is extensive with many of these tracks becoming cult classics despite no official drop. Even with three singles, numerous unreleased songs could land on PND 4. Since his last album in 2020, PARTYNEXTDOOR has been teasing new material on Instagram live. Unreleased tracks with fan-made titles like “Only One,” “Am I Wrong,” and “Would You Take Care Of Me” are possible contenders for the album’s tracklist. We will see what songs make the final cut on April 26.
Part of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s Billboard interview centered around live performance. “Outside of the PartyNextDoor & Friends Toronto show, Party has only performed at a handful of festivals (like Las Vegas’ Lovers & Friends) and college shows since the pandemic’s live-music pause ended,” Heran Mamo writes in his article. However, these shows serve as a “prelude to Party’s next act,” as hinted by his manager, Tyler Henry. “We like to do a few each year to make sure we’re fresh and in front of people’s minds. It keeps us sharp for when a moment like this album comes,” he says.
PARTYNEXTDOOR’s recent performances at SXSW and Rolling Loud this past weekend are likely a part of this prelude. “Reconnecting with his fans live — and making sure the music he performs is of the highest possible quality — is, in the end, what fuels him,” Mamo writes. It is evident that performing live is an integral part of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s planned resurgence with PND 4, bringing his new material to life and reconnecting with his dedicated fanbase.
