The Best Drake Songs

Best Drake songs

Album: Thank Me Later

Producer: Boi-1da, Al-Khaaliq

"Over" may be the best example of Drake's hashtag rap, a style that got old quick but could still provide a hearty laugh when deployed right. In front of an orchestral score and a marching band-style snare, Aubrey drops some of his most memorable lines, hitting up Jada Pinkett, Ebert and Roeper, and Rosetta Stone. It's an extravagant, and infectious, song. The lead single from Thank Me Later, "Over" showed the world (all the way to No. 14 on the Hot 100) that Drake had the skills to crossover to the mainstream, all just by doing his own thing. —Luis Paez-Pumar

Album: Take Care

Producer: T-Minus, Noah “40” Shebib

Drake's rise serves as the main theme of "Under Ground Kings" as he looks back on his mixtape days (and yes, those Acura days too). If there's one thing that he's never lacked, it's confidence in himself, and few songs in his catalog tackle his ascent like this one. Plus, nowhere else do you get to hear the hilarious but addictive vocal inflection that he does when he spits "I'm getting back to my ways." —Luis Paez-Pumar

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: Boi-1da, Arthur McArthur

For a guy from Toronto, Drake was getting the Houston sound oddly spot-on in 2009. On "November 18th" he hit the DJ Screw sound over the head, creating one of the greatest lean sing-a-long songs of the last 10 years. But on "Uptown," he hit on something different; the less drugged-out side of Southern rap. An organ-backed beat gets treated by Drake with a syrup-slow flow, and a Bun B assist, which, for Drake, essentially acted as a Houston rap visa. Wayne's verse here does Drake a solid, and rounds out the almost six-and-a-half minute song, a mixtape track with an absurd amount of depth that merits repeat listens. —Foster Kamer

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da

For a lot of people, this was the "Oh, that Drake kid I've been hearing about can actually rap" moment. The styrofoam cup-adorned single cover hit NahRight and a star was born the moment he and Wayne started trading bars over the frantic Boi-1da beat. Between Drake's Blue's Clues reference and Weezy rapping the alphabet, you'd be hard-pressed to find the frequent collaborators having more fun on a track. —Ernest Baker

Album: What a Time to Be Alive

Producer: Metro Boomin

Reaching the top 20 of Billboard's Hot 100 list back in 2015, "Jumpman" marked a milestone in Future's career, and was the highlight from his collaborative mixtape with Drake. The song was an instant hit; the kind of song that becomes truly unavoidable at any turn up. A plethora of quotable bars ("Chicken wings and fries we don't go on dates"—genius.), top notch production courtesy of Metro Boomin, and some purposefully vague shots at Meek Mill are all ingredients, but it's the chemistry between Drake and Future at its very best that make "Jumpman" unmissable. —Nora-Grayce Orosz

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: Just Blaze, Eric Hudson

"Young Angel and Young Lion" lend verses to the Just Blaze and Eric Hudson produced track from Jay Z's 2007 release, American Gangster. Drake is charmingly goofy on this song—"A migraine, take two Excedrin"—and like his sensei Wayne would, he laughs at his own joke about his song being your girlfriend's "waking up ringer, or alarm or whatever." Then there's the final sendoff in the form of a quirky shout out to the Dark Knight's villain: "Rest in peace to Heath Ledger, but I'm no Joker/I'll slow roast ya, got no holster." —Myles Tanzer

Album: Thank Me Later

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib, Boi-1da

When you heard Drake had a song called “Miss Me,” you might have thought it was about to be one of those “emo” songs, but this is far from it. One of Drake’s most celebratory records, we find Drake in the strip club in the city of the purple Sprite “stacking dollars to the perfect height.” He even invites big name strippers like Maliah out to join him before interrupting his own verse to say he’s in love with Nicki Minaj.

But what really makes this song work is the beat, produced by Boi-1da and 40, that samples Hank Crawford’s "Wildflower" which had previously been sampled by Kanye for “Drive Slow” and 2Pac for “Shorty Wanna Be A Thug.” 40 (with a little help from mentor Gadget) was able to turn the sample out, giving it an unwinding, at times disorienting sound that makes it sound like watching a GIF of confetti falling. This is what it sounds like when Drake does right and kills everything. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: Take Care

Producer: Boi-1da, Noah “40” Shebib

Drake kicks off this song with an epic opening line: "I might be too strung out on compliments/Overdosed on confidence." Gone was the bumbling potential star who was often unsure of himself and exaggerated his successes. "Headlines" replaces that with the cocksure grin of a guy who knows he's not only on top of his game, but on top of the rap game. Once again, Boi-1da and 40 provide stellar production that sounds like propellers warming up on a runway. The real is on the rise. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: More Life

Producer: CuBeatz, Murda

In 2017, the flute was a deadly weapon in the quiver of many of rap's top producers, including Drake's fellow Ontarian Murda Beatz, who provided the backing track for "Portland." On the More Life standout, Drizzy joins forces with Quavo and Travis Scott to create an energetic and infectious trap song. Quavo steals the show with lines about pulling off swim moves like Michael Phelps. Very wavy. —Zach Frydenlund

Album: Excuse My French

Producer: Lee on the Beats

We know this is a French Montana song that also includes Rick Ross and Lil Wayne on it. That said, if you think Drake doesn't own this infectious club banger, you're wildin'. The best part? Drake goes ham on that breakdown. Shining different, rhyming different. This was his declaration of greatness, and he's been riding out ever since. — khal

Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Producer: Boi-1da, OB O'Brien

