Songfacts®:

• "What's Next" is one of Drake's grandiose braggadocios tracks, during which he flexes about his upward career trajectory.
  
  I sit in a box where the owners do
  A boss is a role that I've grown into
  
  And opulent lifestyle.
  
  I'm in the Wynn, a million in chocolate chips
  And that's just how my cookie crumble
  
  Wynn Resorts is a brand of high-end hotels and casinos based in Nevada. Drake partnered with Wynn Las Vegas by opening an OVO pop-up boutique between September 2019 and January 2020.
• During the chorus, Drake explains how he's been occupying himself since the release of Dark Lane Demo Tapes in May 2020.
  
  Summer, all I did was rest, okay?
  And New Year's, all I did was stretch, okay?
  And Valentine's Day, I had sex, okay?
  We'll see what's about to happen next, okay
  
  Drake had a knee injury in late 2020 that needed an operation. Here, he references his stretching exercises, which were part of his rehab.
• The chorus interpolates lyrics from the end of Drake's verse on the leaked and unfinished track, "What a Time to be a Slime," with Young Thug.
• This is the opening track and lead single from Drake's Scary Hours 2 EP, a sequel to Scary Hours, which the rapper released in 2018. Drake dropped the record as a warmup before his Certified Lover Boy album.
• Supah Mario supplied the trap beat with additional production from Maneesh. This is Drake's third collaboration with Supah Mario, following "Ice Melts" and "Blue Tint."
  
  Supah Mario explained to Billboard that every once in a while, he'll take a break from what he's working on and spend a few days hammering out as many beats as he can. The beat for "What's Next" came out of one of those sessions and though the producer thought it was just "a throwaway" he included it in the pack he sent to Drake. "Just to be on the safe side, I always send all my beats," Supah Mario explained.
  
  Drake responded that night, telling the producer. "Yo, don't give this to nobody else. I'm using this. Send me the stems right now."
• Theo Skudra directed the video, which shows Drake touring different sites of his Toronto home city, including the top of the CN Tower, the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, and the TTC Subway. It ends with the rapper hanging out with some of his OVO crew, including 40, at a penthouse suite.
• The song debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100 dated March 20, 2021, becoming Drake's eighth single to top the chart. The other two Scary Hours 2 tracks, "Wants And Needs" and "Lemon Pepper Freestyle," entered at #2 and #3 respectively, making the Toronto MC the first artist in history to have three songs debut in the Top 3. Drake also became the third artist to occupy the top three slots at once (along with The Beatles and Ariana Grande).
• I can't just be with you and only you
  Yeah, I got one, Virgil got one and that there is the only two
  
  Virgil Abloh was the founder of the international fashion brand Off-White. In April 2019, Off-White collaborated with Patek Philippe to design an exclusive luxury watch. Only two were made, and they are owned by Drake and Abloh.
  
  Drake previously shouted out Alboh for designing his $185 Million Patek on "Life Is Good."
  
  Virgil got the Patek on my wrist doing frontflips
  
  One of hip-hop's favorite fashion designers, Virgil Abloh launched his career when he became a member of Kanye West's creative team. He directed music videos for rappers like A$AP Rocky and Lil Uzi Vert and was one of Drake's closest friends. Virgil Abloh died on November 28, 2021 at 41 after a two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a type of cancer.