''Scorpion'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer
Drake. It was released on June 29, 2018, by
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hi ...
,
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
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...
. ''Scorpion'' is a
double album
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...
consisting of 25 tracks. Its first disc is primarily
hip hop, while its second disc has been described as
R&B and
pop. It was executively produced by Drake himself, alongside frequent collaborator
40 and manager Oliver El-Khatib. ''Scorpion'' features guest appearances from
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 o ...
and
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
, as well as posthumous appearances from
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
and
Static Major.
Lyrically, the album sees Drake rap about topics that have been common in his discography, including claustrophobia, relationships, and boasting about his rise from
underdog
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
to a prominent figure in music. The production draws influence from a range of genres, including
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
,
ambience,
quiet storm
Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''.
The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...
, R&B, pop,
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...
, and
trap.
''Scorpion'' was supported by the singles "
God's Plan", "
Nice for What", "
I'm Upset", "
Don't Matter to Me", "
In My Feelings", "
Nonstop", and "
Mob Ties". All seven singles reached the top twenty on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, with three of them reaching number one: "God's Plan", "Nice for What", and "In My Feelings". In its first day of release, ''Scorpion'' broke
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
's one-day global record for album streams with 132.45 million streams. It also broke
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple Mu ...
's single-day record with 170 million streams, breaking Drake's own record set with ''
More Life''.
''Scorpion'' received lukewarm reviews from critics, with praise directed at the quality of its tracks but criticism directed at the album's length as a whole. Despite this, it performed well commercially, debuting atop the US
''Billboard'' 200 with 732,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditio ...
s, of which 160,000 came from pure sales. As of January 2019, ''Scorpion'' was certified
five times platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and ...
(RIAA). The album received five nominations at the
2019 Grammy Awards, including
Album of the Year, and "God's Plan" won
Best Rap Song. The album also won Drake a second
Top ''Billboard'' 200 Album of his career at the
2019 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, among other awards.
Background
Drake announced the album on
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 ...
on April 16, 2018, followed by the announcement of its release date on June 14.
Two days before release, ''Scorpion'' was confirmed to be a
double album
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...
, Drake's first, after a promotional billboard alluded to the format. The double album consists of a
rap-oriented side and an
R&B-oriented side, the two genres that Drake focuses on.
Prior to the album's release, Drake became engaged in a rivalry with American rapper
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
. In May 2018, after Drake released a
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
titled "
Duppy Freestyle" in response to Pusha T's album ''
Daytona'', Pusha T released "
The Story of Adidon" which alleged that Drake had a secret child. ''Scorpion'' finally addressed the rumor, and later Drake admitted to having a son named Adonis, with French artist Sophie Brussaux. In response to Pusha T's diss track, critics highlighted that the album's title, ''Scorpion'', was a response to Drake's critics.
Themes and production
Lyrically, ''Scorpion'' sees Drake rap about topics that have been common in his discography, including claustrophobia caused by his fame, complications of relationships, and boasting about his rise from the "underdog" to a prominent figure in music.
The production features twisted soul samples,
ambience,
quiet storm
Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''.
The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...
,
R&B,
pop,
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...
,
and
trap.
Release and promotion
On January 19, 2018, Drake released the two-track
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''
Scary Hours''. It included the singles "
Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country. " and "
God's Plan", the latter of which served as the lead single to ''Scorpion'' after debuting at number one on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Following this, Drake released the album's second single "
Nice for What" on April 6, which also charted in the same position. On May 26, the third single "
I'm Upset" was released.
On July 6, the song "
Don't Matter to Me" was sent to British
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
as the album's fourth single.
On July 10, the song "
In My Feelings" was sent to the US
rhythmic and contemporary hit radio as the album's fifth single.
The song later went on to become the third song off the album to reach number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "
Nonstop" was released to rhythmic radio in the US as the album's sixth single on July 31.
"
Mob Ties" was released to urban contemporary airplay in the US as the album's seventh single on January 6, 2019.
A series of billboards promoting the album surfaced in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anc ...
, on June 22, while a trailer for the album was released on June 26. The album's promotion on the streaming service
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
attracted some controversy from its subscribers for what they perceived to be excessive promotion, with Drake appearing in most of the service's editorial
playlist
A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has s ...
s, including ones which he had nothing to do with, such as those for electronic dance music and even gospel music. Following the release of the album, Drake also embarked on his second co-headlining tour with
Migos
Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in La ...