Drake's definitive hater anthem, the 6 God is in petty mode here as he addresses all the people who've tried to drain his energy since his come up in the rap world. He brings a new level of confidence to his delivery—a cold, matter-of-fact menace— that convinces you of his lasting impact, despite all the "enemies" trying to come for his crown. It's an aggressive Drake on record here, asserting that he's not concerned with anyone else's everyday life. The bitterness makes this If You're Reading This track a classic. —Nora-Grayce Orosz

Album: N/A

Producer: Purp Dogg

Soulja Boy, as influential as ever, helped Drake reach new heights of bravado on the 2013 loosie “We Made It Freestyle.” You’ll forever remember the song because it would’ve soundtracked whatever insane vulgarity you got into on New Year’s Eve that year. (The song reached the web on Dec. 28.) The enormous volleys of bass from teenage producer Purp Dogg, the Kenny Powers shit talking, the woman who works at the Walgreen’s head office who gives excellent head, the dramatic pauses before the title is announced again and again and again—this is a special moment. Emotionally credible, too. When Soulja Boy raps, “Never was supposed to have shit, now my life is lavish,” try not to shed a little tear. —Ross Scarano

Album: Nothing Was The Same

Producer: Detail, Jordan Evans, Boi-1da

On "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2," one of the more anticipated cuts from Nothing Was the Same, Drake and Hov touched down on the same hypnotic beat to feed fans what they'd been missing: two of the best to hit the Billboard going for broke on an album cut. You can debate who had the better verse (Drake's high school reunion dreams versus Hov speaking on how the Roc gang caked up), but truth be told, this was a moment in time that is hard to replicate. —khal

Album: Thank Me Later

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib, Tone Mason

With gated drums bumping in the background, both Hov and Drake go off the handle with extended verses. Jay gives Drake fatherly advice like Vito did to Michael in The Godfather, "Drake, here's how they gon come at you/With silly raps for you trying to distract you/In disguise, in the form of a favor." Hov obviously spoke from experience, but the irony is, before long Lil Wayne and Jay Z were sending barbs back and forth and Drake was taking subliminal shots at Jay Z and Kanye. Politics as usual. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: More Life

Producer: Noah "40" Shebib, Stwo

Embattled, angry Drake makes for the best rapping Drake. On "Lose You," not only are the bars on point, but the song features Drake assessing his career moves and wondering about how they've affected his fans. "Winning is problematic, people like you more when you're working towards something, not when you have it," couldn't be more accurate. Following Views, his admitted critical misfire, Drake saw quite a few people turn on him like never before. What makes "Lose You" even more special is that he still makes time to diss Meek Mill, rapping, "All you did was write the book on garbage-ass rollies." Just perfect. —Zach Frydenlund

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da, Supa Dups, Di Genius, Alen Ritter

“What if the Popcaan version of ‘Controlla’ never leaked?" is a question I’ve asked myself on more than one occasion. Drake’s only ever really acknowledged its existence by sharing part of it in his short film Please Forgive Me, and any chance of it dropping officially seems unlikely now. Which is too bad, because what they cooked up was a would-be dancehall staple that balanced Drizzy’s pop sensibilities with Popcaan’s homegrown flavor. It makes the album version, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, sound serviceable by comparison. —Edwin Ortiz

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: DJ Khalil

One of the keys to Drake's appeal is his ability to internalize his life and make it relatable. Never did he do it as quickly as he did on "Fear"—a song that captured the moment he was living in. Drake's dreams were coming true but the future remained uncertain and like the artwork for the song suggests, it's easy to drown in newfound success (or get buried alive). The song was the bridge between So Far Gone and Thank Me Later—the stardom before the superstardom and Drake was firing on all cylinders. The songwriting is top-notch, the lyrics are genuine, and DJ Khalil provides one of his best beats.

On the hook, he sings in the first-person but it doesn't sound like Drake talking to the audience as much as "the future" talking to Drake. Evidenced by the fact that on the hook he sings, "Please don't be scared of me," but in the third verse he admits, "I think I'm scared of what the future holds." Like 2Pac once reasoned, "Fear is stronger than love." —Insanul Ahmed

Album: Take Care

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib, Drake

Drake is an expert at seamlessly weaving the pleasures and pains of fame and success into one cohesive narrative. Over the weepy, nostalgic Jon B. sample on "Cameras," he does exactly that, telling an insecure lady friend, "You just know what you get told, you don't see behind the scenes." It's a plea for the nameless woman he's addressing to not succumb to the manipulation of the media and gossip. "Don't listen to the lies...you know I can be your knight in shining Armor All tires." This is love in the age of TMZ. It couldn't be communicated more eloquently. —Ernest Baker

Album: Take Care

Producer: Jamie xx, Noah “40” Shebib

Another notch on Drake's belt of sensitivity, "Take Care" addresses a problem that nearly every couple goes through—the past and the now. It samples Jamie xx's remix of Gil Scott-Heron's version of "I'll Take Care of You," and the heavy piano strikes chords in your heart as you imagine the ups and downs of relationships.

On "Take Care," Drake and Rihanna address issues that hit home for everyone, sensitive thugs included—"I've asked about you and they told me things/But my mind didn't change and I still feel the same" means "I don't give a fuck about your past." —Lauren Nostro

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da

This is Drake at his most comfortable. "Whatever it is I got, it's clearly appealing," he declares. After all the hard work and all the heartbreaks and setbacks, Drake was sitting comfortably on top of the rap game and everything just clicked. Private jets, nights spent on 1 St. Thomas Street, and dating R&B divas was becoming the norm. He was the new kid on the block, he had a few hits, and apparently, a few million already under his belt, but wasn't jaded by fame just yet.

