"Laugh Now Cry Later" is a song by Canadian rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

featuring American rapper

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 ...

. It was released through

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 ...

and

OVO Sound OVO Sound (also known simply as OVO) is a Toronto-based Canadian record label, founded in 2012 by hip hop artist Drake, producer 40, and Oliver El-Khatib. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner ...

as a single on August 14, 2020. The two artists wrote the song alongside producers

Cardo A cardo (plural ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The cardo maximus, or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented street ...

Rogét Chahayed Rogét Lutfi Chahayed (born May 31, 1988) is a Grammy-nominated American record producer and songwriter who Billboard has called "one of hip-hop and pop's most dependable hit machines." A conservatory-trained pianist who became a producer under ...

, G. Ry, and Yung Exclusive. It was originally the intended lead single from Drake's sixth studio album, ''

Certified Lover Boy ''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. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, a ...

'' (2021). Commercially, the song debuted at number one in Drake's native Canada on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

and debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song received nominations for

Best Melodic Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

and

Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...

at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Background

On August 12, 2020, Drake posted a clip of himself and another person riding jet skis at night on his social media. The post was accompanied by the caption "TMRW MIDNIGHT 🤍". Upon release, it turned out that the song's music video also entailed an upcoming collaboration between Drake and

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...

Critical reception

Jeremy D. Larson of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' praised Drake's delivery, calling the song "one of the lightest and breeziest Drake songs to come out in a while". He further described his presence as "effortlessly cool and simple", while "Lil Durk shows up as a perfect counterpart". ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' thought the song was "a vibe, but not an obvious hit record", neither a "by-the-numbers pop radio play or a hard-hitting club record". According to Charles Holmes at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', the song "sounds like Drake featuring Drake", further explaining that the song "is the embodiment of what happens when you surround real Drake with a room full of past Drakes, like a tortured Canadian reboot of ''

Being John Malkovich ''Being John Malkovich'' is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich as a ...

''". Lil Wayne released a version of the song on his No Ceilings 3 mixtape called Something Different which also had a music video.

Music video

The song's official music video was released on August 13, 2020, and was directed by Dave Meyers. It was shot at Nike's headquarters in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

, thus receiving criticism for advertising the company and resembling a commercial. The video features shots predominantly of Drake engaging in different sporting activities: boxing underwater (as a reference to

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

), running on a treadmill in Nike's sports-science lab, and going on a shopping spree in a closed down Nike store with Instagrammer Aggyabby, as well as Durk and Drake riding jet skis and Drake posing in oversized white, and cream colored suits with Durk (as a reference to

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

). The video also includes several cameos from athletes, including

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

Odell Beckham Jr. Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr. (born November 5, 1992), commonly known by his initials OBJ, is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Beckham played college football at LSU and was drafted by the ...

, and

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...

, as well as internet comedian

Druski Drew Dawit Desbordes (born September 12, 1994), known online under the name Druski or Druski2funny, is an American internet personality. He is known for collaborating with various rappers in their music videos, like Jack Harlow, Drake, and other ...

& noted shoe designer Ben Nethongkome.

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

– lead vocals, songwriting *

– featured vocals, songwriting *

- songwriting, production * Alex Torrez - songwriting * Allen Ponce - songwriting * G. Ry - songwriting, production * Yung Exclusive - songwriting, production *

- songwriting, production * Noel Cadastre – recording *

Noah "40" Shebib Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

– mixing * Chris Athens – mixing * Turn Me Up Josh - Engineering * Nick Rice - Recording Engineer * Zack Shochet - Assistant Engineer * JusVibes - Assistant Engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Drake (musician) songs Lil Durk songs OVO Sound singles Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Cardo (record producer) Songs written by Cardo (record producer) Songs written by Drake (musician) Songs written by Rogét Chahayed Songs written by Lil Durk Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)