Just weeks after Drake “hacked” ESPN to ambiguously share his Certified Lover Boy release date through a cryptic message, the network has announced a new partnership with the Toronto star.
Drake, who also serves as the Toronto Raptors global ambassador, is going to be working with ESPN throughout the upcoming NFL season to curate the music for Monday Night Football, choosing music that “encapsulates both the energy and mood” of the broadcast. According to a press release, Drake will be playing songs off his latest album, CLB, as well as some older classics and songs by other artists he’s feeling.
“Now we are here, the kickoff of the football season,” said ESPN’s Vice President of Sports Marketing, Emeka Ofodile.
“And who better to curate music for Monday Night Football than Drake who sits firmly at the intersection of music and sports. We couldn’t be more excited for this upcoming collaboration. The music curator role has been a big hit with our fans with Diplo and DJ Khaled in previous years, and this season, we will be living inside the moment with Drake as our NFL on ESPN soundtrack.”
The 2021-22 Kickoff Game is scheduled for tomorrow, September 9th with the Dallas Cowboys taking on defending Super Bowl LV champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Drake’s campaign with Monday Night Football will include live telecasts, promotional spots, and pre-game shows, for a total of 10 games. His first Monday Night Football game will feature the Baltimore Ravens taking on the newly relocated Las Vegas Raiders.
The good news just keeps rolling in for Drizzy. According to reports, Certified Lover Boy is anticipated to move between 575,000 and 625,000 album equivalent units in its first week. If so, the project will have the biggest week for an album since 2020’s Folklore by Taylor Swift.
