Drake just locked in September 15 for something called 'FOMO' - and nobody knows what it is
After dropping three albums in a single night this past May, Drake has been teasing a cryptic new project called 'Fear of Missing Out' for weeks. Now there's a date: September 15, 9 PM ET, YouTube only.
In brief
Drake just locked in September 15 for something called 'FOMO' - and nobody knows what it is
On Wednesday night, Drake posted a stark black-and-white graphic to Instagram. No caption. No explanation. Just: "SEPT 15 YOUTUBE 9PM", a palm tree emoji, and a Ferris wheel emoji. That was it. The internet did the rest.
Drizzy announced on Instagram that FOMO will premiere September 15 at 9:00 PM EST, with the reveal set to broadcast on YouTube. The Toronto megastar offered a YouTube livestream with zero additional details - no album confirmation, no tour announcement, nothing except the date and the platform. And it's working exactly as he planned.
The buildup started quietly. Drake first began hinting at his latest offering on social media last month, sharing photos of his family alongside the caption "FOMO 2026," then followed that up two weeks later with an image of a CD cover titled "Fear of Missing Out." Fans, predictably, lost their minds. The mystery surrounding FOMO has split the culture into two camps - some are convinced it's a new album dropping, while others think he's about to announce a tour or something completely different.
Then came the Iron Man suit. Drake was spotted filming at the Canadian National Exhibition while wearing an Iron Man suit near a Ferris wheel - and the same Ferris wheel emoji appears alongside the September 15 announcement, creating another potential connection between FOMO and whatever visual he was shooting at The Ex. Whether that's a music video, a short film, or something no one's thought of yet remains a genuine open question.
The man has already dropped three albums this year
To understand why this has rattled the internet so hard, you have to zoom out. After releasing a whopping three albums this year - ICEMAN, MAID OF HONOUR, and HABIBTI - it seems like Drake could be preparing to drop even more music in less than two weeks. All three hit on the same night. Nearly half a million people tuned in live to watch Episode 4 of his Iceman series, where Drake revealed the surprise triple album drop at 10:45 PM; ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR all hit at midnight on May 15, and Drake became the most-streamed artist in a single day on Spotify in 2026.
That May campaign was absurd by any measure. It combined YouTube episodes, Toronto stunts like ice-covered courtside seats at Scotiabank Arena and a giant ice block installation downtown where fans used tools to reveal the release date, music video premieres, streamer listening parties, viral memes, and creator reactions into one distributed online spectacle. In April, Drake hid the release date in a gigantic block of ice plopped in a downtown Toronto parking lot. Fans climbed onto the glacial block with sledgehammers - one even brought a blowtorch and hairspray - in attempts to access the big reveal.
As HotNewHipHop put it bluntly: "Drake has already dropped three albums this year, and a fourth would certainly raise some eyebrows."
Earlier this week he added another breadcrumb. Drake made a surprise appearance at Don Toliver's concert in Toronto, performing tracks off his Iceman LP live for the first time. Whether that was a teaser for FOMO or just Drake being Drake is, like everything else right now, unclear.
What people are actually speculating
Fans are uncertain if the September 15 date is going to be a 2026 tour announcement or a new album. Rolling Stone reports that "Fear of Missing Out" is scheduled to reveal itself on Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. on YouTube - though it remains unclear whether that time is Eastern, Pacific, or local. Ratings Game Music notes that he did not explain whether fans should expect another album, a single, a short film, or something completely different.
There's also the matter of the The Source reporting on the Ferris wheel angle: in August, Drake shared an image of the back of a CD jewel case reading "FEAR OF MISSING OUT" alongside a film camera emoji, following an earlier family photo carousel tagged "FOMO 2026." A CD case specifically suggests music - but Drake has surprised before.
Meanwhile, the rest of hip-hop is also cooking
If Drake's FOMO reveal wasn't enough to digest, Wednesday brought two more genuine jolts from the rap world.
On The Breakfast Club, Pusha T dropped a pair of bombs without much fanfare. Pusha T announced that his new solo album, produced entirely by Pharrell Williams, is finished and ready for release - news that came during his recent appearance on The Breakfast Club radio show. And that's not all. During the interview, Pusha T revealed that he is also working on another project with his longtime group, Clipse. Push confirmed the Pharrell collaboration is exclusive: "One project is done already. We working on another one" - and when DJ Envy asked if Pharrell was producing, Push confirmed: "Yes, only [Pharrell]." Rap group Fam-Lay, also in the studio, told the show the new Clipse music is "sounding crazy."
This matters because it's been over a year since Clipse made their comeback with the critically acclaimed album Let God Sort Em Out, executive produced by Pharrell and featuring collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Tyler the Creator, and John Legend. Their first album in 15 years earned five nominations at the 2026 Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, and the duo walked away with a golden Gramophone for Best Rap Performance.
Then there's the Lil Durk trial, which is racing toward a verdict. Rolling Stone reports that Chicago rapper Lil Durk mounted a rapid-fire defense Thursday, calling nine people to the witness stand on the same day both sides rested their case in the closely watched murder-for-hire trial. The judge then ordered jurors to return Tuesday for closing arguments. Durk is accused of ordering a murder-for-hire plot targeting rival rapper Quando Rondo as "revenge" for the 2020 killing of his close friend and musical protégé King Von. At this time, Durk is facing life in prison on the murder-for-hire charges. Per The Source, DJ Akademiks has reported that Drake allegedly contributed $1 million toward attorney Brian Steel's fees, while Ye reportedly contributed $250,000 - though those figures have not been independently verified by the court.
Closing arguments are now set for Tuesday. The jury, per HotNewHipHop, was already asking the clerk when the trial would be over.
But September 15, 9 PM Eastern - that's where everyone's eyes are right now.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