This is him letting loose about it all and venting on a track. Though Drake wanted it to be the intro on Thank Me Later, he recorded it too late to get it on the tracklist, so it ended up as an iTunes bonus cut. The beat was produced by Boi-1da, but it was Chase N. Cashe—who gets a shout out in the song—who actually brought the record to Aubrey. Thankfully he did because "9AM" still stands as one of the best examples of Drake at his lyrical peak. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: Thank Me Later

Producer: Boi-1da, Matthew Burnett

"Kush rolled, glass full, I prefer the better things" has literally become the motto—well, second motto—for Drizzy. He reps all Young Money everything from his verses to his tone to the entire chorus: "We the only thing that matters." Shots fired? Nicki's verse has her doing doughnuts in the six-speed, and the cockiness in both her and Drake's lines hurt feelings. "Bracelet saying, "You Should Quit," cars saying, "Fuck Your Life." Ouch. —Lauren Nostro

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: Boi-1da

If it wasn't for "Best I Ever Had," So Far Gone may have never been created. And if it wasn't for "Best I Ever Had" there would have been way fewer Facebook statuses about "Sweat pants, hair tied, chilling with no make up on." Drake landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop charts with this track, leaving him with the "Hot Rap Song" of the year, as per Billboard. And it's true—this was a song that was played in the clubs, out of every car, and on repeat for nearly the entire spring and summer (and fall) of 2009. The video, directed by Kanye West, featured a basketball team of women who, in pink uniforms, face another team of women, who are more skilled, but none of that matters to Drake, as we watched him coach the girls. Who run's Drake's world? Girls. —Lauren Nostro

Album: N/A

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

Drake and Beyonce released albums within a week of each other this year. In May 2011, they released songs utilizing the same sample in the same week: Jai Paul’s “BTSTU.” Now, they’re both pop titans; at the time, Drake was the upstart appearing unusually prescient, dropping his and 40’s take on the then-buzzy track just days before Beyonce’s “End of Time” appeared online. The bars are, appropriately, aspirational-bratty: “I want Saudi money, I want art money/I want women to cry and pout their heart for me/And tell me how much they hate it when they apart from me.” Then he’s steely-eyed and ruthless; women become bitches (a word you seldom hear in his verses) and there’s nothing he doesn’t know about: “Everybody yelled ‘Surprise,’ I wasn’t surprised.” His second verse is just as chilly, full of frosty, barbed lines aimed at nameless enemies. “I never see the car you claim to drive,” he raps. This song is a warning shot that, in retrospect, sounds like prophecy. —Ross Scarano

Album: More Life

Producer: DeeJaeBee, T-Minus

2 Chainz turns in a reliably next-level 16 (as premier music critic King James succinctly put it, Tity is always in his bag), Thug shows up speaking legibily and proceeds to run away with the whole song. But Drake's verse and hook are still the most interesting. There's a slight undercurrent of melancholia to the T-Minus beat, taken along with "I'm convinced, I made sacrifices, I been ballin ever since" this is quietly one of later-career Drake's most introspective songs. This is a snapshot of Drake's life: hanging out in Calabasas with Hidden Hills royalty like the Kardashians whilst inviting outsiders like 21 Savage past the gates to maintain his edge; fortunes so sprawling it's hard to keep track ("I ain't know we had a lake"); and a love life on the back-burner ("I ain't know it was a date"). There's no family in sight—looking ahead to the future, the race is all Drake sees at the moment. —Frazier Tharpe

Album: More Life

Producer: Nineteen85

Drake has long been a master curator of sounds. He's chameleon-like in his ability to adapt to different sounds, and has the sharpest instincts in pop when it comes to processing something listeners haven't heard before and making it something palatable. On Views, that meant "One Dance," his greatest success to date and an undeniable hit from day one. "Get It Together" feels like its spiritual successor, but instead of taking aim at the charts he's shifted his goals. It's not going to hit number one, but he's made a song that pulls from Johannesburg and London in a way that feels more subtle, and compulsively listenable. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Album: Young Money: Rise of an Empire

Producer: Hit-Boy, Noah “40” Shebib

Just got to the gym? Put on "Trophies." Psyching yourself up for a job interview? Put on "Trophies." About to pull up to the club? "Trophies." This is the ultimate hype-up song and a guaranteed confidence booster for any situation. Those horns that grab your attention at the start of the track and the sequence of gunshots that acts as its own violent addition to the melody are doing all of the work here, all Drake does is ride it out. Which he does, expertly. —Nora-Grayce Orosz

Album: More Life

Producer: Boi-1da

For an artist as confessional as Drake claims to be, the outro is the event. Across every Drake studio album, the last song has been the project's closing statement, a summary of its themes, generally the most self-aware and revealing track on there. "Thank Me Now," "Pound Cake," "6PM in New York," "30 for 30." The motherfucking "Ride," man. Some of Champagne's most introspective compositions. There is no greater transgression on Views, no clearer sign that something is fundamentally off with the album, than how lifeless the album outro sounds. The subjects are rote, the delivery vacant, the bars mediocre. If More Life represents the chip on Drake's shoulder to course-correct Views, then "Do Not Disturb" is where that mission comes to a head.

