Drake and SZA are set to join forces for the very first time — musically speaking, anyway — for a new song arriving soon.
On Wednesday (September 13), the 6 God shared the cover art for a new track on Instagram and tagged the TDE songstress. SZA followed suit by posting the same image on her own IG page and tagging Drake back.
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The artwork is a photo of actress Halle Berry covered in green slime at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2012.
While neither Drake nor SZA have announced a title or release date for the collaboration, the former promised fans during a tour stop in Austin, Texas on Monday (September 11) that he’s planning to drop the first single from his upcoming album For All the Dogs “this week.”
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As two of the biggest stars in music today, the prospect of Drake and SZA combining their talents on wax left their respective fanbases counting down the hours until the song’s likely release at midnight on Friday (September 15).
“The moment has come omg,” one fan commented on Drizzy’s post, while a follower of SZA’s gushed on her post: “Omfg!!! You and Audrey doing a collab???!”
Although this will mark their first official collaboration, Drake and SZA are no strangers. In October 2020, the OVO rapper had the internet goin’ nuts after he claimed that he dated the New Jersey native back in the day.
“Yeah, said she wanna fuck to some SZA — wait/ ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08/ If you cool with it, baby, she can still play,” he rapped on 21 Savage and Metro Boomin‘s Savage Mode 2 track “Mr. Right Now.”
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SZA initially responded by unfollowing Drake on Instagram, before confirming days later that they did indeed have a brief fling.
She also clarified a minor detail that Drake had apparently got wrong and shut down speculation that she was underage at the time.
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“So it was actually 2009 lol,” she tweeted. “In this case a year of poetic rap license mattered. Lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait. Anybody who really knows me and was around during this time can confirm.. it’s all love all peace.”
She added: “I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening. Completely innocent. Lifetimes ago.”
The “Kill Bill” hitmaker later revisited the topic in December 2022, revealing that Drake had given her a heads up about his lyrics ahead of time and that she and the Toronto native have “always been cool.”
“It wasn’t a big deal because it was something I already knew about,” SZA said during an interview with Big Tigger. “I obviously knew that we talked to each other when I was a lot younger and when he was a lot younger. And we’re cool, we’ve always been cool. It’s never been weird, it didn’t come completely out the blue. And he let me know.”
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She continued: “Every time he’s ever mentioned me, it’s always been positive, he’s never said anything negative about me. I’m grateful for that. I think highly of him, and I think it’s really weird that all these years have passed and I am an artist now, and I wasn’t then. And he’s King Drake.”
The pair’s relationship made headlines again last year after Drake was rumored to be one of several artists who had passed on the opportunity to appear on SZA’s blockbuster album SOS.
His name was seen on a studio whiteboard in a behind-the-scenes video alongside others like Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat and Westside Gunn.
That video was released shortly after SZA revealed that she had been “ghosted” by numerous artists that she wanted on the project.
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“[Collaborations happen] in the DMs and begging people,” she said during an interview with Hot 97. “Sometimes people turn in their verses and sometimes they don’t. A lot of people just like, did not turn in their verses — but I’m grateful for who did.”
She added: “A lot of these people, I didn’t turn in my verse, so I can’t be too mad. But also, at the same token it’s like, ‘Damn, this sucks. I really needed you. I wish you showed up for me.’ But I’m sure they felt the same way for me.”
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In any case, Drake had high praise for SOS, calling the album “incredible” during a Stake livestream shortly after its release.
As for his own new project, For All the Dogs is slated to arrive on September 22 and will also feature another of his old pals, Nicki Minaj. Drizzy has teased further appearances from Yeat and Bad Bunny, too.
