When Drake first debuted at No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 23, 2009 with breakthrough hit “Best I Ever Had,” few could’ve guessed that it would mark the start of one of the successful careers the chart has ever seen. But a little over a decade and a handful of historicchart runs later, the artist born Aubrey Graham has again etched his name in theBillboard record books — as the artist with the most hits in the Hot 100’s 60-plus-year lifespan.
As if that wasn’t enough, “First Person Shooter,” Drake’s blockbuster collaboration with J. Cole from his For All The Dogs album topped the Hot 100 on October 21, 2023. The accolade gave the OVO head honcho the same amount of number ones as the legendary Michael Jackson. It’s a feat many thought would never be topped, but Drake’s career has been a showcase of broken records.
Of course, with Drake’s chart ascent coinciding with the rise of streaming, it’s not like all 328 of these songs were “Drake hits,” at least in the old-fashioned, single-oriented sense. The majority of these entries are album cuts that charted along with the rest of their parent sets, while featured appearances that Drake lent to trusted collaborators like Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Future, and (of course) Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne over the years are equally numerous.
Yet despite the staggering number of entries Drake has notched on the Hot 100 over his chart run — an average of nearly 20 a year since his mid-2009 chart debut — the rapper’s entire catalog is hardly represented here. Missing of course is anything from pre-fame mixtapes Room For Improvement orComeback Season, along withsuch early fan favorites as “Houstatlantavegas,” “Fear,” “Karaoke,” “Lord Knows,” “The Ride” and “Draft Day.” (Also worth noting that despite prominently featuring Aubrey, Travis Scott’s Hot 100-topping “SICKO MODE” does not technically list him on its official artist credit, nor does Young Money’s No. 2-peaking crew cut “BedRock” — thus neither is included here.)
Still, the great majority of the singer-rapper’s best-known work can be found here, spanning from his first pop breakthroughs to his diaristic deep cuts to his harder mixtape tracks to his meme-courting later smashes. Read on below and see how we rank an already unprecedented chart run — one that, by all indications, is still far from over.
“Not You Too” (feat. Chris Brown) (No. 20, 5/16/20)
Chris Brown provides background vocals on the Dark Lane Demo Tapes deep cut as Drake comes to grips with yet another heartbreak. Over intoxicating production, Drizzy takes charge and bids farewell to a former flame who he believed to be the one.— MS
"9 AM in Dallas" (No. 57, 7/3/10)
When there’s a time and place in the title of a Drake record, you know he’s got a few things to get off his chest. Just days before dropping his debut album, the 6 God let everyone know greatness was on the horizon with this soaring kick-off to his decorated AM/PM series. Unfortunately, what was intended to be Thank Me Later’s opener couldn’t make the cut due to timing issues, as the more self-reflective “Fireworks” ended up setting the tone for his first official full-length. —M.S.
"Don't Matter to Me" (feat. Michael Jackson) (No. 9, 7/14/18)
“Featuring Michael Jackson.” Those three words are both an incredible flex and a serious liability, for obvious reasons. Jackson’s voice — lifted from an unreleased collaboration with Paul Anka — is just one texture among several here. It beams in briefly for the pre-chorus and chorus, sounding at once spectral and crystal clear, and nicely complements the song’s shadowy dynamics. Can’t blame anyone for pressing the “Skip” button; still, this pseudo-duet is more potent than it ought to be. —K.M.
"Redemption" (No. 61, 5/21/16)
A grower from Views‘ first side, “Redemption” gets overwhelmed a little by the album’s general bloat, but over time, the understated quasi-ballad reveals itself to be one of Drake’s stealthiest deep cuts. The subtly deployed backing vocals from Darhyl Camper Jr. and inverted Ray J samples all go a long way, and “I gave your nickname to someone else” is one of Aubrey’s greatest lines of indelible cruelty. —A.U.
"Mine" (Beyoncé feat. Drake) (No. 60, 1/11/14)
“Mine,” one of the more subdued songs on the world-stopping Beyoncé, is a pre-Lemonade insight to the icon’s personal frustrations that’s anchored by the fluidity of alt-R&B melodies and Afrobeats-inspired percussion. While she balances then-newfound motherhood and her marital bond, Drake struggles to smooth out his debut appearance on a King Bey record — until the outro, that is. His urgency plays an integral role in the track’s tender masculine/feminine balance. —B.G.
"Childs Play" (No. 49, 5/21/16)
Thank this airy Views non-single for one of Drake’s most meme-worthy lyrics: “Why you gotta fight with me at Cheesecake?” Elsewhere over the minimal beat, Drizzy spills out melodic verses about hiding the keys to his Bugatti and his “checkered” past, which he likens to — naturally — a Louis Vuitton bag. Bonus points for the cheeky music video, where an angry girlfriend played by Tyra Banks smushes a slice of cheesecake in Drake’s face. (“She didn’t even call you Drake. She called you Aubrey!”) —T.C.
"10 Bands" (No. 58, 3/7/15)
Drake was more tough-guy rapper than slick singer on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, but on “10 Bands,” he added another dimension to his persona: recluse. Whether hiding out in his safe house in Calabasas or in Toronto, he’s “been in the crib with the phones off,” working on his next moves, while also leaving time to count his cash along to an eerily sparse Boi-1da beat. And with his mind on his money, he also doesn’t neglect his sponsors: “Yeah, shout goes out to Nike, checks all over me/I need a FuelBand just to see how long the run has been.” It’s all about that synergy. —C.W.
"Used to This" (Future feat. Drake) (No. 14, 11/26/16)
After a strong run with their Billboard 200 chart-topping album What a Time to Be Alive in 2015, Future and Drake tag-teamed once more for the piano-laden “Used To.” Though the Atlanta powerhouse takes charge on the opening verse and hook, Drake zips ahead before the finish line with a sticky sing-song verse about his career highlights and wealthy lifestyle. —C.L.
"Pop Style" (feat. The Throne) (No. 16, 4/23/16)
“PopStyle” is slang for showing off in Jamaica, but it’s also a sly wink to the fact that it was released alongside the relatively bubblegum single “One Dance.” But the first on-wax team-up of Drake with Jay-Z and Kanye West (i.e. The Throne) is anything but sticky sweet; instead, it’s an ominous, lonely meditation on what happens when turning your “birthday into a lifestyle” starts to feel like a chore. —J. Lynch
"Toosie Slide" (No. 1, 4/17/20)
Tough to gauge where a song that seems destined for months of omnipresence — as much as any song can be omnipresent in an essentially shut-down society — stands in an artist’s catalog after just a week and a half. Still, while “Toosie Slide” seems slight in its construction (and thirsty in its promotion), there’s the same warmth-on-a-chilly night core to the melody and production that dots most of Drake’s best — as well as the kind of hooks that make a lifetime’s worth of weddings and bar mitzvahs flash before your eyes — that has us optimistic that the song might age better than many would expect. —A.U.
"Amen" (Meek Mill feat. Drake) (No. 57, 8/25/12)
Before their infamous 2015 feud and reconciliation years later, Meek Mill and Drake joined forces for their first collaboration way back in 2012 on the thankful “Amen,” which also featured uncredited vocals from R&B star Jeremih. Meek’s Dreams and Nightmares lead single showed that a changing of the guard was imminent in hip-hop, and only added steam to the building narrative over how the power of a Drake feature could go a long way in bringing mainstream appeal to rising talents. —M.S.
