It was released as the third of the three-pack of new albums Drake dropped to stunned audiences this May. But now, HABIBTI is the first album from the triple-release to get its own deluxe edition, with four new tracks debuting two Fridays ago (Oct. 2).
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The quartet of tracks comprising the bonus material on HABIBTI (FOMO) — subtitled after the hour-long visual Drake released in September, which featured the new tracks for the first time, along with several other HABIBTI cuts — all appear on this week’s Hot 100, led by the Don Tolliver-featuring (and Ella Langley-lifting) “Solar Eclipse” at No. 5. These tracks swarm the Hot 100 just a week after Drake’s fellow megastar Taylor Swift did the same with a quartet of new bonus tracks off her own recent deluxe edition, The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.
Is there something to the four-track-bonus release strategy? And can Drake now call it a wrap for his 2026? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Drake notches four combined chart debuts and reentries this week from his HABIBTI bonus cuts, with “Solar Eclipse” with Don Toliver debuting at No. 5, “Quebec” at No. 11 and “Cold Shoulder” (also with Don Toliver, and Yebba) at No. 18, while “Classic” re-enters at a new No. 28 high following the release of the new “Classic Pt. 2.” Is this all better, worse or about what you would’ve expected from the performance of the new four-pack?
Kyle Denis: This is exactly what I suspected. The “Choosin’ Texas” flip debuts the highest, the equally buzzy “Quebec” lands right outside the top 10 and the rest of the songs make the top 30. Business as usual for Drizzy Drake.
Lyndsey Havens: About what I’d expect! A top five debut is admirable, and even more so when you realize the four songs ahead of it are all country or country-leaning. In a relatively sleepy year for hip-hop and rap on the Hot 100, Drake’s four-pack performance proves that the interest is still there.
Carl Lamarre: I’m fine with this. Drake delivered an impressive 1-2-3 debut this past May on the Billboard 200. Led by ICEMAN, Drake leapfrogged Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo male artists (15) and surpassed the King of Pop for the most No. 1s on the Hot 100 among male soloists. Skating past Jigga and MJ in the same calendar year is already bonkers. Some may call this a failure or a product of Drake fatigue, but at this point in his career, Drizzy is merely collecting sonic coins for the hell of it.
Michael Saponara: I expected a little bit better, but Drake appeared to be hurt by premiering the four-pack in the FOMO short film a few weeks earlier, which took away from the allure of the set being brand new since fans knew what was coming and had already heard the tracks. Tucking the set at No. 12 through No. 15 on the track list as part of the HABIBTI (FOMO) deluxe didn’t do him any favors either.
Andrew Unterberger: Four tracks in the top 30 and one in the top five is totally reasonable for Drake. Last year he released an entire (collaborative) album that didn’t have a single song debut in the top five! To do this with a quartet of bonus cuts tacked at the end of his third album of the year is just fine.
2. “Solar Eclipse” is the best-performing track of the four so far, with the Don Toliver collab debuting at No. 5 on the Hot 100. Does it feel like it will be a major success from the era, or is it more about the starriness of the collab (plus the added chart appeal of a “Choosin’ Texas” interpolation)?
Kyle Denis: It absolutely feels like the latter; I don’t anticipate any of these bonus tracks sticking around once their novelty wears off. I think “Janice STFU” and “Shabang” will remain the defining hits of this triple-album era.
Lyndsey Havens: I have to credit this to the “Choosin’ Texas” interpolation and curiosity listens. I’d never quite expect an R&B/rap remix of a country song to land… and I’m not sure it totally does? It’s interesting, for sure, and I applaud Drake for taking his fandom to this level. So while I don’t think it will be a major success from this era — nor should it be, really, when there are more classic Drake cuts to remember it for — I do think it will be a major talking point from this era, something that eventually we will look back on and say, “Huh, remember when he did that?”
Carl Lamarre: Selfishly, I favor “Cold Shoulder.” Yebba’s addition is chef’s kiss, and I think the song has a chance to become the more enduring hit. Melodically, it feels cut from the same cloth as “God’s Plan,” and because of that, I’m hoping it picks up steam. I’m also not naive. Interpolating “Choosin’ Texas,” the biggest song out right now, and pairing it with a Texas superstar — and arguably the hottest rapper not named Drake — in Don Toliver makes “Solar Eclipse” a bonafide slam dunk.
Michael Saponara: “Major success” is probably a bit hyperbolic given the extremely high bar Drake’s set for chart success. I think it’s more commemorative of the moment, with Drizzy and Don connecting after carrying mainstream rap on their backs for 2026. It’s also giving a torch-passing moment with Drake representing rap’s elder statesmen and Don making the leap to hip-hop’s A-list. Drake’s country kick has to be mentioned as well, wearing his Ella Fella ties proudly, while interpolating Langley’s record-breaking No. 1 Hot 100 hit.
Andrew Unterberger: It might not be a particularly lasting hit — though I bet it’ll hang around a little — but if nothing else, it’ll endure as a major testament to the cultural impact of “Choosin’ Texas.” For anyone still wondering how a song they aren’t familiar with could be so chart-dominant, they could look at the biggest rapper of the last two decades not even waiting a full year to try to summon its powers for his own purposes and perhaps realize that their ignorance says more about them than the song itself.