The song may not have ended up as the next pinned location freestyle ("7AM in Germany, can't believe that they heard of me") but that's clearly the zone Drizzy got into, the mode that never fails him. (His first post-Views release combating criticisms was "4PM in Calabasas"). Over a hypnotic Snoh Aalegra sample, Drizzy "opens up like a double-click" and tells us exactly where his head is at these days, going so far as to emphasize that this is the last song he wrote for the project. The process of giving us a genuine look into his current psyche is like "surgery." However grueling the process, the operation was successful. —Frazier Tharpe

Album: N/A

Producer: Vinylz, Boi-1da

It's been 11 years since Lil Wayne, on Birdman's "Money to Blow," told listeners not to worry about Cash Money's future because the label would be all right as long as they "put Drake on every hook." It was a little hyperbolic, but the formula has worked wonders. Tracks like "Right Above It," "With You," "I'm on One," "She Will," and others, all benefited from Drake's earworm penmanship. The Toronto kid couldn't miss. As he ascended the ranks, his mentor's career gradually slid downhill. Weezy dropped albums and mixtapes showcasing a complacent rapper unable to maintain the bleeding edge consistency displayed from Tha Carter to No Ceilings. Fans feared the guy who leapfrogged a number of legendary rappers to sit firmly in the top-five-dead-or-alive conversation had lost it.

"Believe Me" assuaged those fears. The first single from what was rumored to be Wayne's final solo album plays like a comeback. Drake assumes the role of host to the welcome-back party, rolling out the red carpet for his Big Homie. Over a haunting production by Boi-1da and Vinylz, Drake pledges allegiance to the Young Money leader before making it known that it's now their time to run the table ("It's our time, nigga/He left Rikers in a Phantom, that's my nigga"). Then the chorus hits, the beat falls away, you hear someone inhaling a blunt, and Lil Wayne appears. We're reminded that the 31-year-old Cash Money millionaire is still one of the best technicians in the game. One who is perhaps tired of running laps around the competition. He even says as much on the song: "Waitin' for someone to test me like a Harvard nigga." Even as Drake delivers two perfectly measured verses, it's Wayne who captivates. He rattles off line after line, each one a bit more clever than the last, culminating with this gem:

One finger, sliding cross my neck

Niggas know what that means like they deaf

Nigga, I'll fire this nina like it's her first day on the job and the bitch overslept

If Tha Carter V had proven to be Wayne's last album, "Believe Me" would have been a suitable beginning to an unforgettable end. —Damien Scott

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: Kanye West

"Say What's Real" is the mission statement of So Far Gone—the moment he transitioned from fitting in to standing out. It has everything that makes Drake the artist he is. The naked emotion that oozes from his pores but somehow can't drown the confidence and braggadocio in his bars. It's only right he spazzes out over the instrumental to Kanye's "Say You Will"—808s & Heartbreak served as a lighthouse when Drake's artistic voice was a sea of potential without direction.

The extended verse even has all the things that Drake's haters make fun of him about: A reference to writing rhymes on his Blackberry (before his infamous Hot 97 freestyle), the ex-girl to next girl scenarios that take place in so many Drake songs, and it even opens with the most Drake line ever, "Why do I feel so alone?" He admits to his lust for life when talking about owning a Phantom before he could really afford one and the embarrassment of being around your idols but wanting to be one of them. This was the introduction of the Drizzy we know today. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: Nineteen85, Majid Jordan, Noah “40” Shebib

This second single from Nothing Was the Same epitomizes Drake's "in my feelings phase" with a perfectly moody, 80's R&B vibe that he and 40 pulled out of nowhere. With some vocal assistance from labelmate Majid Jordan, Drake passionately serenades a love interest, chasing after that "what could've been" fantasy. "Hold On's" smoothness and expertly executed homage, without veering into pastiche, makes it a certified 'Drake's greatest hits' contender. —Nora-Grayce Orosz

Album: VIEWS

Producer: Nineteen85

One of Drake's most successful singles to date, "Hotline Bling" became the rapper's highest charting song as a solo artist in Britain and ruled the charts worldwide. It wasn't without controversy, however; cries of biting rang out, with many claiming that Drake essentially jacked D.R.A.M's popular single "Cha Cha."  Drake, in response to this, equated the similarities to dancehall, where an artist will jump on a riddim and put their own spin on it. Controversies aside, one can't deny the impact "Hotline Bling" had on music and popular culture. —brokencool

Album: Scorpion

Producer: Cardo, Yung Exclusive, Boi-1da

If there’s anything Drake knows well, it’s how to not only control a moment in time, but create those moments himself. When “God’s Plan” dropped at the beginning of 2018, it was instantly clear he’d done it again. Sure, it’s easy to hate on another catchy radio hit, but this one was different. It’s the type of feel-good, motivational song that we’d expect to hear in the summer rather than the middle of a brutal winter (when we actually need it the most). And the heartwarming video only made “God’s Plan” into a bigger, more inescapable hit. Though we’ve all heard it a million times, it lifts our spirits a little bit every time. —Adrienne Black

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da, Jahaan Sweet

“The Story of Adidon” is the most vicious track to come out of Drake and Pusha-T's 2018 feud, but most people can agree that “Duppy Freestyle” is the better song. Over ominous production from Boi-1da and Jahaan Sweet, Drake guts Push and 'Ye with sly bars like, “Father had to stretch his hands out and get it from me, I pop style for 30 hours then let him repeat.” Like he did with “Back to Back,” Drake proved once again that he has the rare ability to write diss songs that live beyond the moment and can be enjoyed on their own. “My hooks did it, my lyrics did it, my spirit did it.” —Eric Skelton

Album: More Life

Producer: Nana Rogues

The wonderful riddim suite on More Life is kicked off by a record that has the makings of another No. 1 for the Toronto star. “Passionfruit” is built over a backdrop from Nana Rogues that fuses dancehall, R&B, and tropical vibes; it’s a winning combination of sweet and sad as heartbreak Drake deals with heartache after coming to terms with a relationship that’s not meant to be. Sip a rum and Coke, two-step to the beat, and remember the one that got away. Drake wouldn’t have it any other way. —Edwin Ortiz

Album: Take Care

Producer: Chase N. Cashe, Noah “40” Shebib

Rappers love thanking, and repaying, the family members who helped them make it. From 2Pac's "Dear Mama" to Kanye's "Hey Mama," it's a recurring theme in the genre and Drake's ode to his mother and uncle belongs in the same pantheon of gratitude heavy rap classics.