"Blessings" (Big Sean feat. Drake) (No. 28, 4/25/15)
The “Blessings” continued to pour in for Drake. Sean called on Drizzy to bolster Dark Sky Paradise’s simultaneously foreboding and helpful final single prior to its 2015 release. The original version also featured a verse from Kanye West, who ultimately stepped aside to let his G.O.O.D. music signee and current frenemy grace centerstage, as the 6 God takes full advantage by carrying the grateful “Blessings” on his back in Ye’s absence. —M.S.
"With You" (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR) (No. 47, 5/21/16)
With its shifting, breezy beat and ascending vocals from fellow Canadian PARTYNEXTDOOR, “With You” captures that heart-in-your-throat feeling — a fitting sound for its ambiguous lyrics, where Drake sings about “breaking you off” while professing “my love’s locked down and you cuffing it” within the same line. But the feeling is lighter than Drake’s typical heartbreak fare, serving as a much-needed breath of fresh air midway through Views. —T.C.
“Amen” (Drake feat. tee*zo Touchdown) (No. 15, 10/21/23)
A much different theme than the 2012 Meek Mill collab of the same name, Drake juggles the contradictory worlds of prayer and playing a sugar daddy. He sticks the landing even if we can only shake our heads at the trite Mercedes-Benz dealership phone call on the outro. — MS
"Walk It Talk It" (Migos feat. Drake) (No. 10, 4/14/18)
A shimmering, ice-cold OG Parker and Deco beat propels the best single to feature Drake as the Fourth Migo since he first jumped on the “Versace” remix. Appropriately, Aubrey’s verse is as sentiment-free as the spitting drums underneath him, predicting “The first date she gon’ let me f–k ‘coz we grown” of a new relationship and debunking his foes’ palatial claims via Google Maps research. A great single whoseSoul Train video made it a near-classic. —A.U.
"Portland" (feat. Quavo & Travis Scott) (No. 9, 4/18/17)
Drake’s contribution hip-hop’s Year of the Flute was this bleating Murda Beatz/Cubeatz co-production fromMore Life,in which he hosts fellow stars Travis Scott (calling himself and Drizzy “like Kid ‘n’ Play”) and Quavo (proclaiming “Never let these n—as ride your wave”). Latter is slightly ironic given Drake’s tendencies to surf somewhat indiscriminately on many such tidal peaks, but songs like “Portland” show why Drake had a reasonable claim to simply being the entire ocean in the late-’10s. —A.U.
"Look Alive" (BlocBoy JB feat. Drake) (No. 5, 3/3/18)
Controversy forever surrounds his motives, but Drake has long played benefactor to emerging talent. A 2018 co-sign of BlocBoy JB produced “LookAlive,” featuring Drizzy’s hardest rhymes since 2015’s “Back to Back.” The best bar, “I’ve been gone since, like, July, n—as actin’ like I died” – reminds all hip-hop’s other players that a mere eight-month absence leaves a gaping hole at the genre’s core. But, generous soul that he (arguably) is, the 6 God soon blessed us withScorpionto ride out the rest of the year. —T.A.
“Fair Trade” (Drake feat. Travis Scott) (No. 3, 9/18/21)
Given the Hot 100-topping success of Travis Scott and (an uncredited) Drake’s “Sicko Mode,” it wasn’t surprising that “Fair Trade” fared well in its first week, debuting at No. 3 on the Drake-dominated tally. The uneventful beat-switch before Scott’s verse, however, doesn’t live up to the hype of their previous collaboration, but the “Mountains” sample from fellow Torontonian (and Drake’s co-manager/OVO founder Oliver El-Khatib’s cousin) Charlotte Day Wilson adds some soulful flair. “I’ve been losin’ friends and findin’ peace,” Drake asserts, but it doesn’t sound like he’s really found peace considering he’s had to denounce fake friends in so many CLB tracks.— HM
"Mob Ties" (No. 13, 7/14/18)
There’s much to be made about the muscle behind the two competing sides of the Pusha T-Drake feud, but there’s no doubt that Drake is locked in with targets-acquired on “Mob Ties.” A perfectly textured, bone-chilling beat allows Drake to dig into the specifics of his beef, delivering bars with such disdain that you can visualize OVO kingpin Aubrey reading the unsavory headlines of 2018 and orchestrating a proper retort. Maybe the “I got ties, I got ties” ad-libs don’t ring quite as true, but the message is delivered regardless: Drake will make for a formidable opponent if you cross him. —B.K.
"For Free" (DJ Khaled feat. Drake) (No. 13, 8/20/16)
Even on a bouncy, Akinyele-sampling, Too $hort-quoting freak track, Drake insists on some propriety. “You the only one I know can fit it all in her…” — perhaps knowing Mom is listening, he lets the line go unfinished. It’s the perfect moment to shout along to on the dancefloor and smile at the silly censorship. He wasn’t so coy just a bar or two ago, when he was talking about “p—y on agua.” Just saying, Degrassi would’ve gone there. —R.S.
“War” (Hot 100 Peak: 52, Date of Peak: 5/16/20)
Drake links up with one of the architects of the Brooklyn dril sound and frequent Pop Smoke collaborator, AXL Beats. Champagne Papi sharpens his sword and puts his icy U.K. flow to use to close out 2019 and further prove that he’s got the game in a chokehold. — MS
“TSU” (No. 9, 9/18/21)
In the same vein as “The Real Her” from Take Care, “TSU” (which had been previously leaked as “Not Around”) is another ode to a stripper whom he’s all-too-willing to support, but now, Drizzy is making it rain so the girl can fund her own business. Whether listeners find the message aspirational or not, they’ll stick around for the sizzling production that seduces anyone to the dance floor (although he loses points for the highly controversial R. Kelly credit.)— HM
"Where Ya At" (Future feat. Drake) (No. 28, 10/31/15)
Drake was the only guest invited to drop in on Future’s DS2, and he proved himself worthy of his invitation on “Where Ya At.” In the song, Future comes at fair-weather friends who abandoned him during hard times, and Drake does the same. “Where your ass was at when we recorded in the bathroom/ Where your ass was at? I take attendance like a classroom.” The pairing worked so well that the duo linked again for an entire album just months later. —C.W.
