It’s hard to picture a world without Drake in it. The Canadian rapper has become a veteran of the game and one of the most popular artists of the 21st century, turning his heartbroken woes into a completely new genre of hip hop. He’s become America’s highest-certified digital sales artist (a fancy way of saying his hits get a whole lot of streams), holds several Billboard chart records, beating out The Beatles, and has been nominated for a Grammy Award 55 times.
From pop culture to music formalities, Drake has had his hand on the pulse for more than a decade. In celebration of his influential journey, we take a look through the star’s stunning line-up of studio albums.
Thank Me Later (2010)
After signing with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, a fresh-eyed Drake ditched his acting efforts on Degrassi to really try and make something out of rapping. Thank Me Later was Drake’s official debut album, and probably the most experimental of everything he’s released. Featuring additions from Nicki Minaj (another Young Money signee), Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne himself and more, the album focused a lot on Drake’s introduction to fame and set the stage for the ‘crying in the club’ hits that would go on to decorate his career. Thank Me Later earned the star his first number one on the Billboard 200 and earned him two Grammy nominations.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake’s Startling Debut ‘Thank Me Later’
Take Care (2011)
While Thank Me Later certainly put Drake on the map, it was Take Care that really introduced the world to Drake as a star. Honing in on the moody, low-tempo parts of the previous album, as well as his singing-rapping style, Drake really found his sound with this album. With features from The Weeknd, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne again (a group that would come to work with the rapper frequently), Take Care sees a star on the cusp of fame dealing with heartbreak, romance, family, and his newfound life, and not really being sure how to deal with it all. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, won Drake his first Grammy, and has since been ranked 95th on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake – Take Care
Nothing Was the Same (2013)
By the time 2013 rolled around, Drake was feeling pretty secure about things. He was quickly becoming one of the world’s most popular rappers, he had two albums already under his belt, and he was still just the little old age of 26. Nothing Was the Same is sonically one of the best albums Drake has made, incorporating elements of 80s synth-pop and weighted 90s hip hop beats. Majid Jordan and Jhené Aiko appear for the softer parts of the album, and Jay-Z and Big Sean jump on the harsher parts, representing the excellent range Drake has. In the duration of just one album, the star could go from a boastful, independent King to a wounded soldier writing a love letter in the dark by candlelight. NWTS earned Drake his third number one and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammys.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake ‘Nothing Was The Same’
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)
This mixtape took the world by surprise – literally. Dropping with no warning, Drake took a break from his R&B elements and produced an album of straight braggadocio. The rapper was angry and while it was unsure as to why, it helped to remind us to not get too comfy with his woozy, R&B love songs. Drake, of course, was a rapper, and he had the puffed-out chest to prove it. With the help from PARTYNEXTDOOR, Travis Scott and obviously Lil Wayne, Drake dipped into themes of fame (and the friends and enemies that come with it), as well as getting a little soft in areas of love and family … because, duh. IYRTITL debuted at number one and broke Spotify’s first-week streaming record with over 17.3 million streams in just three days.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’
TRENDING NOW
Muroki – ‘Bad Dreams’
Views (2016)
Every artist has to have a pop album, and this was Drake’s. Views landed at the height of the rapper’s career. He had been on top for six years straight and he wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down; he was simply just shifting his path. Stepping into new territory, Drake tried his hand at pop beats and catchy choruses, while also incorporating elements of dancehall, afrobeat and trap. Majid Jordan, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Rihanna all returned as features and the favoured topic of loyalty and relationship woes runs throughout the entire album. Views went straight to number one, and stayed there for 13 weeks, and has since earned over one billion streams. Nearly every song from the album charted, earning Drake the record for most songs simultaneously on the Billboard 100.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake ‘Views’
More Life (2017)
Going back to his creative roots, Drake curated an entire collection of beats and samples and turned it into the mixtape More Life. After its success on Views, Drake leaned more into the world of afrobeat and dancehall and added in sprinkles of UK grime and R&B as well. With a huge list of features including Jorja Smith, Skepta, Young Thug, Quavo and more, the ‘playlist’ acts as a hobby project Drake made just to get some creative juices flowing. More Life became Drake’s seventh consecutive number one, broke several streaming records, and bet the rapper’s own record for most tracks on the Billboard 100.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: ‘More Life’ – Drake
Scorpion (2018)
The highly anticipated album ended up being a two-parter, the first side being exclusively hip hop oriented while the second dabbled in R&B and pop. The duality of Drake, of course. With 25 tracks, only a few have features (Jay-Z, Ty Dolla $ign, randomly Michael Jackson), which seems intentional given the personal nature of the album. Touching on introspective topics such as his rise to fame and his complications with women, as well as the controversy surrounding the shocking news he has a son, Scorpion was the opus you would expect from such a supreme rapper. The album went straight to number one, earned five Grammy nominations, and broke multiple streaming and charting records, including again his own for most tracks on the Billboard 100.
