At first this was going to be only 15 songs. Then, I went over to Drake’s profile on Apple Music and just looked at all the hits and came to the quick conclusion that this wasn’t going to be less than 30 songs (not including his features or songs from collaborative projects). Just a quick disclaimer before I continue with this article, and just this series in general. Remember, these songs are MY favorite songs. I understand that there are going to be some disagreements and obviously I’m not going to be able to please everyone with my selections. However, that does not mean you should throw my credibility as a Drake fan completely away just because I didn’t put One Dance or Controlla in the top 30. Okay, no more spoilers for my list. Let’s get into it.
30. Fair Trade ft. Travis Scott
Imitation isn’t flattery, it’s just annoying me.
I remember when this snippet first dropped I had it in my phone for at least six months and I memorized Drake’s whole first verse. Something that stands out to me with Drake’s discography is his ability to pick a perfect sample. And that’s a big credit to 40 and all of his producers there at OVO. When you start the song and all you hear in the background is…
“I don’t understand why you blame me. Just take me as I am it’s the same me.”
The best part of that sample is that he brought it back at the end of the song to just play on its own. It’s like him showing appreciation to his own sample on his own song. I just loved it.
This song also has a great Travis Scott feature, but it won’t be the last feature of his that you see on here.
29. Passionfruit
The greatest piece of elevator music ever? All jokes aside, this song just feels right. It was one of my favorite from “More Life”, which didn’t get as much love from fans as you would usually see with a Drake project. Versatility has been a huge staple of Drake’s music since his beginning. And if you listen to this song and then go listen to a track like “Worst Behavior” or “No Friends In The Industry” you can truly appreciate how talented he really is.
This song is actually about a long-distance relationship and how Drake is realizing that the pieces are falling apart. He can’t trust his significant other even though he is trying to. And he’s the one telling her to break off the relationship in the end because he can see the inevitable split. Despite his voice being calm throughout the track, Drake is still powering through with vibrant vocals.
28. Get Along Better ft. Ty Dolla $ign
I NEED SOME HELP JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSEEEEE.
This man Ty Dolla $ign never seem to fail as a feature or just as background vocals. Like do y’all not hear the last 35 seconds of this song???
Drake is just reminiscing on another failed relationship and how he simply gets along better with her friends. And despite that being sort of a “dig” on her character he says “trust me it ain’t bout revenge”. He’s just being completely honest.
“You had the nerve to defend mistakes you made at the end”
Sometimes the best songs are the ones that you can relate to. And this is one of those songs.
27. Weston Road Flows
The first words of this song perfectly describe how I feel about it six years later.
Drake throws back to his childhood in Toronto on this track and how he used to hang out in Renny’s basement hitting the weed on occasion. He also is flexing how he was flowing stupid since Vince Carter was on some through the legs arm in the hoop shit.
Like I said talking about Fair Trade, Drake picks these samples and they become the character of the track. This sample is from the legend herself, Mary J. Blige’s “Mary’s Joint“. My level of delusion is that I still think I can hit the high note in “Be Without You“. Drake just continues to talk his shit throughout the track and sometimes, when you’re this good, you need to remind these people who you are.
“The best ever, don’t ever question, you know better”
26. Redemption
Man I still remember the day “Views” dropped like it was yesterday. Walking into my Public Speaking class during my Junior year just hearing everyone talk about it was wild. Sometimes, when you’re 16 years old you don’t really understand the grasp that some artists or celebrities have on society. I truly started to get it when I saw that he sold 852,000 copies first week. That was a big eye opener.
Despite all that, I didn’t start really liking this song until maybe 2019. It just wasn’t a song that I would go back to whenever I would listen to the album, but I’m glad that I did.
“Redemption’s on your mind when you think about me”
25. 4pm in Calabassas
There’s two things that Drake does that whenever he does do it, you know the song is going to be fire.
- When he puts a time in the title. For example, “4pm in Calabassas”, “9am in Dallas” or “5am in Toronto” (which just missed the cut)
- Whenever he starts mentioning Chubbs. If you listen to Drake you know these two things are true.