“Privileged Rappers” (Drake & 21 Savage) (No. 7, 11/19/22)
Honesty is the best policy. The Her Loss hitmakers just want authenticity in all aspects of life whether that be the music industry, friends, or the women they pursue. An Isley Brothers sample gives “Privileged Rappers” a nice dose of nostalgia and more room for Drake to flex on the competition. “I hate a privileged rapper that ain’t had a hit since he signed,” he sneers. — MS
“The Shoe Fits” (No. 52, 12/2/23)
Prefaced with a “harsh truth” warning, “The Shoe Fits” has Drake perspective jumping from his to a woman and her ex. He does that while crafting a tricky escapade that features a love triangle with James Harden in the middle. The engaging six-minute tale surprisingly zips by like a rollercoaster ride that ends faster than desired. — MS
“Mr. Right Now” (21 Savage & Metro Boomin feat. Drake) (No. 10, 10/17/20)
Before the days of Her Loss, 21 Savage and Drake built chemistry sparring on tracks like the bawdy “Mr. Right Now.” Referring to himself as the “Slow Stroke King” even makes those with an OVO tattoo blush— but the Savage Mode II tune is overshadowed by Drake’s gossipy revelation that he once dated the Grammy Award-winning songstress, SZA. — MS
"All Me" (feat. 2 Chainz & Big Sean) (No. 20, 10/12/13)
The final track on the deluxe edition of Drake’s Nothing Was the Same taps a then-omnipresent 2 Chainz and scene-stealing Big Sean — as well as a spooky sample of a disembodied voice — for a subdued-yet-firm statement about self-made success without selling out. Even at four and a half minutes, the irresistible trap anthem goes by too quickly, demanding repeat listens – which helped propel it into the Hot 100’s top 20. —J. Lynch
"I'm Goin In" (feat. Lil Wayne & Young Jeezy) (No. 40, 10/3/09)
Listening back to 2009’s “I’m Going In” is sure to draw a chuckle, thanks to Drake’s brash ghost-written rhymes of “blowing purple clouds” and how he’s never “met a good cop”; nowadays Drizzy’s most jarring lyrics might have him admitting to popping half of a Xanax or paying his taxes late. Even with a burgeoning Drake still trying to find his footing inside rap’s pantheon, he proved on the track that he could hang alongside a pair of the south’s hip-hop heavyweights in Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. —M.S.
"Going Bad" (Meek Mill feat. Drake) (No. 6, 12/15/18)
“GoingBad” will go down in history as the Drake-Meek Mill reconciliation song following their high-profile feuding, but this goes way harder than one would expect from a burying-the-hatchet track — thanks in part to an animated Wheezy beat, but also to the two MCs sounding ravenous side-by-side. Kudos to Drake for the breathless chorus, but Meek wins the track by generously name-checking “Back to Back,” the diss track Drizzy used against him. —J. Lipshutz
"Up All Night" (feat. Nicki Minaj) (No. 49, 7/3/10)
You don’t mess with Nicki Minaj when she’s hungry for the throne. Drake may have been putting on for his team on Thank Me Later highlight “Up All Night,” but his Young Money labelmate snatched the mic with her monumental guest verse. “If Drizzy say get her, imma get her,” Minaj begins — and that she does, going fully rabid as she pierces haters with taunts and co*cky one-liners: “I look like ‘yes’ and you look like ‘NO’!” — B.G.
"Dreams Money Can Buy" (No. 68, 8/17/19)
Though Drake thrives as a crooning lothario in the mainstream world, he can quickly turn the dial and morph into a bloodthirsty MC when necessary. On the Jai Paul-sampling “Dreams,” Drizzy ruminates on his riches, playboy demeanor, and ways he can savagely rip through the competition (“Can’t tell you how much I love when n—as think they got it/ And I love the fact that line made ’em think about it”). His flexes plateau when he shifts his attention to his childhood heroes on the song’s last verse, spitting, “My favorite rappers either lost it or they ain’t alive.” —C.L.
"Get It Together" (feat. Jorja Smith & Black Coffee) (No. 45, 4/8/17)
Here’s proof that Drake doesn’t always need the spotlight. He lets singer Jorja Smith shine on this beaut, along with DJ/producer Black Coffee, whose own song, “Superman,”provides the soothing instrumental. Drake simply drops in to cop — ever so slightly — to being the problem in a relationship. Burna Boy being uncredited and relegated to the outro sours the generous spirit a little, but the music’s so breezy you can practically feel the wind on your skin. —K.M.
“Rich Flex” (Drake & 21 Savage) (No. 2, 11/19/22)
Kicking off theHer Lossalbum and era, “Rich Flex” was the most successful two-man three-parter – both artistically and commercially – that Drake’s been part of since “Sicko Mode.” Lithe, mobile and kinda giddy with excitement, “Flex” is full of gratifying bars like Savage’s “Took her panties off and this b–ch thicker than the plot” and well-plotted moments like Drake parachuting into the hook to T.I.’sTrap Muzikclassic “24’s.” Of course, Drake’s rhetorical “21, can you do something for me?” questioning became the real catchphrase from this one, big enough in pop culture that Mark Jones started using on replays of Joel Embiid’s NBA highlights.— AU
"No Lie" (2 Chainz feat. Drake) (No. 24, 9/8/12)
2012 was the second coming of Tity Boi, whose debut solo album as 2 Chainz,Based on a T.R.U. Story, dropped on Def Jam in August of that year. The album was a mostly forgettable, bloated, guest-heavy affair — but then there’s “No Lie,” a gleaming radio single that revels in the corny punchlines (“All I get is cheese, like I’m takin’ pictures”) of its lead artist. Its commercial appeal is owed largely to the presence of Drake, who contributes both a high-energy hook and a pretty misogynistic guest verse. That the song works in spite of the latter is a testament to this duo’s effortless chemistry. —W.G.
"Madiba Riddim" (No. 51, 4/8/17)
The escapist peak of the most transportive stretch on Drake’sglobe-trippingMore Life, “Madiba Riddim” lays down an absolutely sublime afrobeats groove over a beat of surprisingly thumping insistence. The rapper’s unapologetic adopted phrasing and accent should get tougher to swallow with every distracting “I seen…” insistence, but that thump just jackhammers any resistance, until your brain shuts off and your body starts doing dances you didn’t know existed. —A.U.
“8am in Charlotte” (No. 17, 10/21/23)
Whenever Drake dips into his timestamp bag, expectations are raised and greatness is expected. Conductor Williams supplies a heavenly choir, faded drums, and a piano loop to soundtrack Drake’s most recent intimate thoughts. Looking back, this masterpiece may have set the bar a bit too high heading into the release of FATD. — MS
“BackOutsideBoyz” (Drake & 21 Savage) (No. 9, 11/19/22)
Certainly felt good in late 2022 to have the “BackOutsideBoyz” trumpeting something of a return to post-COVID normalcy, although the bleating beat to this one wasn’t exactly one to have folks beating their feat to the nearest block party. Chances are if you have a strong memory of this one it’s for Drake’s memorable-if-uncharitable subliminals to an ostensibly underqualified female MC—“She a ten tryna rap, it’s good on mute” – believed to be Ice Spice, though she’s denied it. — AU
"Forever" (feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem) (No. 8, 10/3/09)
“Forever” serves as Drake’s initiation into rap’s elite fraternity, another stepping stone in his meteoric ascent. Kanye, Eminem and Lil Wayne welcome Drizzy to stardom on the triumphant posse cut that Jay-Z deemed to be “the best of the decade,” and for which Yeezy spent two full days re-writing his verse to keep up with the competition. With “Forever” powering LeBron James’ More Than a Game documentary soundtrack, it’s fascinating to see the pair still dominating their respective sports 10 years later. —M.S.
