In the great tradition of hot girls with stomach problems, Drake needs some time off to take care of his tummy. This is not to undermine the seriousness of any health condition the rapper may have—any hot girl with stomach problems can tell you that these issues are real and vary in severity from general nuisance to life-threatening complications. This is just to say that Drake always has the finger on the pulse of culture, right down to the trendiest of health problems.
“I probably won’t make music for a little bit,” Drake announced on his show “Table for One” on Sirius XM’s Sound 42 (via The New York Post). “I’m going to be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost, and I’ll talk about that soon enough. Nothing crazy, but just like, you know, I want people to be healthy in life.”
“I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach. I’m just saying what it is. So, I need to focus on my health, and I need to get [that] right, and I’m going to that,” he continued. “I have a lot of other things that I would love to focus on. So, I’ma lock the door in the studio for a little bit. I don’t even know what a little bit is. Maybe a year or so, maybe a little longer.”
It’s not necessarily remarkable for an artist to take a year or two off in between albums, but Drake has been particularly prolific in the last few years. Since autumn 2021, he’s released four albums, including For All The Dogs, which dropped on Friday. The new LP is already making the rounds on the Internet for its pop culture references and possible sly shade. For instance, the track “Fear Of Heights” has some fans suspecting a diss towards Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky: “Why they make it sound like I’m still hung up on you?/That could never be/Gyal can’t ruin me/Better him than me/Better it’s not me/I’m anti, I’m anti/Yeah, and the sex was average with you.”
There’s also a verse that references Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown and the media attention around their friendship, which some found inappropriate. “My bank account is magnolia, Milly rockin’, ayy/Weirdos in my comments talkin’ ‘bout some Millie Bobby, look/Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin’/Or send a finger to your mama in some FedEx boxes,” he raps on “Another Late Night.” Enjoy those bars while you can, because it’s all we’re getting until Drake gets these stomach problems worked out.