The record samples an obscure YouTube video of late R&B talent Static Major. Its lush piano chords set a gorgeous backdrop for Drake's tales of fighting with his mom years before flying her to Rome and sneaking into his uncle's pool years before giving him back all of the money he was owed.

He's terribly honest about the ups and downs of both relationships, which makes it even more touching. By the time his grandmother's voicemail comes in while the song fades out, you're in the midst of a serious emotional overload. —Ernest Baker

Album: Take Care

Producer: T-Minus

Initially included as a bonus track on Take Care, "The Motto" ended up becoming one of Drake's biggest songs, shipping double platinum and reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It might not seem to make much sense that such a major song would be relegated to bonus track status, but "The Motto" wouldn't have made much sense on Take Care. It's more of a celebration of the status brought by that album. "I'm the fucking man, y'all don't get it, do you?" They did after this song. —David Drake

Album: Scorpion

Producer: Tay Keith

If you’re the kind of Drake fan who prefers songs where Aubrey puts extra bass in his voice and spits over combative beats, you were happy to see him link up with Memphis producer Tay Keith in 2018. After first connecting with Keith on BlocBoy JB’s explosive “Look Alive,” Drake brought the same energy on Scorpion’s hardest-hitting song, “Nonstop.” Setting his nice-guy persona aside, Drake calls out peers who are “scared to rap” before dropping rich man gems like, “Bills so big, I call 'em Williams, for real.” There’s just something about Tay Keith beats that make Drake sound like the coolest motherfucker on the planet, and that’s never been more true than the moment he rapped about getting a sneaker deal without breaking a sweat on “Nonstop.”

This the flow that got the block hot (shit got super hot) while being accessible enough to find new life on TikTok.—Eric Skelton

Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Producer: Partynextdoor

The opener of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is slight but effective. What Drake’s performance lacks in lyrical depth is compensated for by PARTYNEXTDOOR’s brilliant manipulation of Ginuwine’s “Pony” and one of Drake’s most enjoyable hooks. (Find a friend to shout it at in the club. Time of your life, I guarantee it.) However thin the substance may be, it’s become a central part of Drake’s catalog; he closed his 2016 OVO Fest performance with it. After all the No. 1 albums, the successful singles, the ghostwriting controversy, the beef with Meek... Drake remains a legend. —Ross Scarano

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

Aubrey had the gall to name a song after the Wu-Tang Clan's second album, sample "It's Yourz," and then open the song by singing about one of the women from his long list of current and ex-girlfriends (the line between the two is always blurred). And then, right when he'd given all the hip-hop conservatives everything they needed to complain about, he switched it up and hit them with real machine gun raps. Drake came through with bars asserting ownership of the rap game, Toronto, and clubs.

You can picture him in the corner, sneering over a mafioso piano loop enveloped by 40's signature haze: "I just like the rush/When you you see your enemy somewhere in the club and realize/He's just not in a position to reciprocate your energy." This is the villain Drake would channel heavily throughout If You're Reading This It's Too Late and curiously leave behind on Views. —Ian Servantes

Album: N/A

Producer: The Fam, Boi-1da

Skating across a Lauryn Hill sample like he’s auditioning for tea at her home, Drake sounds cool and cocky on “Draft Day,” the most casually arrogant display of rapping ability he’s ever recorded. In the first few lines he alludes to conversations with god and in but one of many #peakDrake moments, dubs himself the heavenly father’s “darkest angel, probably.” (He’s not willing to commit to the part—there could be someone with a slightly colder heart.) From there, he’s blowing his horn in every direction: Johnny Manziel and Andrew Wiggins (oops), Jay Z, Kanye West—even Chance the Rapper, for no good reason, gets oh-so-rudely glanced at. He revisits and modifies the central boast of “Headlines,” the one about catching a body:

Know some Somalis that say we got it Wallahi

Get us donuts and coffee, we'll wait for him in the lobby

And I gotta tell him chill, Sprite got me on payroll

Let that man live, they say "Okay, if you say so"

What was once an earnestly offered threat is now a slick joke about endorsements, and anyway, bodies can be laid to rest in the booth and there’s so much more shellfish to try. —Ross Scarano

Album: Take Care

Producer: Just Blaze

"Lord Knows" plays a key role in Drake's Take Care. Driven by a propulsive beat built around a church choir—easily one of Just Blaze's best beats in recent memory—the song was a regal anthem that seemed to embody the triumphant spirit of Drake's sophomore LP.

Rick Ross has an exceptional verse, but the song is Drake's own; admitting to his own insecurity, he cops to going through his girl's phone while she's in the bathroom, detailing the distrust of women brought on by fame. He also talks about how much things have changed for stars pondering about past greats: "I wonder if they'd ever survive in this era/In a time when it's recreation to pull all your skeletons out the closet like Halloween decorations."

"Lord Knows" was the album's centerpiece, a moment around which all of the atmosphere and introversion fell away in favor of confident—albeit still neurotic—bombast. —David Drake

Album: Take Care

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

In the wake of Thank Me Later, more than a few Drake fans were left wondering if they were ever going to hear the level of stripped-down, intimate Drake records—replete with the roomy beats of Noah "40" Shebib—that put them onto Drake with So Far Gone. That's why "Over My Dead Body" is so crucial.

