Certified Lover Boy (album)
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''Certified Lover Boy'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, released on September 3, 2021, by OVO Sound and
Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, and Vinylz, among others. Lil Baby,
Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...
, Giveon,
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
, Travis Scott,
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
, Young Thug, Yebba,
21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...
, Project Pat, Tems, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne,
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
, and
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
appear as guest artists. Similar to Drake's previous releases, the album predominantly deals with his views on fame and success, particularly his dominance within the music industry, alongside disloyalty, tainted romances,
feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
s, and
loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...
. Primarily a hip hop record, a hazy atmosphere dominates the album's sound, which includes elements of crunk and
trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
. Several writers found aspects of the album to be reminiscent of '' Thank Me Later'' (2010), '' Take Care'' (2011) and '' Nothing Was the Same'' (2013). Designed by English artist Damien Hirst, the album's artwork, which features 12
emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from typed conversat ...
of pregnant women, was the subject of much controversy. Highly anticipated, ''Certified Lover Boy'' was met with mixed reviews from music critics upon release, most of whom felt it was comparable to Drake's other releases and highlighted its structure, but criticized the level of lyrical insight and the production's lack of sonic variety. Nevertheless, it was nominated for Best Rap Album at the
2022 Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
, until Drake withdrew the album from consideration in December 2021, and won Top Rap Album at the 2022 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 613,000 album-equivalent units. It became Drake's tenth US number-one album and achieved the largest opening week in the US for an album in 2021 at the time, breaking Apple Music and Spotify records for the biggest opening-day streams on those platforms. It achieved the all-time record for the most US top-ten singles from one album (9), with its lead single, " Way 2 Sexy", debuting atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as Drake's ninth US number-one hit.


Background

During one of his concerts, in April 2019, Drake announced that he had started to work on a new album. In June 2019, he teased the album via
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, where he captioned a post with "Album mode". On December 10, Drake made a guest appearance at DaBaby's concert in Toronto, where he revealed that he was working on the album: "I'ma go back to the crib and try to finish this album up so we can turn up in 2020". In March, on Instagram Live, Drake confirmed a finalized version of "Not Around", a leaked song later retitled to "TSU", would feature on ''Certified Lover Boy''. That same month, frequent collaborator Boi-1da previewed two snippets of songs with Drake during a '' Verzuz'' with Hit-Boy. The two snippets were dubbed "I Did" and another snippet with Roddy Ricch was dubbed "In the Cut". Drake officially announced his sixth studio album just hours before the release of '' Dark Lane Demo Tapes'', and scheduled for release in late 2020. Drake later previewed two new songs, one an unreleased track titled "Lie to Me" and the other a demo version of his 2020 DJ Khaled collaboration " Greece", on Instagram Live. On July 29, 2020, Drake's recording engineer Noel Cadastre revealed the album was "90% done". On August 14, 2020, Drake announced the title of the album. In October, Drake announced that the album would be released in January 2021, but it was postponed once again due to Drake suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. ''Certified Lover Boy'' was dedicated to the late models Nadia Ntuli and Miss Mercedes Morr. Ntuli, who was a close friend of Drake's, was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Dubai in early 2021. Morr, born Janae Gagnier, was found dead in her Texas apartment on August 29, 2021. She was believed to be the victim of a murder–suicide.


Themes

Several writers found aspects of ''Certified Lover Boy'' to be reminiscent of '' Thank Me Later'' (2010), '' Take Care'' (2011) and '' Nothing Was the Same'' (2013). The album generally surrounds individualism; similar to Drake's previous records it predominantly deals with his views on fame and success, particularly his dominance within the music industry. Further themes concern disloyalty and tainted romance,
feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
s and
loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...
. The album is noted for its hazy atmosphere. Genres featured on the album include chipmunk soul, crunk, and
trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
. Craig Jenkins of '' Vulture'' called ''Certified Lover Boy'' a "patient trickle of Drake lore and fan service that could have come out as is at almost any point along the last decade in his career". "We worry not about the shaky present and the unknowable future but about the recent past, the objects of our scorn and the ones who got away", Jenkins notes.