I still remember listening to OVO Sound Radio when he first premiered this song. One of my favorite Drake verses comes on this song. No hook, no chorus, just bars. This is rapping Drake at its finest. However, this isn’t the best “rapper Drake” song. That will come a little later down the list.
24. Keep The Family Close
Four songs from “Views” in a row just goes to show you how big this album was for both Drake and the music world. I know that there are still some people that see “Views” as his best album. I was almost one of those people, but we’ll get to that later. Drake once again touches on his trust issues and fear of betrayal.
“And of course you went and chose a side that wasn’t mine”
I mean, what a way to start your album. I look at this song like walking into a blizzard with a crazy mink coat on. It’s just a strong presence that stands out through everything. And later in the album you get to the summer island songs like “Controlla” and “Too Good”.
One of Drake’s most underrated songs for sure.
23. Not You Too ft. Chris Brown
We have now arrived at the special number 23. Although Dark Lane Demo Tapes didn’t receive anywhere near the same amount of marketing that any of his previous projects got, it had some hidden gems on there. And “Not You Too” is definitely one of them. Once again, Drake is talking about being done wrong by another woman. However, this time, it’s a woman that he didn’t expect at all.
Hence the title, “Not You Too”. Remember how I was talking about Ty Dolla $ign’s background vocals earlier? Now go listen to this song and just appreciate Chris Brown’s background vocals, especially at 2:15. Absolutely majestic. And the outro with the music slowly fading?? Come on now.
“Thought I knew the real, then they flipped. How many times did I ask about this, on God?”
22. Texts Go Green
Uh-oh. We’re stepping in to dangerous waters with this one. All the nostalgia has been thrown away by this… *gasps* … song from his most recent album!!! Yeah, I know that not everyone was fan of “Honestly, Nevermind”, but you damn sure I was. And this song right here is elite. With this being a surprise album no one was knowing what to expect, but they for sure didn’t expect a dance album.
“I’m too behind in a race to rush for my lead”
Now just think about the song from Drake’s perspective. He wants validation from the person he’s speaking to (the first line of the song) and is now having to face the realization of his relationship being cut off/being blocked. Hence, the “Texts Go Green”. Fun fact, I listen to this song every time I go to work and sing every single word. There’s a reason why it’s up here with the big boys.
21. Find Your Love
The rejected Kanye song that turned into a classic. I have six words for this song that will give the perfect reason why this song is ranked here.
“I’M MORE THAN JUST AN OPTIONNNNN”
One of the first Drake songs I ever listened to and listening to it now, I can see why it made everyone want to hear more of Drake. He was 23 when this song came out. Looking back, it’s crazy to see how far he has come.
20. Company ft. Travis Scott
Like I said, you were going to see another Travis Scott feature on here. For a long time, I considered this song to be Travis Scott’s best feature. Drake is painting the picture for his perfect companion in his life, but is also still acknowledging the fact that he’s still a “canine at heart, I’m a dog”.
“Yeah, she workin’ with the spatula, I know she love flippin’ shit”
One of the WondaGurl’s best beats man, she’s such an underrated producer. Also, if you never listened to Travis Scott before this song and want to hear what his sound was in the early La Flame era, just play this song. It’s the perfect example. Just brings you right back to 2015.
19. Best I Ever Had
Man… what a classic. Sweatpants, hair-tied, chillin’ with no makeup on, a line that my generation will always remember. This was the start of it all, the true building block for the legendary career that would follow. And if you my age, you know you should be able to go word-for-word with Drizzy on this one.
“Magazine paper, girl, the money ain’t the issue”
18. U With Me?
First things first, Rest In Peace to D.M.X. The sample is once again perfect and it’s my favorite song on Views by far. The beat switch at 3:25 is crazy too. What a song man.
17. Pipe Down
You know you have an incredible song when J.Cole goes and remixes it. My favorite song on “Certified Lover Boy” and it will always be that. Y’all got to really sit down and listen to what this man is saying. He’s preaching while telling his girl to relax, or simply, Pipe Down. He’s begging for her to just tell him how much he has to do for her to just chill out and then realizes that their communication is just going nowhere anyway.