The song opens with a sparse, distorted piano line, and then those muffled 40 bass hits enter shortly before the hook: Not by Rihanna, or Alicia Keys, or any other R&B crossover superstar, but classically-trained Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, delivering a stunning, off-kilter warble about self-doubt. That's countered by Drake, who registers the first lines of Take Care, a triumphant decree without the slightest sense of self doubt: "I think I killed everybody in the game last year, fuck it I was on, though."

The song doesn't get any more humble than that chorus, but it does (A) contain some of Drake's hands-down best lines ("Just performed at a Bar Mitzvah over in the states/Used half of the money to beat my brother's case") and (B) act as a crucial scene-setter for what's to follow, the Drake album that everybody wanted, a weirdly reflective and ego-driven look inward that's set on ignoring any serious psychology in favor of announcing his return.

Like so many of the great Drake songs at the top of this list, "Over My Dead Body" is one that has hints of a melancholic outlook on success, without giving too much about it away. —Foster Kamer

Album: Scorpion

Producer: TrapMoneyBenny, BlaqNmilD

“In My Feelings” is a lot like “Hotline Bling” in that while it’s undeniably good, its memeification has made many rap fans jaded. So I’m here to remind you why it still deserves our love. First, TrapMoneyBenny, Blaqnmild, and 40 leaned into the New Orleans bounce influence we got in “Nice For What,” rightfully carrying the sound into the summer. The production team also highlighted lesser-known female hip-hop artists past and present, with a sample of the late Magnolia Shorty’s “Smoking Gun” and vocals from Miami duo City Girls (plus a sample of Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop,” which Gen Z might not even remember). Beyond that, the chorus is one of 2018's catchiest and most fun, a welcome reprieve from the Pusha-T beef that surrounded Scorpion’s rollout and release. Drake is also as meta as ever on the song’s outro—a snippet from Atlanta’s “Champagne Papi” episode—and the video is a masterpiece, from Karena Evans’ directing to Drake flexing those acting chops to him finally giving Big Freedia her dues. Most importantly, we never had to see Donald Trump do the Shiggy dance. —Carolyn Bernucca

Album: Take Care

Producer: Illangelo, Noah “40” Shebib, The Weeknd

We've talked before about why rappers love to share women;"Crew Love" isn't about the ladies, necessarily. It's about living in a world where Drake is in high demand. He gets real on his verse about how watching his family enjoy the benefits of his fame take the place of a Harvard degree, and his self-awareness of who he is and who he is becoming. The moans and crooning from fellow Torontonian The Weeknd are mesmerizing, whether nearly acappella or over the heavy beat. —Lauren Nostro

Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Producer: Boi-1da, Vinylz, Syk Sense

You get the sense Drizzy was in a Kanye Graduation-era state of mind when he crafted this banger. You know, with the goal to create stadium-status hits. He no doubt envisioned the concert and party grams chanting his pro-6ix side refrain, the first of which hit just days after the song dropped amidst 16 other new tracks. The recipe is deceptively easy: study biggest crowd pleaser, "Worst Behavior," and distill that gem's boastful call-and-response lines into one big set piece, the setup for which is Spielbergian in its tension building. It's regrettable that lazy DJs consistently skip straight to the running of the woes, since the beauty is in the buildup, as Boi-1da's bouncy beat accrues to that release, that revelation that you do indeed know yourself. But before you mob with your crew (sorry, I'm not into "woes"), when Drake says "I want that Ferrari," you have to hit the swerve. My personal favorite line is, "I know a nigga named Johnny Bling," because man, what an awesome Sopranos-esque moniker. The pace quickens, as does Drake's flow. Then the heavens of the 6ix open up and the peak of 2015 turn-up energy is released...that is, until "Back to Back" comes on. If only the bangers on VIEWS were this urgent. —Frazier Tharpe

Album: Take Care

Producer: T-Minus

"HYFR" hits you like a ton of bricks. The opening notes are so undeniable. Before anyone even starts rapping, it feels like an event is taking place. Up until "HYFR" rolls around toward the end of Take Care, you know it's a great album, but this is the track that locks Drake's sophomore set in as a moment.

After four bars, Drake launches into a tireless double-time flow about intentions to take a girl out to dinner that turns into a takeout pick-up because of her insatiable sex drive. He texts the same girl later on to share his successes, she says she prayed for it to happen, then he says he loves her. Because he's drunk.

The entire record is a lot of internal conflict, with somber notes and tone that can't be beat. Wayne's verse is an added bonus, but the opening bars are the real treat, and amongst the closest a listener will ever get to the intracies of Drake's psyche. —Ernest Baker

Album: So Far Gone

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

Drake raps about success, a lot. But this song, one of the key tracks from So Far Gone, is the ultimate aspirational anthem of Drake's. In a field of rap songs about success—the hustle, the grind, or simply the reality of most rappers' cutting to having it and its perks—it was a moment of weirdly plain and brilliant honesty: I just wanna be, I just wanna be suc-cess-ful.

There's that first verse, sure as science, about the superficial desire for success and what it brings. But then, the second verse hits, and something changes: Drake is rapping about his mother crying to him about various problems after she tried to run away from then, and how he went from there to 40's place to record the song you're hearing (in true Drake fashion, with two bottles of Dom), on the verge of breaking down. The song hit new depths in the third verse when you hear Drake's father's voicemail piped over the track. "Wise words from a decent man," Drake raps, hitting a Freudian nerve that hints at everything that will go unspoken about it, a line that says infinite amounts via its own brilliantly limited scope.

