Kevin Durant goes back-to-back with Drake on his surprise EP, paving the path for even more musical moves.
Kevin Durant and Drake are not using the latter months of 2023 to bask in what they’ve already accomplished.
Simultaneously leading the Suns in scoring and the world in streams, Easy Money Sniper and Champagne Papi started the season with For All the Dogs: Drake’s No. 1 album A&R’d by Durant.
The October release topped the charts in 10 countries, turning in a sprawling 23 tracks. Thursday, the run continues with the surprise release of Scary Hours 3.
Announced on Instagram by The Boy, the third installment of the extended play series follows what was believed to be a break from music and touring after the release of FATD and the end of the It’s All a Blur Tour.
That proved to be a pump fake.
This week, Aubrey added another leg to the acclaimed road run, set to tour arenas in January with support from J Cole.
On Wednesday, the two rappers doubled down on the news by releasing the video for “First Person Shooter Mode” — the No. 1 single off the October album that tied Drake with Michael Jackson for most chart-toppers and gave Jermaine Cole his first single as Billboard’s best.
In less than 24 hours, the duet visual has already accrued over 2.7 million video views on YouTube. It all adds up to the buzz of both the tour and surprise EP.
With Scary Hours 3, Drake, Durant, and esteemed engineer Noel Cadastre are all billed as executive producers. OVO Noel has been working with Drake since Thank Me Later, with Durant formally joining the fold on For All the Dogs.
For those keeping track at home, the Scary Hours series started in 2018 with the two-track release of “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity.” The EP’s opener went on to go Diamond on RIAA and viral on YouTube, amassing over 1.5 billion views and counting.
Scary Hours 2 came in 2021, offering an appetizer for Certified Lover Boy later that year. The three-track project produced another No. 1 hit for Drake in the form of “What’s Next,” reuniting with Lil Baby and Rick Ross on “Wants & Needs” and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” respectively.
Upon arrival, each Scary Hours 2 track took the top three spots on that week’s Billboard Hot 100.
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Though details around Scary Hours 3 remain scarce, an ominous midnight release and continued work with KD are confirmed.
Not only does this project follow Durant’s A&R work on For All the Dogs, but it comes amid rumors of an upcoming project with Blueprint producer Bink alongside rappers Ransom and 38 Spesh.
“KD been wearing his executive hat,” 38 Spesh told Rap Radar Podcast in September. “KD got an ear. He knows good music, he’s got a good ear. A real good ear. It surprised me how in tune he is.”
Dialed in, Durant and Drake are both doing numbers where rap records are concerned.
The A&R arrival in October saw KD and OVO claim seven out of the top 10 spots on Billboard’s singles charts. Getting back at it during in-season tournament play, Thursday’s executive producer pivot proves the latest move for the restless rapper and active All-Star.
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