“Major Distribution” (Drake & 21 Savage) (No. 3, 11/19/22)
Following up “Rich Flex” is no easy feat but the “Treacherous Twins” make it 2-for-2 to kick off Her Loss. Drake’s piano-backed crooning evolves into a menacing rap tune with the duo bragging about their streaming numbers and lucrative label deals. “Major distribution, labels call me Bad Bunny numbers, it’s a robbery $500 million, just for Aubrey,” Drizzy crows. — MS
"Weston Road Flows" (No. 54, 5/21/16)
A certain kind of rap song for a certain kind of rap fan. To match Drake’s nostalgic mood as he (once again) recounts his origin story, 40 and French beatsmith Stwo weave a breathtaking track out of Mary J. Blige’s “Mary’s Joint.” (Drizzy himself might say it’s “sewed together,” and then pause to admire his own handiwork.) It’s a throwback for sure — one that’s well-executed, and a rare moment on Views when Drake’s able to look back and laugh. —K.M.
"Tuscan Leather" (No. 81, 10/12/13)
Six minutes and six seconds. That’s how much time Drake spent on the intro toNothing Was the Same, his second straight classic album, and the stylistic foundation on which he’d build the rest of his discography. The triptych instrumental doesn’t switch as much as mutate; what starts as a pitched-up, rewound Whitney Houston sample becomes frenetic trap, and then lumbers into something more sinister, with splashy drums and synths, before arriving at its buzzing, midnight conclusion. “Lately I’ve been feelin’ like Guy Pearce inMemento,” he raps, ridiculously. But the line is revealing, too, linking fragments of a Tom Ford present to the “90s fantasies” Drake could never escape. “Tuscan Leather” is lined with those cracks, the broken lines of communication, the increasingly desperate flexes; this was the victory lap afterTake Care, but for Drake, something was still missing. Meanwhile, the rest of us got everything we wanted. —W.G.
“Search & Rescue” (No. 2, 4/22/23)
Apple Music’s Ebro Darden referred to “Search & Rescue” as another masterclass in “simping and pimping” with Drake juggling sad-boy raps and panache. Petty Drake returns to seemingly jab at Ye by putting a Kim Kardashian lookalike in the single’s artwork. He even went as far as sampling some words of wisdom Ye’s ex wife, shared with her mother on Hulu’s The Kardashians. — MS
"No Guidance" (Chris Brown feat. Drake) (No. 5, 10/5/19)
Somehow, the very first one-on-one Breezy x Drizzy collab arrived in 2019, though some delay traces to a feud over (who else?) Rihanna. It was worth the wait, with the pair effortlessly trading parts as they dish a flurry of compliments over a mellow, dreamy R&B beat. Sorry to those wanting more fireworks when these titans met, but “Guidance” highlights the versatility and allure that has enshrined the duo as titans in the R&B/hip-hop game for many years – and given the track’s historic radio dominance, likely still more to come. —T.A.
"The Motion"(No. 61, 8/17/19)
Years before it resurfaced on 2019’s Care Package, “The Motion” was originally released in the summer of 2013, during what was arguably Drake’s creative apex. And it fits nicely among other highlights from the Nothing Was the Same days, with its squelchy instrumentation and deep-blue color palette — as well as the presence of Sampha, who sings backup and serves as co-producer alongside 40. The song’s long-time admirers knew it deserved better than NWTS-bonus-track status — despite apparently cribbing a line from Showtime’s Californication. —K.M.
"Blem" (No. 38, 4/8/17)
On “Blem,” Drake is buzzed off whiskey and weed, and the real talk is flowing freely — along with the Jamaican Patois. He’d love to take his girl someplace tropical “and get you gold, no spray tans,” but can no longer deal with her passa. Savvy listeners know Drake can’t possibly be drama-free either, but the steamy dancehall hooks flow so freely, the obvious solution is to kiss and make up. —CHRIS PAYNE
“Calling For You” (Drake feat. 21 Savage) (No. 5, 10/21/23)
This For All The Dogs cut had a loud bark with no bite. Drake and 21 Savage have proven to be a Kobe-Shaq-like duo in the past but the Jersey Club-influenced “Calling For You” sounds as if the distorted two-piece record was left on the cutting room floor of their glitzy Her Loss collaborative album. — MS
"Right Above It"(Lil Wayne feat. Drake) (No. 6, 9/4/10)
The bombastic horns at the onset of “Right Above It” could be heard on every sports team’s pre-game locker room playlist, and served as the life of the party on college campuses across the country in the early ’10s. Even while behind bars on gun charges, Wayne proved that he still had the rap game in a chokehold, as Drake went toe-to-toe with his mentor. The Young Money duo continued to make a habit of bringing the best out of each other, with Wayne vowing that he would competitively “decapitate” Drizzy on any record. —M.S.
"Ice Melts" (feat. Young Thug) (No. 62, 4/8/17)
“Ice Melts” is about right for the effect the song has as the penultimate track onMore Life, a much-appreciated return to the sunny Island breeziness of the set’s first half after a long run of chilly deep cuts. Both Drake and his esteemed guest sound like they’re grateful to be back partying at the beach, Drake invoking his inner Elvis Presley to demand “I still need some satisfaction/ A little less talk and a little more action” as Young Thug gets so hammered his slurred cries of “Jeffrey!” sound more like he’s shouting for Jerry Garcia at a Dead concert. —A.U.
"Fireworks" (feat. Alicia Keys) (No. 71, 7/3/10)
Drake began his first official album of the ’10s like he knew he was going to be one of the decade’s defining albums artist —of course he did. “Fireworks” starts with, well, what else, as Aubrey launches into lyrics to frame his debut LP as his difficult second album: “Money just changed everything/ I wonder how life without it would go.” By the chorus, though, he’s ready to claim his destiny: “Today it begins/ I’ve missed them before, but won’t miss them again.” And as Alicia and the rest of us now know, he wouldn’t. —A.U.
"Big Rings" (Drake & Future) (No. 52, 10/17/15)
Metro Boomin lays a bed of rumbling bass, icy electro plinks and triumphal trap to accompany Drake and Future’s ode to ensuring their teams are as well-taken care of as they are. When Drake emphatically raps, “I got a reallybigteam/ And they need some reallybigrings/ they need some really nice things,” it hardly even sounds like a demand – just a statement of fact, one whose veracity better be validated sooner than later. —J. Lynch
“Red Button” (No. 51, 12/2/23)
After hearing critics repeatedly jab For All The Dogs for being rote and not rap enough, Drake returned with “Red Button” as the grand slam opener to the Scary Hours Edition to shut up the haters. Back on his A-game, Drake shoots at an array of targets, including us (Billboard) and Kanye West, but doesn’t let his inflated ego prevent him from giving props to Taylor Swift and her pop titan status. — MS
"Believe Me" (Lil Wayne feat. Drake) (No. 26, 6/21/14)
“He left Rikers in a Phantom, that’s my n—a.” You can hear the pride in Drake’s voice as he boasts about his mentor across the opening verse of “Believe Me,” perhaps their hardest collaboration. When Boi-1da and Vinylz beat shifts midway through, slow-rolling into even more menacing territory, Wayne shines even brighter: “N—a I’ll fire this nina like it’s her first day on the job and the bitch overslept.” Can you even imagine how excited Drake must’ve been the first time he heard that? —R.S.