,
Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour, which began on August 12, 2018, in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
.
Critical reception
''Scorpion'' was met with lukewarm reviews from critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 67, based on 26 reviews, indicating "generally favorable 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 adj ...
gave it 6.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' deemed the album's first side as a "sharply focused
hip-hop album, with Drake delivering eloquent zingers," while he thought the second half "showcases Drake's flip side, sensitive
R'n'B loverman."
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote that the album "is frequently fantastic, making a stronger claim for Drake's greatness than any amount of swaggering braggadocio", but also noted "there isn't quite enough strong material here to support its gargantuan running time."
Mikael Wood of ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' commented, "yet for all its tiresome megalomania,
he album
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is so beautifully rendered—from vocals to samples to features to beats..."; though he also noted Drake "tired and tiring." Nick Flanagan of ''
Now'' mentioned the A side as "mostly introspective threats, neurotic boasting and paranoia about enemies", while the B side as "the same but with a focus on women and his love life", labelling the album "well within his pocket." For ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', Roisin O'Connor described the album as "oddly erratic... The way he darts between different sounds is exhausting and, ultimately, messy. On certain tracks he raps like he has something to prove, on others it's like he has nothing."
In a mixed review, Andy Hutchins of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' said, "
heponderous choice to cleave the overstuffed ''Scorpion'' into Sides A and B results in two uneven suites of songs." while "a long-frustrating inability to self-edit mars
he album
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
" ''
NME''s Luke Morgan Britton noted a "lack of quality control", and felt the album "simply doesn't need to be" 25-track long.
Jamieson Cox 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 t ...
'' described ''Scorpion'' as a "fascinating, flawed album". He praised the consistency of the album's individual songs for a "bloated streaming-era release", especially those included on side B, as well as the album's "sumptuous sound", however criticized Drake's lack of musical and lyrical development, concluding by noting a sense of redundancy in Drake's subject matter: "It's not like Drake needs to serve as a beacon of moral clarity, but this year's paternity saga—and with ''Scorpion'', its ostensible conclusion—has revealed his shortcomings as a writer and pop personality. Whether it's 2011 or 2018, you're getting the same guy: anxious, calculating, and self-obsessed, with a golden ear and a fondness for terrible punchlines. Fatherhood hasn't made him grow up—and if you've gotten older and wiser, ''Scorpion'' just feels like the latest in a series of diminishing returns."
In a negative review, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''s Jonny Coleman said "Drake's exhausting, uneven double rap/RnB record finds the artist trying to be all things to all people." Coleman said "the best part of this double album—like much of Drake's discography—is the production. Of course, it's the result of a whopping 32 producers being commissioned for the 25 songs in the package
..As a result, there are some interesting sonic moments, even if there isn't much cohesion outside of an affinity for low frequencies and baroque existential loops." For ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Chris Richards considered the album "soggy", expressed discomfort about Drake using the same formula in "melody-bruised grievances", and concluded "hearing him do impersonations of more inventive artists is a specific kind of sadness that we usually see only on late night television." In his review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, Tim Sendra concluded that the album "doesn't even come close to being one of his best; instead, it's a one-trick record stretched out into 25 endless tracks by an artist who's so deep into the self-obsessed, self-pitying rut he created for himself that he can't see daylight anymore... It's a bleak and tiring place to spend time, and one can only hope that Drake himself gets weary of it soon, too."
For ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', Dean Van Nguyen described the album as "a painfully dull barrage of lifeless tunes."
Year-end lists
Industry awards
Commercial performance
''Scorpion'' was certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and ...
(RIAA) a day before release due to a technicality that incorporates the track-equivalent units moved by the previously released singles "God's Plan", "Nice for What" and "I'm Upset".
In its first day of release, ''Scorpion'' broke Spotify's then-one-day global record for album streams with 132.45 million streams, more than 50 million plays greater than the previous record, set by
Post Malone
Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...
's ''
Beerbongs & Bentleys'' two months earlier. It also broke
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple Mu ...
's single-day record with 170 million streams, breaking Drake's own record set with ''
More Life''.
In Drake's home country of Canada, ''Scorpion'' sold 70,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditio ...
s in its opening week.