Release and promotion

On May 1, 2020, Drake surprise-released his mixtape ''Dark Lane Demo Tapes'', which was announced mere hours before its release. In the mixtape announcement shared on Instagram, Drake revealed that his sixth studio album, then untitled, would be released sometime in the third quarter of 2020. Although the album was not released that summer, the non-album single " Laugh Now Cry Later" featuring
Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...
was released in August. On October 24, a teaser trailer for the album was released, revealing that the album was to be released in January 2021. American football player Odell Beckham Jr. later said it would be released on January 1, 2021, which later went unreleased. The teaser referenced covers of Drake's previous albums and mixtapes: '' So Far Gone'' (2009), ''Take Care'' (2011), ''Nothing Was the Same'' (2013) and ''Dark Lane Demo Tapes'' (2020). Drake announced in January 2021 that the album would no longer be released that month, due to a leg injury he sustained that required surgery. On March 5, 2021, Drake released an extended play titled '' Scary Hours 2'', a sequel to the 2018 EP, to generate further anticipation for the upcoming album. The EP included three songs, and includes guest appearances from Lil Baby and
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
. The music video for the EP's lead single, " What's Next", premiered on the same day. All three songs from the EP respectively debuted at number one, two and three on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100. In April, Drake appeared on the YSL Records song " Solid" with Gunna and Young Thug. The song was originally intended for ''Certified Lover Boy'', but because the album was postponed, Drake gave the song to Gunna. On June 13, 2021, Drake revealed on ''Caffeine.TV'' that he would be releasing the album before the end of summer. Making an appearance on ''Fri Yiy Friday'' on July 30, a radio show on
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
channel Sound 42, Drake revealed that ''Certified Lover Boy'' "is ready. 'mlooking forward to delivering it". On August 27, the album's release date of September 3 was revealed during a teaser aired on ESPN's ''
SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
''. Drake later confirmed the date and revealing the album artwork on August 30. That same day, billboards featuring lyrics from the album were plastered around Drake's hometown of Toronto. On September 1, two days before the album's release, billboards were placed throughout the United States, Canada, and Nigeria revealing the album's featured artists according to their hometown. An Atlanta billboard announced
21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...
,
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
, Lil Baby, and Young Thug, a Chicago billboard announced Lil Durk, and a New York City billboard announced "the GOAT", which was assumed, and later confirmed, to be
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
. A Memphis billboard announced Yebba and Project Pat, while Tems was announced on a Lagos billboard. Both Giveon and Ty Dolla Sign were announced on a California billboard. As the reveal continued, a Cleveland billboard announced
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
, a Miami billboard announced
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
, cited as "the biggest boss", a Houston billboard announced Travis Scott, referred to as "the hometown hero", and another Toronto billboard announced Lil Wayne, who Drake coined as the "best rapper alive". " Way 2 Sexy" was released as the album's lead single on September 3, 2021, as well an accompanying music video. The song peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "
Girls Want Girls "Girls Want Girls" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American rapper Lil Baby. It is the third track on Drake's sixth studio album ''Certified Lover Boy'', released on September 3, 2021, and sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on Sept ...
" featuring Lil Baby, was released to
rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
radio on September 28, 2021, as the album's second single, the song peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The music video for " Knife Talk" featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat, was released on November 4, 2021, The song peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.


Artwork

The album's artwork features 12
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of pregnant women in varying clothing colors, hair colors and skin tones. It was designed by English artist Damien Hirst. The artwork was met with a negative reception from fans and critics alike, who called the image "lazy" and "ridiculous". It was named the worst album artwork of the year by ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' on their "30 Worst Album Covers of 2021" list.


