Drake Announces New Album Collaboration with PartyNextDoor, Premieres ‘Wah Gwan Delilah’ Live in Toronto.

Drake had some exciting news for his hometown fans on Friday night (August 2) at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto. The rapper surprised the audience with a series of R&B tracks before announcing that he is working on a new collaborative album with OVO Sound artist PartyNextDoor.

“On behalf of me and Party, we’ve been working on something for you all,” he announced at the end of the concert. “So, you all get through the summer, do what you need to do. I know all the girls are out. When it gets a little colder, the PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting for you.”

The concert was actually part of PartyNextDoor’s “Sorry I’m Outside Tour,” not Drake’s. However, PartyNextDoor gave the stage to his famous collaborator for nearly an hour at the end of the performance. PartyNextDoor had just completed his own set—a career-spanning show with R&B hits and deep cuts from a decade of recording—when the stage was transformed, and the lights revealed Drake at the microphone.

“I’m here tonight to say thank you,” Drake told the crowd, “to each and every one of you for your unwavering support over the years.”

While shouting out Toronto always earns a pop from his local fans, Drake’s words seemed genuinely heartfelt. At a time when Kendrick Lamar’s popular diss track “Not Like Us” is competing for the song of the summer, even longtime friends are rallying behind it. It made sense for Drake to do something special for the fans who have stood by him the most.

Drake noted that he had never done a full set of just R&B songs before, but he had more than enough material to fill a strong setlist. He mostly stuck to one theme: Drake with melody. He nodded to the Caribbean Carnival happening that weekend in Toronto by wearing a Caribana ’99 tank top. Typically, this weekend would be for OVO Fest, but this time it was a little different from the usual star-studded festival. Instead, it was a performance full of deeper tracks he rarely performs and first-time live debuts.

He kicked things off with “Sweeterman,” a smooth 2015 remix of Mississauga artist RamRiddlz’s track that he hadn’t played in years. This was followed by the live debut of “Wah Gwan Delilah.” This was certainly a surprise. When Drake performed a viral, patois-laden cover of Snowd4y’s emo-pop ballad “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s, it was so divisive and bizarre that many couldn’t tell if it was really him or an AI deepfake. That night, it was definitely him singing, and the crowd loved it.

Drake continued with tracks from his discography such as “Practice” from Take Care and “Connect” from Nothing Was the Same, then moved to more recent hits like “Finesse,” “Pipe Down,” and “Redemption”—fan favorites from albums like Scorpion, Views, and Certified Lover Boy. He brought out another OVO artist, Roy Woods, to perform their 2015 hit “Drama.”

Drake then brought PartyNextDoor back on stage for a few collaborative songs, including PND’s hit “Come and See Me.” Drake showered him with praise, calling him the “King of R&B” and his all-time favorite R&B singer, crediting him for inspiring him and “changing my life and my sound.” He even gave a shoutout to PartyNextDoor’s parents, who were in the audience.

With the collaborative album with PartyNextDoor on the horizon, fans can expect to hear more of Drake’s softer, melodic side soon.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting collaboration.