When So Far Gone came out, featuring Trey Songz on the hook, the idea of a rapper detailing a relationship with their parents and success had been colored in broad strokes. And while it isn't his greatest hashtag-rap line, "I'm the one to paint a vivid picture, no HD" was maybe truer than Drake ever could've realized. This isn't just someone pouring their heart out, it was public therapy with a rapper: Intimate, emotional, devastating, and catchy as hell, too. —Foster Kamer

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

"Tuscan Leather" acts as a six minute introduction to Drake's third album, Nothing Was the Same. Longtime Drake collaborator Noah Shebib engineered the track with Dipset-inspired beats and a melody that morphs throughout—it's a dynamic experience, and the pair give the track room to breathe and move. Drake is feeling invincible after the commercial success of Take Care, and on "Tuscan Leather," he raps with all the swagger of a well-established figure in the rap game ready to take his career to new levels. —Nora-Grayce Orosz

Album: Rich Forever

Producer: The Beat Bully

"Stay Schemin" is a Drake song in everything but name. It's a continuation of the chilling sound Drake and Ross had already developed on a string of collaborative singles, from "I'm On One" to "Aston Martin Music," and French Montana's slurred style perfectly complements the ambiance. Drake, of course, ended up with the record's most memorable line, a shot at Kobe's wife (one he later apologized for). But the entire presentation of the track was only possible in a post-Drake world, where anxious ambiguity is the canvas. "Stay Schemin'" remains a stark, ominous soundtrack of emotional turbulence. —David Drake

Album: Take Care

Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

"Marvins Room" is the archetypal Drake song—the end game of all his potential and the culmination of his talents. From the day we first heard So Far Gone, we knew this is where Drake's music was headed. He tried to make this song, with this exact same song structure, on numerous occasions ("Houstatlantavegas," "Trust Issues," "Shot For Me") to varying degrees of success. He's essentially trying to make an R&B song with a guest verse from a rapper, except he's a guest on his own song. But never was the rapping or the singing as composed, well written, or focused as it is on "Marvins Room."

The record does play right into the hands of Drake haters who call him "emo" and a "sensitive thug." But when someone can articulate a common social phenomenon like drunk dialing so well—and make it so damn catchy—what does it matter? This was easily one of the best R&B songs of the past few years and one of the best 16s. Drake admits to feeling the emotions rappers rarely admit to: Sorrow, shame, and regret. He even says sorry at the end of his verse. Despite all his efforts, you get the feeling he never actually gets the girl. Love is a losing game. —Insanul Ahmed

Album: Scorpion

Producer: Murda Beat, BlaqNmilD

After dominating radios stations, clubs, and the Billboard Hot 100 with “God’s Plan,” Drake showed up and showed out, again, with “Nice For What.” He rolled the video out at the same time as the single itself, which proved to be brilliant marketing. The New Orleans bounce-heavy song, with its Lauryn Hill “X Factor” sample and Big Freedia intro, represented Drake bowing down to women all over the world. From the famous actresses featured in the video, to the everyday women he made the song for, Drake’s longtime adoration of the ladies was in full effect.—Kiana Fitzgerald

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: Nineteen85, Sampha

Drake introduced the world to "Too Much" during a live performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before Nothing Was the Same came out. The raw emotion of the performance blew fans away and enhanced the very personal subject matter of the song—especially the second verse where he opens up about his family members and their struggles. From the line, "Money got my whole family moving backwards," to "hate the fact my mom cooped up in her apartment, telling herself that she's too sick to get dressed up and go do shit," Drake is as vulnerable as ever. The combination of elite rapping and realness is something that has been a staple of Drake's career, and he certainly perfected it during this verse, and throughout the song. Sampha's soulful hook only adds to the ambiance. —Zach Frydenlund

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: Mike Zombie

"Started From The Bottom," much like several of Drake's biggest tracks ("The Motto," "Headlines"), initially feels like a sidestep rather than a bold new direction. But over time it works its way into your subconscious; "Started From The Bottom" has that hooky, unforgettable quality, a song that at first feels slight but soon reveals itself to be much greater than its initial impression.

Attacked by critics for representing a "struggle" when he was an artist born of some privilege, Drake doubled down, further trolling those frustrated by his adaptation of hip-hop's language to his personal experiences while simultaneously making an anthem for those very people the critics claim to defend.

With its simple piano accompaniment, knocking drum track, and unforgettable video, "Started From The Bottom" has cemented its place as one of Drake's greatest songs. —David Drake

Album: Take Care

Producer: Doc McKinney, The Weeknd

It's all about the perspective. "You won't feel me until everybody say they love you, but it's not love/And your suit is oxblood"—did you catch it? How easily Drake switches from the first-person to the second in the opening bars of "The Ride"? It's such a simple move, to put the listener in the rapper's shoes, but it pays real dividends. In Decoded, Jay Z talks about how when you rap along to his songs, you become Jay—you inhabit the role. And with so many criticizing Drake for his navel-gazing, letting the listener in on the introspection is key.

"The Ride" is Drake's best rappity-rap song. He doesn't sing. There's no hook beyond the vocalizations from Abel Tesfaye and super-high falsetto about being faded, faded, faded, faded too long. Over two verses, Drake offers a succinct biography, from the early days in Toronto to dinners in the Napa Valley, and some of the coldest declarations of power listeners have ever heard from the MC. "You see a girl and you ask about her." "They put a cloth across your lap soon as you sat down/It's feeling like you own every place you choose to be at now."

