"What's Next" is a song by Canadian rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

. It was released on March 5, 2021, as a single from Drake's fourth EP '' Scary Hours 2'', through

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, 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 ...

and

OVO Sound OVO Sound (short for October's Very Own) is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2012 by rapper Drake, producer 40, and manager Oliver El-Khatib. The label operated as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group until 2022, after which it ...

. With the song's debut at the top of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it became Drake's eighth US number-one single in the country. Additionally, it became his fourth song to debut atop the chart.

Background

An earlier version of the song surfaced on the internet on February 27, 2021. It was noted that various lines of the song resembled those of on an unreleased track with

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

titled "What a Time to Be a Slime". On March 3, 2021, Drake took to his social media to announce the release of his upcoming EP ''Scary Hours 2'' on March 5, as well as the return of OVO Sound Radio the next day. The song was released as track one of the EP. In May 2021, rapper

Baby Keem Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Las Vegas, he gained recognition in the late 2010s with his contributions to '' Black Panther: The Album'' ...

revealed he was originally intended to be featured on the single alongside American rapper

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...

(who Drake would later work with on the track Pain 1993). In the early morning of September 4, 2021, a day after the release of Drake's Certified Lover Boy, Drake premiered the original version of What's Next with Baby Keem on his radio show. The original version includes all vocals from the released version, with an additional verse from Keem.

Composition

The song was described as Drake being "on his rapping shit" and "in flex mode", with a "grungy trap production" and a "triumphant-sounding instrumental". Lyrically, the rapper shows off "grandiose flexes that only he could relate to".

Music video

An accompanying music video was released alongside the single and was directed by Theo Skudra. The video was shot in early March 2021 in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and shows Drake dancing at different sites of the city, including the top of the

CN Tower The CN Tower () is a communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway co ...

, as well as the TTC Subway, Yonge-Dundas Square, and

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a public aquarium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The aquarium is one of three aquariums owned-and-operated by Ripley Entertainment. It is located in downtown Toronto, just southeast of the CN Tower. The aquarium has ...

Commercial performance

The song debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the chart dated March 20, 2021, dethroning

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...

's "

Drivers License A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

" which ruled for eight consecutive weeks. The remaining tracks from the '' Scary Hours 2'' EP, "Wants and Needs" and "Lemon Pepper Freestyle", managed to debut at number two and three, respectively, thus making him the first artist in history to have three songs debut in the top 3 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

Aubrey Graham Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop music. Drake first gained recognition ...

– lead vocals, songwriting * Jonathan Priester – songwriting, production * Maneesh Bidaye – songwriting, production, additional production * Noah Shebib – mixing, studio personnel * Noel Cadastre – recording, studio personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Drake songs 2021 singles 2021 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Drake (musician) songs OVO Sound singles Republic Records singles Songs written by Drake (musician) Billboard Global 200 number-one singles Music videos shot in Toronto