It serves as Drake's eighth number-one album in the country.
The album earned 34,000 album-equivalent units in the second week, marking the third highest sales week in 2018. In 2018, ''Scorpion'' was ranked as the most popular album of the year on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Monday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen SoundScan, and published every Tuesday by ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding ...
.
In 2018 the album earned 424,000 on-demand audio consumption units in the country.
In the United States, ''Scorpion'' opened atop the
''Billboard'' 200 with 732,000 album-equivalent units, which included 160,000 pure album sales, making it the biggest first week of the year at the time. It became his eighth entry in a row to top the chart and broke the country's streaming record with 745.92 million streams in its first week.
Although debuting at number one, the album serves as Drake's lowest first-week pure sales of his career, selling 692,000 less pure copies than ''
Views'', and 66,000 less than ''More Life''.
All 25 tracks on the album entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Drake also became the first musician to simultaneously debut four new songs inside the top 10 of the US Hot 100, with "Nonstop" (at 2), "In My Feelings" (6), "
Emotionless" (8), and "Don't Matter to Me" featuring
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
(9), and seven tracks simultaneously in the top 10 of the chart, becoming only the fourth album to have seven top 10 singles, and the first to achieve this since 1991.
As of December 2019, the album has sold over 5,055,000 album-equivalent units in the US, with over 379,000 being pure sales.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
, with 64,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Drake's second number-one album on the chart.
It remained atop the chart for a second week.
In 2018, ''Scorpion'' was ranked as the fifth most popular album of the year on the UK Albums Chart.
As of January 2019, ''Scorpion'' has sold over 300,000
combined sales in the United Kingdom.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
* signifies an uncredited additional producer
* "Elevate" features uncredited vocals by
French Montana
Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13 ...
* "Mob Ties" features background vocals by Asheley Turner
* "Talk Up" features background vocals by Baka Not Nice
* "Is There More" features additional vocals by
Nai Palm
* "Peak" features background vocals by
Stefflon Don
Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is a British rapper and singer. She rose to fame after her 2017 single " Hurtin' Me" featuring French Montana peaked at number 7 on UK Singles Char ...
, Rhea Kpaka and Vinessa Douglas
* "Jaded" features background vocals by
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
* "Finesse" features background vocals by
James Fauntleroy
James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...
* "Nice for What" features additional vocals by
Big Freedia, 5th Ward Weebie and Glenshie "Bobby Jean" Rowe
* "Ratchet Happy Birthday" features background vocals by
PartyNextDoor
Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (stylized as PARTYNEXTDOOR), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer.
PartyNextDoor was the first artist signed to Drake's OVO Sound record labe ...
* "That's How You Feel" features concert vocals by
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents. ...
and background vocals by DJ Boof
* "Blue Tint" features additional vocals by
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 curren ...
* "In My Feelings" features additional vocals by the
City Girls
* "Don't Matter to Me" features additional vocals by
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka als ...
* "After Dark" features additional vocals by Al Wood
* "Final Fantasy" features background vocals by
Daniel Daley
* "March 14" features additional vocals by James Fauntleroy
Sample credits
* "Survival" contains samples from "Telex", written by Klaus Netzle and Manuel Landy, as performed by Claude Larson.
* "Nonstop" contains samples from "My Head Is Spinning", as performed by DJ Squeeky and Mack Daddy Ju.
* "Emotionless" contains samples and excerpts from "
Emotions (12" Club Mix)", written by
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
,
Robert Clivillés and
David Cole, as performed by Mariah Carey.
* "8 Out of 10" contains excerpts from "
You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart", written by Abrim Tilmon, as performed by
the Detroit Emeralds; an audio snippet of
Plies; and portions and excerpts from "All the Way Round", written by
Arthur Ross and
Leon Ware, as performed by
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo a ...
.
* "Mob Ties" contains interpolations from "Affirmative Action", written by Dave Atkinson,
Samuel Barnes,
Anthony Cruz,
Nasir Jones,
Inga Marchand,
Cory McKay and
Jean-Claude Olivier, as performed by
Nas.
* "Talk Up" contains excerpts from "
Dopeman", written by
Leroy Bonner,
O'Shea Jackson,
Marshall Jones, Ralph Middlebrooks,
Walter Morisson,
Andrew Noland,
Gregory Webster and
Andre Young
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...