And then, in the final verse, he switches back to the first person as he's heading to Toronto's Pearson International Airport with vivid details that pop all the more because of the turn in POV: "I'm driving right up to it now/Make sure you got your coat on/The runway can be cold especially after summer's rolled on." The listener's suddenly riding shotgun; Drake hopes you can stay warm. Meanwhile, he's out here "Messing over the lives of these niggas/That couldn't fuck with [his] freshman floater." —Ross Scarano

Album: N/A

Producer: Allen Ritter, Frank Dukes, Vinylz

The true test of greatness isn't just maintaining a streak, but also how one weathers adversity. Or so they say. In 2016, Drake dropped an album dedicated to his birthplace, but he retreated back to his new home as the reviews crying mediocrity poured in. Imagine a hazy, typical sun hanging over the YOLO Estate as Drake glowers, sullen but charged up that almost a full year since settling the Meek Mill beef, he once again has to lay pen to paper to combat fresh criticism.

"4PM in Calabasas" isn't the warning-shot of "5AM in Toronto," and it certainly doesn't have the calm ambition of "6PM in New York," nor the something-to-prove attitude of "9AM in Dallas." This is something totally different, a reminder wrapped in a sneer—does Drake have an equally disrespectful flex as hilarious as "See Kris Jenner, I beep twice and I wave/the rest of you boys, I blow keysh right in ya face" elsewhere in his catalog? Amidst all the talk, across the reviews, thinkpieces, and even podcasts, here's Drake laid up like Juelz Santana with one leg out the Phantom, fixing his best mean mug in the center of Hollywood's suburb, dropping it only for neighborly respect. You won't find any testosterone-fueled proclamations that you underestimated greatly here, just a perfectly dry laugh. You thought Drizzy would be vulnerable? He sounds more insolent than ever. The day's waning and we got him started. Scary hours are rolling in, a haha ha. —Frazier Tharpe

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da, Vinylz, Nikhil Seetharam

​You underestimated greatly, and Aubrey is fucking fed up. Don't think he can hold his own with rap's best? Don't think he deserves to be the poster boy for a new generation? He'll prove you wrong later, on the album, but not before making you sweat the entire summer after dropping one hell of an appetizer. Forget IYRTITL, "5AM in Toronto" is Drake at his most villainous, spitting bars that made even rappers who consider him fam do a double-take. "Drake featuring Drake?" Low-key a more potent dosage of Regina George-level friendly disrespect than "Control." Early 2013 found Drizzy at the dawn of a new phase. Fitting that he released the mood music during the wee hours of the morning from the city that created him.— Frazier Tharpe

Album: N/A

Producer: Daxz

While Drake has been in his fair share of conflicts with other rappers—Common, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar—no beef has been bigger than his battle with Meek Mill. The situation was a real threat to Drake's career, with Meek calling him out for using a ghostwriter. Initially it was unclear how Drake would respond, but when he did, it was with a heavy punch. "Charged Up" arrived first, but "Back to Back" was the knockout.

Drake brings out a full-blown arsenal in the first verse, with stinging punchlines and a devastating flow that helped turn the diss song into a full blown hit. Like, he really rapped "This ain't what she meant when she told you to open up more" on a song that was nominated for a Grammy. —Zach Frydenlund

Album: We the Best Forever

Producer: T-Minus, Nikhil Seetharam, Noah “40” Shebib

Despite Khaled's attempt to transform it into one of his high-drama Frankenstein posse cuts, "I'm On One" is all about Drake doing what Drake does best. Like all great Drizzy x 40 collaborations, it's a wistful, conflicted examination of the high life, fluctuating between introspective apologies and brash boasts. One minute he's crooning about being too drunk to control his slutty impulses, the next he's spitting at Jay-Z and Kanye about taking their spot at the top.

From a production and songwriting perspective, "I'm On One" shows an impressive attention to detail. 40 softens up T-Minus' trap-style drums with his lo-fi monophonic filter and a subtle layer of moody chords that give the track an emotional, restrained balance. The entire first half of the song has no kick drums—the element that gives most rap songs their booming heft—a clever message to the listener that something big is around the corner. Drizzy's verse is also designed to build anticipation, beginning with slow singing before switching suddenly to a more aggressive rapping style.

When the first verse ends, just when you think the chorus and bass are going to burst out of your speakers, the whole track goes underwater and Drake reverts to softly singing an unexpected pre-chorus ("All I care about is money and the city that I'm from..."). And then, after a minute and 15 seconds of teasing the listener, they finally unleash the chorus with booming bass underfoot. It feels like a release, one that perfectly matches the reckless abandon of the lyrics ("Fuck it, I'm on one").

Whether you appreciate the subtle, strategic songwriting, or just think this shit bangs, it's clear that "I'm On One" is Drake's pop masterpiece. Now can we get a version with two more Drizzy verses? —Brendan Frederick

Album: N/A

Producer: Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, Nineteen85, Noah “40” Shebib

Certified platinum—not bad for a one-off single. In July 2014, just before his annual OVO Fest, Drake dropped “0 to 100/The Catch Up” to the masses. The song showcased Drizzy's versatility over the course of six minutes and two parts.

"0 to 100" initially received a ton of attention, and rightfully so given memorable lines like, "I been Steph Curry with the shot/Been cookin' with the sauce, Chef Curry with the pot, boy," and "I should prolly sign to Hit-Boy cause I got all the hits, boy." But it's "The Catch Up" where the production shines through with a smooth backdrop and the hook comes in the form of an unheard James Blake sample. For his part, Drake takes a more introspective tone, questioning whether he reads too much into the commentary. It's an undeniable performance from the Toronto representative. —brokencool

Album: Nothing Was the Same

Producer: DJ Dahi

Aggressive and boastful, Drake gives a voice to everyone who feels they've been neglected by the ones that matter on "Worst Behavior." Largely an autobiographical trip through his journey to fame, Drake reflects on how much he's been let down or overlooked in the early stages of his career. Drake is completely unapologetic here, and wants you to know he's holding on to those grudges and staying on his worst behavior. Oh, and it's a banger. —Nora-Grayce Orosz