SEE ALSO: From The Vault: Drake – ‘Scorpion’
Certified Lover Boy (2021)
The sixth project from the rapper came at an interesting time. For one, amidst a worldwide pandemic, but also during a significant shift in Drake’s personal life. Now a 34-year-old father who has spent more than a decade as the world’s most favoured rapper, Certified Lover Boy is the musings and reflections of what matters most to the star. With features from all the favourites (Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Jay-Z), along with some new ones (Tems, Yebba, Giveon), the album only solidifies Drake’s greatness at producing a hit. CLB scored Drake his tenth number one, making him the eighth artist in history to do so, broke streaming records again, and marked the biggest week for both a rap album and an album by a male artist, a record that was previously held by himself. Obviously.
SEE ALSO: Drake Proves He’s Still Your Favourite Rapper On ‘Certified Lover Boy’
Honestly, Nevermind (2022)
After a surprise announce on Instagram on June 17, Drake’s seventh studio album dropped the same day and featured a bundle of dance hits with only one actual rap song. Dedicated to the late Virgil Abloh, the record is a fantastic homage to Baltimore club house music. On paper that feels strange for an artist like Drake but for someone who replicates the culture he’s surrounded by, he’s nailed the new sound we’ve been drifting to right on the head. Singles ‘Falling Back’, ‘Massive’ and ‘Sticky’ show a new side to the rapper, blending the perfect mix of sound for a girl’s night out. The album broke numerous records for a dance album, became Drake’s eleventh number 1 and while it was met with mixed reviews, Drake was caught at the release party saying, “It’s all good if you don’t get it. That’s what we do, we wait for you to catch up.” Of course, he’s right.
SEE ALSO: ‘5 Key Points We Learned From Drake’s ‘Honestly Nevermind’
Her Loss ft 21 Savage (2022)
Another classic surprise, the joint 21 Savage venture Her Loss was announced during the music video for ‘Jimmy Cooks’, the fan-fave duet from the two off Honestly, Nevermind. After being pushed out by a week, it dropped Nov 4 and delivered a boast of ego that fans of the two had been waiting for for almost a decade. While it may have some mixed reception (honestly, what Drake album doesn’t?), Her Loss is the most Drake-y we’ve seen in years. It’s his signature DGAF attitude he recycles every few years when the time is right, and 21 Savage acts as a great way to back all the braggadocio up. These two are a dream duo, and it’s an album for fans of both to absolutely devour and cherish.
SEE ALSO: Drake and 21 Savage’s Killer Collab Album ‘Her Loss’: Our Highlights
For All The Dogs (2023)
Another lengthy project, For All The Dogs started its journey when Drake advertised he was releasing a poetry book (naturally) back in June, driving fans to scan a QR code that took them to a landing page with two puppies and the quote “I made an album to go with the book… They say they miss the old Drake, girl don’t tempt me. For all the dogs.” And the old Drake it certainly is, except for one slight change: his son Adonis who is featured so heavily that he not only has his own verse on ‘Daylight’ (which later became it’s own ‘My Man Freestyle’) but his adorable drawing of a dog acts as the album’s cover. Sonically, there’s a lot to love in this record. In fact, like a lot of Drake’s projects, the more you sit with it the easier it is to digest. With features from Bad Bunny, SZA, Lil Yachty, J. Cole, 21 Savage and more, FATD exemplifies exactly the hitmaker that Drake is and continues to be, no matter how many years or trends go by.
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