, as performed by
N.W.A
N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
.
* "Is There More" contains interpolations from "
More Than a Woman", written by
Stephen Garrett and
Timothy Mosley, as performed by
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and ...
.
* "Nice for What" contains samples from "
Ex-Factor
"Ex-Factor" is a song recorded by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998). Written and produced by Hill herself, it incorporates elements of R&B, neo soul and hip hop soul ...
", written by
Russell Jones,
Dennis Coles,
Corey Woods,
Lamont Hawkins,
Gary Grice,
Clifford Smith,
Robert Diggs,
Jason Hunter,
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
,
Alan Bergman,
Marilyn Bergman and
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EG ...
, as performed by Lauryn Hill; "Drag Rap (Triggerman)", written by Orville Hall and Phillip Price, as performed by the Show Boys; and "
Get Ya Roll On", written by
Byron Thomas and
Bryan Williams, as performed by
Big Tymers.
* "Ratchet Happy Birthday" contains portions and excerpts from "Just Memories", written by
Leonard Caston and Anita Poree, as performed by
Eddie Kendricks
Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptati ...
.
* "That's How You Feel" contains samples and excerpts from "Boss", written and performed by
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents. ...
.
* "In My Feelings" contains portions from "
Lollipop
A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are avail ...
", written by
Dwayne Carter, Jr., Stephen Garrett,
Darius Harrison,
James Scheffer and Rex Zamor, as performed by
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
; samples from "Smoking Gun (Acapella Version)", written and performed by
Magnolia Shorty; "Drag Rap (Triggerman)", written by Orville Hall and Phillip Price, as performed by the Show Boys; and an uncredited portion from the episode "Champagne Papi" of television series ''
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
''.
* "After Dark" contains samples and excerpts from "The Suite Theme", written by
Musze and
Melvin Ragin
Melvin M. Ragin (December 8, 1950 – October 24, 2018), known professionally as "Wah Wah Watson", was an American guitarist who was a member of The Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records.
Career
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Melvin ...
, as performed by
Maxwell.
* "Final Fantasy" contains portions from "The Windmills of Your Mind", written by
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many so ...
, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, as performed by
Dorothy Ashby
Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplishe ...
.
* "March 14" contains samples and excerpts from "
Lady
The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
", written by
Michael Archer and
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...
; and "Khalil", written by
Nathan Morris and
Shawn Stockman, as performed by
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Natha ...
.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and
Tidal.
Musicians
*
Noah Shebib – additional instruments , additional keyboards , all instruments
* Adrian "X" Eccelston – additional guitar
*
Dion Wilson – all instruments
* Harley Arsenault – additional drum programming
* Maneesh Bidaye – additional keyboards
*
Anthony Jefferies – additional keyboards , all instruments
* Darrell Freeman – additional bass
* Noel Cadastre – all instruments
Technical
* Noah Shebib – recording
* Noel Cadastre – recording
*
Young Guru
Gimel Androus Keaton (born February 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Young Guru, is an American audio engineer, record producer, disc jockey, and record executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for B ...
– recording
* James Royo – recording
* Mike Gaydusek – recording
* Quaz – recording assistance
* Robbie Meza – recording assistance
* Todd Norman – recording assistance
* Chris Quock – recording assistance
* Noel "Gadget" Campbell – mixing
* Harley Arsenault – mixing assistance , recording assistance
* Greg Moffet – mixing assistance , recording assistance
* Ronald Moonoo – mixing assistance
*
PartyNextDoor
Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (stylized as PARTYNEXTDOOR), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer.
PartyNextDoor was the first artist signed to Drake's OVO Sound record labe ...
– vocal engineering
* Eric Manco – vocal engineering
* Parks – engineering
* Chris Athens – mastering
* David "D.C." Castro – mastering assistance
* Lindsay Warner – DAW systems engineering
Additional personnel
*
Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
*
Norman Wong – cover photo
* Bolade Banjo – insert photo
* Julian Consuegra – design and layout
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
Drake (musician) albums
Albums produced by Noah "40" Shebib
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Cardo
Albums produced by DJ Premier
Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer)
Albums produced by No I.D.
Albums produced by DJ Paul
Albums produced by PartyNextDoor
Albums produced by Tay Keith