“Polar Opposites” (No. 37, 10/21/23)
Drake once compared his album closers to surgery. It’s easy to see why. Songs like “The Ride” or “Do Not Disturb” find the Grammy-winning rapper taking a scalpel to different aspects of his life, managing to share both universal truths and personal revelations all within a five minute span. Unfortunately, For All The Dogs’ closer doesn’t hit the same marks. Although, credit where it’s due: “I’m not the same person I was five drinks ago” is an Instagram caption-worthy bar. — MS
"Teenage Fever" (No. 35, 4/8/17)
With relationship rumors swirling, Drake tossed fuel on the fire by teasing his lust for J. Lo on the tender “Teenage Fever,” which (of course) samples Lopez’s “If You Had My Love.” On the tracks, Drizzy never specifically references Lopez beyond the lifted hook, but raps about wanting to acknowledge the mutual attraction in a relationship (“Last night we didn’t say it, but girl, we both thought it”). Regardless, by 2018, the dream was dead, with Lopez moving on to current fiancé Alex Rodriguez, and Drake waving the white flag on “Diplomatic Immunity.” —M.S.
“You Only Live Twice” (Drake feat. Lil Wayne & Rick Ross) (No. 25 09/18/21)
On paper alone, the pairing says fire … even more so after listening to No. 18 on Drake’s sixth studio album, 2021’s No. 1-bowingCertified Lover Boy.The three generational rappers go hard against the track’s thrashing drum beat, delivering strong bars and punchlines reminiscent of its prequel, 2011’s “The Motto” featuring Lil Wayne and its “YOLO” rallying cry. As Drake proclaims on “Twice”: “Not sure if you know but I’m actually Michael Jackson / The man I see in the mirror is actually goin’ platinum / Unthinkable when I think of the way these nigg*s been actin’ / Yeah, I never did you nothin’ and you play like we family, huh?” — GM
"Summer Games" (No. 28, 7/14/18)
The most inscrutable gem to be found amidScorpion‘s 25 tracks. “Summer Games” is a classic Drake hot-and-cold relationship drama, but its interaction with the song’s beat — a who-knew-it-existed? midpoint between808s and Heartbreak and theDrive soundtrack — is entirely new, warping and twisting Drake’s vocal to the point where the tape practically breaks midway through. Much more disorienting and muchharder to shake than you might remember. —A.U.
"Who Do You Love?" (YG feat. Drake) (No. 54, 4/5/14)
Good rule of thumb with Drake: When he starts rapping about seafood, that’s when you know he means business. He busts into the Nobu crab and subsequently throws his weight around to get his people out of prison during his five-star guest verse on “Who Do You Love?,” over a peak production from DJ Mustard, who conjures a horror movie of bellowing synth-bass and hair-raising piano plinks. “I would pinky swear, but my pinky ring too big” he boasts in closing, as he’s interrupted by YG’s shout-along hook, perhaps sensing the song’s ownership slipping away from him. —A.U.
"Controlla" (No. 16, 7/30/16)
Drake is a lovesick mess in “Controlla,” an ode to a woman he would cry, lie, and die for in which “Jodeci ‘Cry For You,’” a reference to the classic R&B tearjerker, serves as a lyric all on its own. But the breezy, dancehall-infused beat is as carefree as Drizzy is conflicted, giving the whole thing the feel of a rum-fueled fever dream. The song found a fan in SZA, who interpolated the “you like it, when I get / aggressive” verse onCTRL‘s “Normal Girl.” —T.C.
"Shot For Me" (No. 100, 12/3/11)
If Drake begins name-dropping on a record, chances are he’s ready to spill the tea. The second track to his 2011 opus Take Care, “Shot For Me” is a celebratory ode to his exes. Toasting to his past lovers, most notably Alisha and Catya, Drake takes pride in his newfound status as rap’s biggest star. But rather than be nostalgic in his remembrances, here Drake callously flips the script and takes ownership in building his women up: “The way you walk, that’s me/ The way you talk, that’s me.” Call him a sore loser when it comes to love, but on “Shot For Me,” it’s Drake who gets the last laugh. —C.L.
"Fancy" (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz) (No. 25, 10/2/10)
Tapping late-’00s rap superstar T.I. and producer powerhouse Swizz Beatz, Drake’s “Fancy” serves as his first hit women empowerment anthem, albeit from a less-than-subtly flirtatious perspective. The looping “Oh, you fancy, huh?” hook essentially dares the song’s intended subjects to flaunt their economic and physical prowess, with the rapping trio bouncing compliments and lyrics alike in their direction — though some of the more borderline condescending lines might not land as gracefully a decade later. —J.G.
“Knife Talk” feat. 21 Savage and Project Pat (No. 4, 09/25/21)
Dropping five years after their first team-up and a year beforeHer Loss, “Knife Talk” demonstrated the commercial appeal of Savage and Drake trading verses, particularly when the former is rapping about “gang sh-t” with that laconic matter-of-factness and the latter is flexing about his wealth. Still, it’s the drawling delivery of “quickUUUH” and ”liqUUUUH” by Project Pat (which is taken from an earlier song by his younger brother Juicy J) that ensures “Knife” is a cut above most songs onCertified Lover Boy.— JL
"Poetic Justice" (Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake) (No. 26, 3/16/13)
Despite the hardened street politics narrative of Kendrick Lamar’s major label debut good kid M.A.A.D. City, “Poetic Justice” reveals the Compton rapper’s softer, sensitive side — and who better to bring it out of him than Drake? The pair show a natural chemistry on their first proper collaboration (Lamar previously featured on a separate interlude for Take Care’s “Marvin’s Room”), as young Kenny weaves his love poems around the airy temptations of Janet Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place,” before Drake shows him how to spit game like a proud upperclassmen. —B.K.
“Lemon Pepper Freestyle” (Drake feat. Rick Ross) (No. 3, 03/20/21)
Drake and Rozay give fans something more than a happy meal with “Lemon Pepper Freestyle.” The Wingstop franchise owner saddles up nicely on the opening verse, while allowing Drake to pour out luxe ruminations about his life as a single dad. Only Drizzy can make parent-teacher meetings turn into like prime-time press conferences about his friendships with Nicki Minaj and Beyonce.— CL
“Hours in Silence”(Drake & 21 Savage) (No.11, 11/19/22)
Drake dives deep into his emo bag for “Hours in Silence,” where he beats himself up for letting a girl play him (again) and even gets 21 Savage to tap into his melodic side by drawing out the vowels at the end of each line with crystalline Auto-Tune. The first two minutes are an absolute vibe, but Drake dramatically slows things down to incessantly bemoan how “it’s my fault” for buying a girl Balenciaga this, Van Cleef that too soon – only for her to drag him in the group chat later. Just because it’s called “Hours in Silence” doesn’t mean the song (which has a nearly seven-minute runtime) needs to feel like it’s dragging on for hours.— HM
"Successful" (feat. Trey Songz & Lil Wayne) (No. 17, 10/3/09)
The mission statement for mixtape Drake. Like Trey Songz, an early co-signer, Drizzy just wants to make it: And the stakes were real then, in a way that’s hard to appreciate now, when his success is such a given. The bass here is as submerged as 40 could go, and the vulnerability level is off the charts — the second verse describes in detail crying in his mother’s embrace in their driveway. His car is leased and he’s spending money that he doesn’t have on bar tabs. “It’s good, but I know this ain’t the peak.” He was right. —R.S.