Critical reception

''Certified Lover Boy'' was met with mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 60 based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Aggregator
AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...
gave it 5.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Reviewing the album for '' Pitchfork'', Matthew Strauss stated, "With much of ''Certified Lover Boy'', Drake seems to be doing what he thinks Drake would do, and ticking the box is taking its toll". Brandon Yu of '' Variety'' praised the album, stating, "''Certified Lover Boy'' is a perfectly fine record – it's expensively well-produced, like all of Drake's albums, and easily likable with a decent batting average for a nearly hour-and-a-half record". Okla Jones of '' Consequence'' said, "Drake's new release may lack some of the variety of his previous albums, but its concepts and musical structure make for a solid body of work". Mikael Wood of the '' Los Angeles Times'' wrote a glowing review of the album, defending Drake's usage of an R. Kelly credit as a "thoughtless error", and saying it "expertly displays his strengths" while showing a new tendency to understate his accomplishments by merely predicting in "You Only Live Twice" that the album would go platinum when previous albums have been certified platinum several times. Wood described the album as being "enjoyment even at its bleakest". In a lukewarm review, '' The Guardian''s Alim Kheraj wrote, "Personally, sonically and thematically, Drake seems resistant to change. It's frustrating: the songs aren't bad, and in some cases they're excellent, a reminder of the unflattering emotional honesty that initially set him apart from his peers. However, they also hew to a formula that works for him". Nathan Evans of '' Clash'' said, "Aubrey Graham hands over his fifth project to cross 80 minutes, an hour and a half smorgasbord of all-new tracks. In his defence, the Drake cuisine is far too extensive and varied at this point, but this dilemma has been around for a number of years now and some sort of sacrifice for a better, more cohesive project has to be made if he wants to release another classic". Writing for '' The Independent'', Sam Moore stated, "''Certified Lover Boy''s greatest crime is just how bland and boring it is. There's very little here that Drake has not done better or more emphatically elsewhere; his album is deprived of any kind of experimentation or insight. He rose to the top baring his soul. Now it feels like there's no soul to bare". In a mixed review, '' The Arts Desk''s Harry Thorfinn-George stated, "A lot of ''CLB'' feels rehashed, but the way it captures Drake at an awkward junction in his life is intriguing". Gary Suarez of '' Entertainment Weekly'' said, "The new album is like watching the eighth season of a sitcom and growing hyper-aware of all the recycled jokes and actors' laugh lines".


Year-end lists


Industry awards

''Certified Lover Boy'' was nominated for Best Rap Album at the
2022 Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
until Drake withdrew the nomination on December 6, 2021.


Commercial performance

''Certified Lover Boy'' was highly anticipated. It broke Apple Music and Spotify 2021 records for largest streaming debut within a single day, beating Drake's own previous album '' Scorpion'' (2018). The album set the record for most US top-ten singles from one album, with lead single "Way 2 Sexy" becoming his ninth number one, surpassing albums by Michael Jackson,
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
and
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
. In the United States, ''Certified Lover Boy'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart as Drake's tenth consecutive chart-topping album in the country. It opened with 613,000 album-equivalent units, which consists of 46,000 album sales, and 562,000 streaming units calculated from the 743.7 million on-demand streams of the album's tracks. The 613,000 tally marked the biggest debut-week units of 2021, surpassing Kanye West's '' Donda'' (309,000), and the biggest opening week since Taylor Swift's '' Folklore'' (2020) debuted with 846,000 units. Drake became the eighth artist in the ''Billboard'' 200 history to accumulate ten number-one albums. ''Certified Lover Boy'' also marked the biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album, a rap album, and an album by a male artist, since ''Scorpion''. In the United Kingdom, ''Certified Lover Boy'' debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 46,000 units sold in its first week while the tracks were streamed 70.4 million times, accounting for 96% of his first-week sales, becoming Drake's fourth album to reach the top spot in the country. In February 2022, the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI) reported that Drake was the world's fourth best selling artist of 2021, behind BTS, Taylor Swift and Adele.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer * signifies an uncredited co-producer * signifies an uncredited additional producer * "Papi's Home" features uncredited vocals by Nicki Minaj * "TSU" features uncredited vocals by OG Ron C * "Pipe Down" contains uncredited background vocals from
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
* "IMY2" features uncredited additional vocals by Juice Wrld Sample credits * "Champagne Poetry" contains samples of "Navajo", written by Micah Davis and Jean-Andre Lawrence, as performed by
Masego Masego is a Tswana/ Pedi name (a Bantu tribe found in Botswana and South Africa) meaning blessings that may refer to: *Masego (musician) (born 1993), modern hip hop artist who utilizes elements of jazz and house music * Masego Kgomo (c. 1999–2009) ...
, which itself samples "
Michelle Michelle may refer to: People * Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottis ...
", written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as performed by The Beatles; and samples of "Until I Found the Lord (My Soul Couldn't Rest)", written by Gabriel Hardeman, Jr., as performed by the Gabriel Hardeman Delegation. * "Papi's Home" contains samples from "Daddy's Home", written by Montell Jordan and
Anthony Crawford Anthony Crawford may refer to: * Anthony Crawford (bass musician), American musician, producer and songwriter *Anthony Crawford (musician), American musician * Anthony Crawford (lynching victim), African American man who was killed by a lynch mob i ...
, as performed by Jordan. * "Girls Want Girls" contains interpolations of " Time Flies", written by Aubrey Graham and Ozan Yildirim, as performed by Drake. * "Love All" contains a sample from "Life After Death Intro", written by Christopher Wallace, Sean Combs and Steven Jordan, as performed by The Notorious B.I.G. * "Fair Trade" contains samples from "Mountains", written by
Charlotte Wilson Charlotte Mary Wilson (6 May 1854, Kemerton, Worcestershire – 28 April 1944, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York) was an English Fabian and anarchist who co-founded '' Freedom'' newspaper in 1886 with Peter Kropotkin, and edited, published, ...
,
Kenneth Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...
, Varrel Wade, Marcus Reddick, Brandon Banks, Kyla Moscovich, Michael Gordon, Dernst Emile II and Teo Halm, as performed by
Charlotte Day Wilson Charlotte Day Wilson (born 1993) is a Canadian contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.
. * "Way 2 Sexy" contains samples from " I'm Too Sexy", written by
Fred Fairbrass Right Said Fred are an English Pop music, pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song "I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US n ...
,
Richard Fairbrass Richard Peter John Fairbrass (born 22 September 1953) is an English singer, bassist and television presenter, best known as lead singer of the pop group Right Said Fred, which achieved two hits in the early 1990s with the singles "I'm Too Sexy" a ...
and Robert Manzoli, as performed by
Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song "I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, on ...
. * "TSU" contains samples of "
Half on a Baby "Half on a Baby" is a song by American R&B singer R. Kelly on his third solo album '' R.''. It was released as the fourth single from the album. It reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. A video was made for t ...
", written and performed by R. Kelly; samples of " Sailing", written by
Christopher Cross Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's T ...
, as performed by
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
; and samples of " Until the End of Time", written by
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
, Timothy Mosley, and Floyd Hills, as performed by Timberlake. * "N 2 Deep" contains samples of " Get Throwed", written by Bernard Freeman,
Chad Butler Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). S ...
,
Jay Jenkins Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...
,
Shawn Carter Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
, Joseph McVey IV and Leroy Williams, Jr., as performed by
Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...
. * "Knife Talk" contains a sample from "Feed the Streets", written by
Jordan Houston Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established i ...
, Patrick Houston, Rakim Mayers,
Leland Wayne Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. R ...
, Robert Mandell and Jerami Davis, as performed by Juicy J. * "Race My Mind" contains samples from "Dead Wrong", written by Christopher Wallace and Osten Harvey, as performed by The Notorious B.I.G.; samples of "The Signs Part IV", written by David Axelrod and Michael Axelrod, as performed by David Axelrod; samples of "Rumpelstiltskin", written by Herman Blount, as performed by Sun Ra; and interpolations of " Give It to Me Baby", written by James Johnson Jr., as performed by Rick James.


