Drake and Future finally dropped their mixtape 'What a Time to Be Alive'

11-track release was cut in Atlanta

Drake and Future overshadowed the Emmys somewhat last night, releasing their long-awaited mixtape right in the middle of it.

Taking its name from a Simpsons meme, 'What a Time to Be Alive' consists of 11 tracks and was unveiled by Drake on Beats 1 before being made available exclusively on iTunes and Apple Music (Spotify might follow soon).

"It's a little soundtrack for people that need it right now," Drake said of the release.

He added that he fed off the prolific Future's energy.

"I went to Atlanta for six days a couple weeks ago with the hopes of doing some songs with Future, and when you get around Future, it's like a vortex, that guy can outwork anybody right now," Drake said. "It's tough to see someone do four, five songs in one night and not try to match it."

The mixtape has been the subject of rumour for months, and on Friday appeared to get a countdown to launch timer that turned out to be fake.

The bulk of the production comes from Metro Boomin, along with regular Drake collaborators Southside, Boi-1da and Noah "40" Shebib.

It remains to be seen if 'What a Time to Be Alive' can match the success of 'If You're Reading This Too Late', which was arguably Drake's most popular release despite not being an album, with the track 'Know Yourself' proving an instant classic.

Here's the tracklisting for the mixtape:

1. "Digital Dash"

2. "Big Rings"

3. "Live From the Gutter"

4. "Diamonds Dancing"

5. "Scholarships"

6. "Plastic Bag"

7. "I'm the Plug"

8. "Change Locations"

9. "Jumpman"

10. "Jersey"

11. "30 for 30 Freestyle"