"Money to Blow" (Birdman feat. Lil Wayne & Drake) (No. 26, 12/19/09)
Drake’s first year of being on a 24-hour champagne diet capped with “Money to Blow,” a top 40 hit alongside Young Money label heads Birdman and Lil Wayne that sounds like the trio Scrooge McDucking into a bottomless pool of gold coins. Helium-inflated synths rise around the YMCMBros as bubbles in the glass, while the three take turns getting high on their own supply, joining on the chorus to croon-taunt “Since I got famous, I got money to blow-oh-oh…” Save your “In this economy?” jokes, the id here is recession-proof. —A.U.
"Nonstop" (No. 2, 7/14/18)
To anyone who’s upset that Drake has prioritized pop over hip-hop, he presents a middle finger and a message: “S–t don’t ever stop.” Teaming with producers No I.D., Noel Cadastre, and, most importantly, hotshot beatmaker Tay Keith, Drake channels Memphis grit on “Nonstop,” via a drawled-out flow and looped sample from Mack Daddy Ju’s “My Head Is Spinnin’.” One of the nastiest tracks the rapper’s ever put out, it breathes an air of invincibility into you the second the bass starts rolling. —K.M.
“Stories About My Brother” (No. 58, 12/2/23)
Guided by Conductor’s triumphant horns, Drake profoundly shines a light on his OVO comrades and how the tight-knit family has persevered through “diamonds and violence” to remain at the top. — MS
"No Tellin'" (No. 81, 3/7/15)
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is a 17-song airing of grievances that spotlights Drake’s rapping over his singing. On “No Tellin’,” he sounds like he’s standing 3 feet from the mic, hopping around like a prize fighter warming up for a match. “They think I’m soft, think I’m innocent,” he charges, speaking to the same criticism that’s followed him around for years. But this song is less about offering critics proof and more about doling out reminders: “Please do not speak to me/ Like I’m that Drake from four years ago/ I’m at a higher place.” And how much higher will this enlightened one get? “Ain’t nooooo tellin’.” —C.W.
"Club Paradise" (No. 85, 8/17/19)
That wash of synths, the soft piano beneath it like iridescent algae; Drake running through a list of old girls who allegedly no longer f–k with him — this is classic material in the first 15 seconds. Released as part of the loosie drip before 2011’sTake Care, “Club Paradise” is quintessential Drake: the anxiety about f–king up the double-cheek kiss during Fashion Week soirées, the humblebragging about being personally acquainted with many strippers, the desire for his mother to vet his romantic life, the encroaching paranoia. The “triumph of both self-confidence and self-loathing,” as Hua Hsu put it. Welcome to the club. —R.S.
"Trophies" (Young Money feat. Drake) (No. 50, 4/26/14)
Drake sums it up more succinctly than any blurb ever could: “This s–t is not a love song,” it’s a “pop some f–king champagne in the tub song.” Borrowing blaring opening horns from a trailer for 1994 Western film Oblivion, Drizzy enters the flex track with guns blazing. It’s far from his most lyrically profound Hot 100 entry, but a well-deserved, braggadocious one-off never hurt anyone. Why go for the crown if you can’t revel in wearing it every so often? Go ahead and bring a second suitcase to the strip club and replace the walkie-talkies with a state-of-the-art intercom system, Drake. —J.G.
"From Time" (feat. Jhené Aiko) (No. 67, 10/12/13)
Drake has an expansive list of collaborators ranging from Jay-Z to Lil Wayne, but the multi-time partner who flies under the radar is Jhené Aiko. After pairing up as baby-faced rookies on Aiko’s 2010 record “July,” the smooth duo reconnected on Drizzy’s 2013 Nothing Is The Same standout “From Time.” Produced by 40, “From Time” is a lucid look into Drake’s time with an old flame and how his past mistakes affected his love life. Despite his missteps, Drake’s heart yearns for a second chance at redemption with the one that got away. —C.L.
“Wasting Time” (Brent Faiyaz feat. Drake) (No. 49, 07/17/21)
It’s wild to believe, but, as of now, this Brent Faiyaz collaboration is the first and only time Drake has hopped on an original Neptunes beat. The Wasteland cut is vintage Neptunes space bounce with Faiyaz doing his usual cooly unaffected, detached lover thing, telling a woman, “If you ever hit me on the late night, I’ll give you a clear mind.” Drake doesn’t waste the occasion, delivering a vintage drop of his own, rapping like it’s a decade earlier, spitting a gems like, “I’m more Purple Rain Prince than prince charming.” We might want to cherish this, ‘cause unless there’s a lyrical ceasefire, we’re not likely to get another Neptunes x Drake collab anytime soon. — DS
"Truffle Butter" (Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil Wayne) (No. 14, 3/14/15)
Young Money’s holy trinity is guaranteed fire on wax, with each rapper bringing out the best energy and wackiest wordplay from their labelmates, but Nicki Minaj’s “TruffleButter” stands as their finest triple-team offering. Over an insistent house rhythm courtesy of Maya Jane Coles’ “What They Say,” Drake, Tunechi and Barbie bring startlingly fresh punnery to a well-worn subject — bragging about wealth – because, in Drake’s words, when you’re as loaded as them, it’s “hard to make a song ’bout somethin’ other than the money.” —J. Lynch
"Find Your Love" (No. 5, 7/3/10)
Before their relationship soured, Drake credited Kanye West as the “most influential person on his sound” as his career was preparing for takeoff, looking at Yeezy as another mentor-type of figure to help him navigate rap. Drizzy got his hands on the dancehall-leaning “Find Your Love” shuffle from No I.D. and West — initially intended for Rihanna — and successfully turned the vulnerable Thank Me Later ballad into the album’s biggest single, and his second career top five hit on the Hot 100. —M.S.
"Wu-Tang Forever" (No. 52, 10/5/13)
Not many artists besides Drake would see both the humor and the honesty in titling what’s primarily a pillowy sex jam after Wu-Tang Clan’s sprawling sophom*ore album. It’s trolly, for sure — at least until the second verse. That’s when the song’s dripping-stalagtite production goes from soundtracking a shouted come-on to an overstuffed, rambling verse of unpinnable rhythm and rhyme scheme, and Drake’s fear of his old girl belonging to someone else turns into all-consuming paranoia about his career and well-being. Sounds like something Staten Island’s finest could’ve killed — and in fact, maybe almost did. —A.U.
"MIA" (Bad Bunny feat. Drake) (No. 5, 10/27/18)
Guesting for bachata king Romeo Santos on 2014’s “Odio,” Drake was curious about the language of a Spanish-speaking love interest, but not quite ready to give up Google Translate. On 2018’s “MIA,” Bad Bunny finally convinced him to take the plunge, and the timing couldn’t have been better. The buzzing Puerto Rican reggaetónero was racing towards his studio debut X 100pre with a fast-growing English-speaking audience, and Drake, in the midst of a dominant chart run, was understandably searching for a fresh challenge. Ultimately, everyone won: Bad Bunny secured his biggest Hot 100 hit as a lead artist, Drake sounded convincing trading flirtatious come-ons outside his native tongue, and listeners got a trap-pop behemoth worthy of both its megastars. —C.P.
