Just a couple of weeks after Drake cryptically revealed the release date of his new “Certified Lover Boy” album on ESPN’s flagship program “SportsCenter,” the network has announced that it will work with the superstar rapper throughout the entire NFL season to curate music for select Monday Night Football games.
According to the announcement, ESPN has collaborated with Drake to choose music that “encapsulates both the energy and mood” of the games. The music will be a combination of Drake’s most recent releases, potentially some classics, as well as new music from other artists he identifies; all of which will run in Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts and pre-game shows for ten games this season, starting this week.
“Now we are here…the kickoff of the football season. 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,” said Emeka Ofodile, Vice President of Sports Marketing, ESPN. “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.”
Drake is not only one of the world’s most popular rappers —as evidenced by the initial success of “Certified Lover Boy,” which was released on Friday —he’s also a longtime sports fan and the official ambassador of his hometown’s National Basketball Association team, the Toronto Raptors.
