By Temitope Ojo

Canadian rapper, Aubrey Drake Graham, popularly known as Drake has released his fifth studio album christened “Scorpion.” The album features late pop star, Michael Jackson.

The 25-track body of work released yesterday, June 29 is a double album; one half, rap, lays bare his versatility and the other half show his mellow R&B side.

Drake also hailed Nigerian duo Wizkid and Tekno for inspiring the new album.

“Thank you to all the artistes that inspired me on the studio drives,” the rapper wrote on his Instagram page.

He shared screenshots of the albums or singles of other artistes who inspired him.

Tekno’s ‘Jogodo’ and Wizkid’s ‘Soco’ (feat. Terri, Spotless, Ceeza Milli) were among Drake’s go-to tunes for inspiration.

The Grammy-winning rapper has previously collaborated with Wizkid on ‘Come Closer’, and was also seen in the studio with Tekno a few months ago.

The album also has as lead singles “God’s Plan” and “Nice for What” became instant hits upon release.

Video for Drake’s “God’s Plan” recently won “Video of the Year Award” at the just concluded 18th BET Awards ceremony held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.

This new album is a follow up to his 2017 album “More Life” which he used to hint the release of his fifth studio album. “I’ll be back 2018 to give you the summary,” he said.

“Scorpion” which is a digital-only album (for now) also addresses some very personal issues which became public on social media.

American rapper, Pusha T accused Drake of fathering a son secretly which became a major controversy on various social media platforms and gossip sites.