“You’re the reason we’ll be going separate ways. You’re the reason we cannot communicate”
That producer tag and the first lines of the song are just legendary in itself.
“Said you belong to the streets but the streets belong to me, it’s like home to me”
16. Over
Like I said, there will be more “rapper Drake” songs on this list. This song is one that also kicked off Drake’s career to becoming a true legend in this music business. Drake is just boasting about how he has found his new level of fame and how he just can’t remember at all what he’s doing. But then seconds later, he remembers “oh yeah that’s right, I’m doing me”
“I could teach you how to speak my language, Rosetta Stone”
He’s giving the listener a real look into how hard the fame has hit him, but he himself is also acknowledging the fact that he’s just starting and that it can get 100x bigger.
15. Chicago Freestyle ft. Giveon
We have now reached the second half of the list. And this one right here is truly special. This song not only is a top 15 Drake song to me, it also was the song that introduced me to Giveon. There isn’t much else to say about his masterpiece. All you have to do is say the first line at a concert and any crowd would lose their mind.
“Two-thirty, baby, won’t you meet me by The Bean?”
14. A Keeper
Y’all will see how much I truly appreciate this song at the end of the year when I write my albums of the year article.
“Why would I keep you around?”
There’s just a different feeling when you’re on vacation and an album like this drops. I was blasting this song on the beaches in Greece. Different level of vibes. Will definitely be in my top five songs this year.
13. Pound Cake/ Paris Morton Music 2 ft. JAY Z
The intro. The beat. The Ellie Goulding sample. The Wu-Tang sample. The bars. The HOV feature. The transition to Paris Morton Music 2. This song is just smoothness personified. THE CONTRACT LIKE ’91 DAN MARINO??? Come on now.
And just in case you forgot, HOV had Benzes before we had braces. This man said the interior is whiter than Katy Perry face. Insane bars.
12. Doing It Wrong
Ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached the first song off of “Take Care”. We have also reached the pain anthems. While we’ve covered almost every brand of Drake, this is the first real sad song that has appeared on the list. “Redemption” and “U With Me?” are some slow songs but they don’t have the sad/heartbreak lyrics that songs like “Doing It Wrong” have. Drake dropped this in 2011, and some of the lyrics are still relevant and true over a decade later.
Fun fact about this classic, Stevie Wonder did a harmonica solo for the outro. A true beautiful piece of art.
11. Take Care ft. Rihanna
To sit here and think how we’ll never get another Drake & Rihanna song is painful. Take Care, Too Good & Work are all hits.
“I’ve had mine, you’ve had yours, we both know, we know”
Drake in this song is basically trying to fix a heart that wasn’t broken by him. He’s telling Rihanna to not be ashamed of her past because “I’ve had mine, you’ve had yours, we both know…” The theme of trying to heal from past relationships continues on the track when Drake says this.
“When you’re ready, just say you’re ready. When all the baggage just ain’t as heavy”
It’s all about being accepting of your significant other’s trauma and being there to help them heal through it. It’s the risk that you take for the person you love.
“I’ll take care of you”
10. Do Not Disturb
Big shout out to Snoh Aalegra. She technically isn’t featured on the song, but her song “Time” is the sample used on this track. Drake takes the listener behind the scenes into his own life and is very vulnerable throughout the whole song. Drake never misses on intros and outros and “Do Not Disturb” is the perfect example of a true Drake outro. He paints a picture of hard work while reassuring his fans that he isn’t going anywhere.
That’s how he ended “More Life”. Cold man, just cold.
9. Shot For Me
The ultimate “I told you so” song dedicated to all of Drake’s previous relationships. From the start of the song, Drake gets straight to dissing his ex and her new man.
He’s even name-dropping the exact exes he’s talking to. “Aisha, Catya, I know you’re gonna hear this.” He knows that the level he has got to is to the point that no matter what his ex’s do, they’re going to hear his music. He’s just gone clear. Man is literally telling them that he’s the reason that they’re unhappy with their lives.
