But he made no attempt to hide who he was aiming at on this one. Drake’s love for throwing subliminal shots at his rivals will be covered throughout this list it’s one of the staples of his career. We all knew this was destined to be a classic from the moment he let out that sarcastic sigh before the opening verse. If you can listen to this and not get the urge to down a tequila shot - or a spritz, Drake’s favorite - on a desolate Caribbean island (once the pandemic is over, of course), I’m not sure what to tell you. The Popcaan-assisted version of the song is better than the version that made it onto “Views,” but the song still slaps. This song was made to listen to on a beach in the summer. Dancehall Drake isn’t for everyone, but “Controlla” is the peak of that vibe. Over the past half-decade or so, Drake has branched out and experimented with various genres and cultures, taking a particular liking to dancehall and artists like Popcaan. This was his best lyrical display in a while.
Some of his best work comes when he’s rapping random thoughts over a soulful instrumental with looped vocals and this is the latest example. While it’s true that the duo of Drake and Rick Ross never misses, this one’s all about Drizzy. To get more stories like this delivered to your feed, follow our Culture vertical: /culture This is our definitive ranking of Drake’s best songs.
King Freestyle” on Lil Wayne’s “No Ceilings 3” wasn’t included in this because it’s technically a Wayne song featuring Drake (even though Drizzy destroys the track).Īfter the initial top-50 cut, we voted again to make sure we were satisfied with the rankings and to give another listen to some songs we might have had second thoughts about. To keep the pool of songs narrower, we considered only songs Drake was listed as the main artist on. In all, 119 Drake songs received at least one top-50 vote. We then combined our lists to form a top 50 ranking of Drake’s songs. In accordance with the release of his sixth studio album, “Certified Lover Boy,” and after his weekend EP release of “Scary Hours 2,” six of the biggest Drake fans on staff - Jovan Buha, Tim Cato, Will Guillory, Chris Kirschner, Tashan Reed and Jared Weiss - put together our personal top 50 songs. He’s been the voice in the speakers of our college parties, our go-to when we’ve gone through heartbreak and everything in between. He’s one of the most important and transcendent artists for the millennial generation.
His catalog is as deep as any all-time great you want to name. Love him or hate him, Drake is in the pantheon of the rap game.