Helped along by its celebrity-packed video (featuring appearances by Olivia Wilde, Emma Roberts and Issa Rae), Nice For What still stands high as the sparkling, crystal clear distillation of Drake's nice boy image.Ī Number 1 hit in the UK (one of three Number 1s taken from Scorpion), Nice For What is Drake's official third-most-streamed track in the UK, totalling 234 million streams and counting. Built around a fly and free New Orleans bounce beat, Nice For What sees Drake sample both Lauryn Hill and the Wu-Tang Clang in an irresistible banger all about respecting the boss ladies. Nice For What Year: 2018Įxuberant, effervescent and above all, just an excellent song, Nice For What is considered by many to be the high mark of Drake's singles discography. MORE: See where all of Drake's singles and albums have charted in the UK 3. It's telling, then, that every single song in his Top 10 most-streamed songs in UK chart history come from 2015 onwards.
In the video, the most successful rapper of his generation wears a hoodie emblazoned with “HATE SURVIVOR.” Never change, Drake, never change.While the introduction of streaming was a great leveller for the industry and many artists, Drake (much like his peers Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd) found a way to evolve from a downloads-based music industry into one where streaming and virality was king. On “8am in Charlotte,” over a boom-bap beat from Conductor Williams, Drake presides over his dogs like a coach before the big game, initiates breakups at five-star restaurants, and unleashes a barrage of knee-slappers you can imagine him deploying 20 years from now at his eventual Vegas residency. Cole on “First Person Shooter” and taking relationship advice from Future on “What Would Pluto Do.” On “BBL Love,” he drops an all-timer for the “that’s so Drake” archives, musing, “They say love’s like a BBL, you won’t know if it’s real until you feel one,” as if anyone has ever said such a thing whose name isn’t Aubrey Drake Graham.īut it isn’t officially a Drake album till you get to the song with the city name and timestamp in the title. This particular broadcast is a sumptuous banquet of classically Drake techniques, starting with the smirking fake-out that is intro track “Virginia Beach.” (If you know, you know.) There’s the requisite Houston worship on “Screw the World,” the new jack swing peacocking of “Amen,” and the swanky-sounding “Bahamas Promises,” which opens with a couplet only Drizzy could pull off: “Broken pinkie promises/You fucked up our Bahamas trip.” He’s scoffing at rap’s NPCs with J. The album’s loose framework is a late-night local radio program: BARK Radio, live from Chapel Hill, whose hosts include Teezo Touchdown, Drake’s crush/idol Sade, and the occasional chorus of hounds. But instead of drunk-dialing his exes, Drake’s…well, he’s still doing that every now and again. For All the Dogs, his eighth studio album, has more in common with 2011’s Take Care, the star-making opus loaded with luxuriant beats and big-name features. (Speaking of fine art, that’s a drawing from his five-year-old son Adonis on the cover.) Drizzy’s gone through plenty of phases in his 15 years in the running as one of hip-hop’s GOATs: albums full of wintry grime and drill, or breezy dance albums for the baddies to turn up to on girls’ night. If there’s anything Old Drake and New Drake can agree on, it’s hour-and-a-half-long blockbuster albums that master the fine art of score-settling. 1 single away from tying Michael Jackson on the all-time list. And the new Drake? He’s a 36-year-old father of one who’s responsible for a not-small percentage of Toronto’s annual tourist economy and who, with the release of “Slime You Out,” is one No. The old Drake was an underdog, a former child actor and Lil Wayne protégé who blended hip-hop and R&B in a way that would indelibly change both. The “old Drake” line, as real heads know, is a reference to “Headlines,” a song from the early days of Champagne Papi’s rise from Canadian curiosity to global superstar. They say they miss the old Drake girl don’t tempt me. On them was a QR code which led to another announcement: “I made an album to go with the book.
To spread the news, he took out ads in several major newspapers. In the dog days of summer 2023, Drake did a very Drake thing: Just before embarking on tour, he revealed that he’d written a poetry book called Titles Ruin Everything. Saying what I mean isn't mean if you're really listening - it's reality - Drake You tearing up and sniffling while reacting like some allergies Probably better off with Mallory or Valerie I'll let you get your bars off over text but don't forget you're talking to Drakeġ00 dollar bills that I'm counting like a calorie Just because I been on a run doesn't mean I don't know how to walk away