Drake teased us all with an in-depth look at what a night out with the OVO King looks like. The Toronto-born rapper released the official music video for his new single “Laugh Now Cry Later” featuring Lil Durk, and a plethora of high profile cameos.
In the visual, Drake fulfills his (and many others) dream of being a professional athlete, complete with an oversized “draft day” suit. He also depicts the perfect date that nearly every Gen Z woman dreams of as he shuts down an entire Nike store to simply treat his date to a limitless shopping spree. The 33-year-old rapper also shows off his range as both a dramatic actor (he sheds a tear, or two) and comedic actor.
The “Champagne Papi” tapped director Dave Meyers for the music video, which was reportedly shot at the Nike World Headquarters in Oregon. It also features appearances from Kevin Durant, Marshawn Lynch, and Odell Beckham.
According to Drake’s Instagram, “Laugh Now Cry Later” will appear on his forthcoming studio album, Certified Lover Boy.
From this single, we can kind of get a sense of what this project will look and sound like: It’s giving Drake in his feels, reminiscing on his past experiences, glorifying his new ones, and celebrating his accomplishments while squeezing in some subtle jabs at other rappers/addressing his enemies, complete with some sort of moral lesson…feels kind of familiar.
“Moved out the Ritz and forgot ’bout the Bent’ / Valet just called me to tell me come get it / Knocked that boy off and I don’t want no credit / If it was me, they wouldn’t regret it / Left me for dead and now they wan’ dead it, yeah,” he raps on the third verse.
While I listened I couldn’t help but think of Drizzy’s previous hit single “God’s Plan.” Both records are catchy, and feel good to sing as you record an Instagram Story, or type a quote on Twitter because they both feature vague one-liners, that feel insightful yet say a lot of nothing. This song’s “Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry, but I guess you know now, baby” is as dense as “I hold back, sometimes I won’t, yuh/I feel good, sometimes I don’t” was in “God’s Plan.”
“I’m working on the album, I’ve been working on it for a while now,” Drake told Billboard at the beginning of our quarantine. “I remember the last time I had to sit down was when I tore my ACL (in 2009). And I made a great album out of that. Obviously god has us all inside the house right now. Definitely, it’s the most excited I’ve been about an album in a long time.” He also described this upcomung album as, “Fresh and brand new.”
Well, while we wait listen to all the feels, lessons, and reflections Drake has to offer on Certified Lover Boy, stream and watch the official music video for, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” below.