“POPSTAR” (DJ Khaled feat. Drake) (No. 3, 8/1/20)
Khaled and Drake have proven to be a lethal combination. They once again attempted to recreate their chart-dominating magic with “POPSTAR,” only this time it didn’t have the shelf life of previous anthems like “For Free.” Still, Drake provided an earworm of a chorus and shrewd wordplay. “Two, four, six, eight watches factory, so they appreciate,” he raps. — MS
"Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2" (feat. Jay-Z) (No. 65, 10/12/13)
The closer to Drake’s career-defining Nothing Was the Same begins in full revelry, with a champagne toast and congratulatory speech that prefaces his strongest concluding statement on an album yet. The momentous occasion is made legendary, with Jay-Z raising his glass among the ranks as he dishes hard-earned wisdom and aspirational flexes. Though not the first shared credit between Drizzy and Hov, their stars have never felt more aligned. Drake gives the final word from his new elevated position by revisiting a track from earlier in his career, unmistakably emphasizing that nothing would be the same. —B.K.
“Churchhill Downs” (Jack Harlow featuring Drake) (No. 23, 05/21/22)
Harlow taps his childhood hero for a lyrical thriller and gets his wish, as an agile Drake seems eager to spar. With 40 bars to spare, Drizzy zaps Pusha T with subliminals in hopes of baiting the Daytonarapper back into the battlefield. (“All I hear is plug talk comin’ from middlemen.”)— CL
"Tuesday" (iLoveMakonnen feat. Drake) (No. 12, 11/29/14)
If there was ever a time when Drake jumping on a remix could be seen as public service, it was on “Club Going Up on a Tuesday” — shortened to just “Tuesday” for hairdresser-turned-singer/rapper iLoveMakonnen’s OVO debut single. The blissed-out working-for-the-weeknight anthem didn’t need Drake, but it got him. To the hip-hop omnivore’s credit, his added verse met the song on its level, inspiring some of his best wordplay: “Put the world on our sound/ You know, PARTY and The Weeknd/ Ain’t got no motherf–kin’ time/ To party on the weekend.” The redo went top 20, Makonnen ultimately fell out with OVO, and ultimately everything is back as it should be — plus one new left-field classic you still have to think about at least once every seven days. —A.U.
"Furthest Thing" (No. 56, 10/12/13)
Like a crossover episode of your two favorite sitcoms, Drake merges two entirely different songs into one — a method he’s obviously found much success with the past few years. But unlike those recent examples, “Furthest Thing” is all Drake, issuing a mea culpa over a locomotive-chugging, foggy piano beat on the front half before dunking on a gospel-sampling second act. It’s likely a calculated effort on his behalf: just the second track on third albumNothing Was the Same, it was clear evidence of his elite skills both as an R&B and rap talent, and of his still feeling no need to choose between the two. —J.G.
"Too Good" (No. 14, 9/3/16)
Get Drake and Rihanna on a song together, and it’s almost a law of nature that it will be a hit. On the tender, Caribbean-inspired “Too Good,” the duo exchange honest verses about being taken for granted in a relationship; honest enough that Drake doesn’t try to hide his Drake-ness: “I wanna benefit from the friendship/ I wanna get the late-night message.” Somehow, there’s charm in his enduring shamelessness, and as the two sing about growing apart, the soft, circular dancehall beat — which samples Popcaan’s “Love Yuh Bad” — seems to draw them ever closer together. —T.C.
"Do Not Disturb" (No. 60, 4/8/17)
Drake didn’t waste a breath when leaving fans with a final word on the brilliant More Life closer, which samples Swedish singer-songwriter Snoh Aalegra’s majestic “Time.” The 6 God pours his heart out over the somber instrumental and candidly examines the burdens of his post-Views life while looking inward (“I’ll probably self-destruct if I ever lose, but I never do”). Drake admits to laboring over outros and even compares them to having surgery — but he can definitely consider this operation a cathartic success. —M.S.
"Moment 4 Life" (Nicki Minaj feat. Drake) (No. 13, 3/19/11)
As often as Nicki and Drake unite, it’s easy to miss the magic of their unique pairing. The labelmates form one of the best will-they-or-won’t-they friend duos in music history, ready to lend emotional support in sensitive moments or to stomp foes out on rowdy records. That complementary energy powers “Moment 4 Life,” a musing on chasing, achieving and pausing to appreciate a dream’s fulfillment – made even more effective as the tale mirrors their real-life rise to prominence at the same time. —T.A.
"Jumpman" (Drake & Future) (No. 12, 11/7/15)
Part of What a Time to Be Alive‘s charm was how relaxed Drake and Future came across while soundtracking your turn up. Exhibit A is the No. 12-peaking “Jumpman,” where a chanted reference to Michael Jordan’s clothing line, an audio clip of a raven squawking, that ascending “woo!” and some inscrutable non sequiturs (not many songs encompass Robotripping, Nobu AND the Taliban) add up a lean (so to speak), laid-back pump-up jam courtesy Metro Boomin. They’re clearly in a good mood – sure, the haters don’t get lobster, but they’re still treated to chicken fingers and French fries. It’s trap as comfortable as a Christmas sweater. —J. Lynch
"Feel No Ways" (No. 53, 5/21/16)
It’s easy to forget about “Feel No Ways” — Drake didn’t choose the retro R&B-pop hybrid as one of Views’ five singles, and the song never got the same buzz as Hot 100-topper “One Dance” or “Hotline Bling.” That said, few beats throughout Drake’s illustrious career have been more tailor-made to showcase all that makes him one of the defining artists of the past decade. Majid Jordan producer Jordan Ullman flips former Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren’s “World Famous (Radio I.D.)” into an electro-influenced beat with brash hi-hats and piano synths that melt in the background as warmly as Drake’s croons in the chorus.
R&B Drake has always been at his best when he effectively utilizes “should,” as he does here: “I should be downtown whipping on the way to you,” or “maybe we just should have did things my way.” He isn’t, and they didn’t, but each “should” allows the listener to better visualize the situation and draw a personal connection, which is ultimately the crux of what makes heartbreak Drake one of his generation’s most effective storytellers. “Feel No Ways” should have been a single, and though it may never get the respect it fully deserves — even during a recent performance at Camp Flog Gnaw — it’s aging better than the finest bottle of Virginia Black that he’s got on the shelf. —J.G.
"Know Yourself" (No. 53, 4/25/15)
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late found Drake at his most introspective, completely overflowing with paranoid lyrics and brooding production that’s just as hazy as the Toronto skyline. “Know Yourself,” an immediate fan favorite, slices through that obscurity. He’s used the phrase on plenty songs — “Jodeci Freestyle,” “From Time,” “0 To 100” — but this time it was transformed into a hometown anthem. The blood-rushing “I was. running. through the 6. With my WOES!” chant was heard everywhere from festivals to Instagram captions, quickly becoming yet another Drake-ism that is permanently embedded in the pop culture lexicon. —B.G.