3. HABIBTI has received significantly less attention and chart success than Drake’s simultaneously released ICEMAN. Do you think this will help the set be viewed more on even viewing with ICEMAN or will it still lag well behind?
Kyle Denis: Habibiti will likely continue to lag behind ICEMAN. The new additions are fine songs, but they don’t magically make HABIBTI a better album, let alone one that can stand toe-to-toe with ICEMAN. At best, it’ll help pad the album’s chart statistics. Anything more than that is a bonus.
Lyndsey Havens: ICEMAN was the mainstream offering while HABIBTI, I think, will continue to grow with time — and sure, this set could help speed that up. But, for me, the softer spotlight on HABIBTI has been part of its charm all along — and highlights the risk in releasing three albums at once. That they can’t all really match each other’s momentum, acclaim and attention. But, if this set helps more listeners join the HABIBTI pool, then great. Thoguh I don’t think the original album was lacking to begin with.
Carl Lamarre: Previously, I was of the mindset that HABIBTI would lap ICEMAN, but I’m not so sure anymore. Revisiting ICEMAN reminded me why Drake is the LeBron James of his generation. This album was his 3-1 comeback after watching his career nearly flatline. The comeback narrative surrounding ICEMAN might ultimately overshadow whatever praise HABIBTI receives in the years to come.
Michael Saponara: Iceman will always be my main attraction and serves as his mission statement answering questions left following his battle against Kendrick Lamar in ’24; it’s also his most rap-heavy album in over ten years! However releasing an ‘HABIBTI’ deluxe has made me revisit tracks from that project that fell out of my rotation or that I didn’t fully appreciate while attempting to digest over forty songs from May’s trifecta.
Andrew Unterberger : I’m not sure if it’ll catch up with ‘Iceman’ anytime soon but I’m glad Drake gave ‘HABIBTI’ its own spotlight moment like this; It feels like it’s going to be viewed as one that continues growing in fan appreciation over time – signaling he recognizes there’s something special about it.
4 . Drake’s own four-song bonus EP arrives just one week after Taylor Swift’s – does this reissue strategy seem logical for two major artists using it so closely together? Will other big-name artists follow suit?
Kyle Denis : The strategy makes sense; it allows renewed interest in an older project while boosting commercial success overall; I’m sure other big-name acts will follow suit with their own takes on deluxe reissues but I’d prefer if these bonus tracks felt more essential than some recent offerings; I’ll give credit where it’s due – ensuring ‘HABIBTI’ – hopefully ‘Maid Of Honour’ too – don’t get lost amid ‘Iceman’s domination.
Lyndsey Havens : I’m sure others will follow but should they? This strategy adds fuel to ongoing discussions about albums today – are they ever really done? In many cases post-release cycles eclipse pre-release ones; plus artists know their fans will consume – especially those like Taylor & Drake.
Carl Lamarre : Let’s be fair – Drake’s been delivering bite-sized releases like ‘FOMO’ for years; His ‘Scary Hours’ series thrived on this strategy long before Taylor entered into play; As for revisiting albums – it’s clever but I’d be lying if I said ‘FOMO’ made me revisit ‘HABIBTI’ entirely; I’ve primarily been living off these four new tracks rather than returning fully.
Michael Saponara : Yeah – labels might deploy strategies like these moving forward; It allows artists packs without pressures associated with full-length projects while bringing albums back into mainstream conversations freshened up; With shorter attention spans today & many releases available projects tend to get discarded quickly – moves like these can help alleviate that.
Andrew Unterberger : Four tracks seems like an ideal number for bonuses – enough so that they feel substantial without overwhelming listeners; Hopefully artists doing this follow closer to Drake’s schedule – coming between four-five months post-release rather than waiting nearly full year like Swift did with ‘Encore’.
5 . Between triple-album releases , #FOMO film , & these bonus tracks , has Drake done everything needed to reestablish superstardom? Anything else he should aim for by year’s end?
Kyle Denis : He has hit albums , several hit songs , new radio & chart records & presumably newer younger fans sourced from questionable streaming appearances ; Only thing left is shaking off desperation clouding recent moves (the goth baddie mess feels unbearably corny); It’s unbecoming for superstar.
Lyndsey Havens : An epic one-off performance could seal deal ; If he pops up unexpectedly performing somewhere just once could travel far online ; Haven’t seen him do that yet this year.
Carl Lamarre : Feel free to torch me but aside from ’18 , ’26 was best year ever ; End.
Michael Saponara : Yeah , he blanketed year representing hip-hop where scarce on charts ; First artist holding top three slots Billboard simultaneously while ‘Janice STFU’ topped Hot giving him most #1s any male soloist & longest-running #1 Hot Rap Songs chart ; Visually it’s best era turning live streams & short films into music video albums unprecedented modern rap ; When greats are backed against wall they deliver & he did just that two decades into career ; Only thing missing now connecting OVO faithful again planning tour in ’27 ; My prediction : first-ever stadium tour next year alongside Don Toliver.
Andrew Unterberger : Great year overall though wish he could sneak one big performance before year’s end since feels missing from ’26 ; I’ll cosign prediction stadium tour next year.