Personnel

Performers * Mark Ronson – additional vocals (2) * Chubbs – additional vocals (2) * Roxx – additional vocals (2) * Nicki Minaj – background vocals (2) * DJ Screw – background vocals (8) * Kiefer – piano (13) * Brian "B-Nasty" Reid – keyboards (18) * Harley Arsenault – bass, drums, keyboards (19) * PartyNextDoor – background vocals (20) * Anthony Hamilton – additional vocals (21) Technical * Chris Athens –
mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...
* Noah "40" Shebibmix engineer (all tracks), recording engineer (4, 6, 8–10, 15–17, 20) * Les "Bates" Bateman – engineer (1–5, 18), recording engineer (1) * Harley Arsenault – recording engineer (2, 3, 7, 12) * Noel Cadastre – recording engineer (3–6, 8–10, 12–21), assistant mixer (1–5, 18) * John Rooney – recording engineer (11) * Young Guru – vocal engineer (5) * Eric Manco – vocal engineer (7, 9) * Dave Huffman – assistant mastering engineer (1–5, 18) * Greg Moffet – assistant mixer (1–5, 18)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{Authority control 2021 albums Drake (musician) albums Albums produced by Yebba OVO Sound albums Albums in memory of deceased persons Republic Records albums Albums produced by 40 (record producer) Albums produced by Bink (record producer) Albums produced by Cardo (record producer) Albums produced by James Francies Albums produced by Metro Boomin Albums produced by Nineteen85 Albums produced by Travis Scott Albums produced by WondaGurl Albums produced by TM88 Albums produced by Vinylz Albums produced by PartyNextDoor