"Pop That"(French Montana feat. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne) (No. 36, 11/10/12)
Even before his debut album was released, Drake was being featured on posse cuts alongside rap’s elite, from “Forever” to “Bedrock.” He performed admirably back then, but fast forward a couple years and Drake absolutely owns “Pop That” with French Montana, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Batting third in the lineup, Drake wallops his first line — “I’m about being single, seeing double, making triple” — and proceeds to run laps around his fellow MCs with some breathless wordplay: “Only thing you got is some years on me/ Man, f–k you and your time difference” remains an all-timer. —J. Lipshutz
"Stay Schemin" (Rick Ross feat. Drake & French Montana) (No. 58, 5/5/12)
On the heels of teasing their now-shelved Y.O.L.O. joint project, Drake and Rick Ross continued their winning streak with another boisterous collab in “Stay Schemin’,” alongside French Montana. Drizzy wanted all the smoke with his fiery verse, sniping at Common with a few subliminal jabs looking to put an end to their feud, which was later squashed following a conversation at the Grammys. Despite peaking in the Hot 100’s bottom half,“Schemin’” had more of a cultural impact than its chart stats would indicate. The OVO-MMG chemistry even gave us the famous echoed “bitch, you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym” punchline from Rozay, which is one of the most overused social media captions of the past decade. —M.S.
"Legend" (No. 52, 3/7/15)
Drake returned from a year-and-a-half hiatus with the unexpected 2015 mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, and did so in holy fashion: the newly proclaimed “6 God” deems his already-impressive accolades worthy of generation-spanning recognition. It’s a lofty preposition for an artist then not even 30 years old, but with IYRTITL securing a fourth consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 effort, it’s hardly an unfathomable argument. The entire track is carefully paced, with Drake diligently picking his spots to place emphasis. Perhaps most admirably, Drake flexes his legendary status while predominantly singing on top of a Ginuwine sample — and doing so successfully. —J.G.
"Fake Love" (No. 8, 2/18/17)
It’s always silly to suggest that Drake needs a win — the guy’s already covered for a few lifetimes. But that was definitely the feeling some observers had in late 2016, following the dour, widely derided (and still massively successful) Views. Enter “Fake Love,” our first taste of More Life:The Boy senses phonies in his midst, yet instead of rapping gloomily about it, he stretches out his voice over steel-drum sonics. There’s a warmth and ease that makes the self-pity and resentment more palatable, and that pointed a path forward, out of the CN Tower’s dark shadow. —K.M.
"F**kin Problems" (A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar) (No. 8, 2/16/13)
If you heard a rumor in 2020 that A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz and Drake were all jumping on a song together, it would be easy to dismiss as Internet lore. But once upon a time in 2012, that fearsome foursome united for “F**kin Problems,” one of the best rap collabs in recent memory. Buzzing bass and sticky, slapping drums provided the foundation for 2 Chainz’s shouted chorus and verses from Rocky, Drake and Kendrick. The latter claimed the most memorable line — “Girl, I know you want this d–k” — but all went full beast mode, including Aubrey, who flexes his range by quoting Nelly and referencing The Beatles in back-to-back bars. —C.W.
"Too Much" (No. 64, 10/12/13)
Drake’s most forceful and immediate rap performance, “Too Much” is also one of his best-written songs. In fact, the two qualities are inseparable: His use of alliteration, reminiscent of Tupac on Me Against the World, makes the lines of the first verse land harder and harder. “Most people in my position get complacent/ Wanna come places with star girls, and they end up on them front pages.” The P sound in “people” and “position” ends up reverberating in “complacent” and “come places,” culminating in the unexpected pop at couplet’s end with “front pages.” And then there’s the bracing clarity of a line like “I did not sign up for this.” If you’ve dealt with unexpected family drama — especially among adults who should know better — you know that feeling. The song lives up to its title. —R.S.
"What's My Name?" (Rihanna feat. Drake) (No. 1, 11/20/10)
What makes collaborations from Rihanna and Drake so magical is the real-life “are they/aren’t they?” chemistry that exudes through every lyric. “What’s My Name,” their Island-pop debut team-up (lifted from Rih’s 2010 blockbusterLoud)embodies that ooey-gooey feeling that comes with falling in puppy love. Drizzy melts in the Bajan star’s arms as he goes toe to toe with her lush and sunny coos. It’s nothing short of adorable, and became Drake’s first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100… although we still can’t quite forgive him for the cheesiness of that “The square root of 69 is 8 somethin’, right?” line. —B.G.
"Energy" (No. 26, 3/7/15)
By early 2015, Drake was ready to toughen up his persona. After years of taking jabs for his smoothness and sensitivity, the ironclad “Energy” presents a prospering rapper ready for real talk about his adversaries: large and small, existential or real. His bars address a rap game airing of grievances — unreturned favors, industry obstacles, online hate — over a Boi-1da and OB O’Brien beat that’s the sonic equivalent of a rainy day locked indoors. The track’s slyly hilarious video presents Drake dressed up as a horde of Internet-breaking celebrities like Kanye, Justin Bieber, Oprah, and Miley Cyrus, though it’s not intended as a diss at anyone specific. It was good practice, though, because within a few months, the target in Drake’s crosshairs was very specific, indeed. —C.P.
"HYFR (Hell Ya F*****g Right)" (feat. Lil Wayne) (No. 62, 6/16/12)
Drizzy doesn’t usually opt to deliver his musings at a breakneck speed, but for a song about his head-spinning ascent to facing the multi-headed hydra that is superstardom, it fits perfectly. When he finally does take a breather and slows to a post-finish line victory trot on the chorus, you can practically hear his ear-to-ear grin over those woozy party synths. Throw in a charmingly smug Weezy verse and an unlikely bar mitzvah-themed video, and you’ve got yourself a classic that deserved more than its No. 62 showing on the Hot 100. —J. Lynch
"One Dance" (feat. Kyla & WizKid) (No. 1, 5/21/16)
Drake had been dabbling in dancehall and afrobeat for years by the time he rolled out 2016’s Views, from guesting on Rihanna’s “Work” to remixing WizKid’s “Ojuelegba,” one of the Nigerian singer’s biggest hits at the time. These inspirations characterized Views like no Drake project before it, with the sultry “One Dance” leading the way. Patois engaged, Drizzy navigates limber keystrokes and serpentine riffs alongside his pal Wiz and UK funky singer Kyla, whose style he definitely liked. Through the heat of June and July, America followed suit: “One Dance” spent 10 weeks atop the Hot 100, eventually being named Billboard‘s Song of the Summer. —C.P.
“IDGAF” (Drake feat. Yeat) (No. 2, 10/21/23)
The mysterious king of the underground meets The King of the Charts. Reportedly recorded in late 2021, “IDGAF” transports listeners to a futuristic universe via the comforts of Air Drake before a crash landing. Drake’s decision to co-sign Yeat made a dent in rap’s mainstream, as it vied for the number one spot on the Hot 100, only narrowly missing out to “First Person Shooter.” — MS
"Take Care" (feat. Rihanna) (No. 7, 3/24/12)
“Take Care” never gets old, and maybe it never will. The title track off Drake’s 2011 album samples a Gil-Scott Heron remix by Jamie XX, which in turn flips a 1950s cut by Bobby “Blue” Bland, giving it a timeless feel before you can even queue up WhoSampled. But it’s Drake and Rihanna’s undeniable chemistry that gives this version its spark, as the two trade rapturous verses about vulnerability to the tune of shimmering steel drums. While Drake’s verses often walk a thin line between endearing and cloying, “Take Care” hits the perfect sweet spot — the song is as fit for a good cry as it is for a club night, especially when the house beat picks up three-quarters in. —T.C.