“Yeah I’m the reason why you always gettin’ faded. Take a shot for me”
And at the end of it all, Drake wants them to accept defeat. Drake wants his exes to admit that he deserves all the success he’s achieved. Because he knows, and they know, that regardless of what happened between them. He deserves to be at the top.
“This is one I know you hated when you heard it. And it’s worse because you know that I deserve it”
8. Finesse
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first track from “Scorpion” on the list! Now while this song is in my top 10, I still think to this day that Bryson Tiller’s version is better. Scorpion is an album that is very overlooked by the music community despite the quality that is on there. It was the follow up to both “More Life” and “Views” and many people view it as Drake’s “worst album”. But let’s be honest, is there even such thing as Drake’s “worst album”. There are some hits on this project and “Finesse” is one of them.
On this track, Drake is just proclaiming his admiration and love for a woman that he is constantly thinking about.
“You stay on my mind all the time”
However, that’s not the farthest he goes to admire this un-named woman. He goes on and says this.
“I want my baby to have your eyes”
I remember when people thought the song was about Bella Hadid because he was saying “fashion week is more your thing than mine”, but who knows. Regardless of who the hell he was talking about, it’s one of my favorites to play on a nice late night drive.
7. Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude
Word on road is the clique about to blow, you ain’t got to run and tell nobody, THEY ALREADY KNOW. This song is about seven minutes of floating on a beat. Also you can hear The Weeknd on the background vocals during “Good Ones Go Interlude” and it makes the track that much better.
Drake is not only telling the listener, but somehow also talking to himself, to not let the good ones go. He knows that this fast life and fame makes it even harder to find a good woman and if he doesn’t want to be single by the time he’s 40, he can’t wait too long. Years later, it unfortunately looks like Drizzy didn’t take that advice for himself.
“But the good ones go. The good ones go if you wait too long”
6. Jungle
There’s not much to say about this song besides just telling you to listen to it. Drake is reminiscing about a girl from “The Jungle”, a nickname for the Lawrence Heights neighborhood in Toronto. The use of the title “Jungle” can be representation of either where he came from or the craziness that has engulfed his life full of fame and riches.
Despite that, he still is trying to keep his relationship steady. Hence him asking throughout the song…
“Are we still good? Are we still good?”
And at the end, he realizes that he unfortunately has lost her and he is lost now. She was the only thing keeping him sane while he fights through the “Jungle”. So now, he has to find a replacement.
“What am I supposed to do after we done everything that we done? Who is your replacement?”
5. Teenage Fever
This man Drake. After falling out with Rihanna and then supposedly having a fling with Jennifer Lopez, he goes out and samples J-Lo’s “If You Had My Love” and makes it the best song on More Life.
“You’re to blame for what we could have been. ‘Cause look at what we are”
By using the “Teenage Fever” title, Drake is talking from two different perspectives. While going from Rihanna to J-Lo, he’s talking about the teenage excitement, or fever, of jumping into a new relationship immediately after another one. But the second perspective, is relating to Drake’s real life. Drake’s own “Teenage Fever” is being fulfilled after getting the chance to date his teenage crush, Jennifer Lopez. A crazy story for a song, but it just makes it that much better.
“This shit feels like teenage fever. I’m not scared of it, she ain’t either”
4. Marvin’s Room
If you want to talk about “pain music”, you play Marvin’s Room. It’s a simple as that. The song that has been relevant through multiple generations of listeners, it just doesn’t get any bigger than Marvin’s Room.
Drake is just sitting with cups full of rose, and women in his old phone, but the women that he cares about is happy with a good guy. And there’s nothing he could do about it. He’s suffering the consequences of his own actions, and it’s causing him to fall apart.
“I’m just sayin’ you could do better. Tell me, have you heard that lately?”
He calls his old girl and just goes on this drunken rant that just shows how broken and vulnerable he is. He is in the weakest state that he’s ever been in and he just wants her to leave her new guy, but deep down he knows that he’s a better man than him.
3. Headlines
If you can’t go word-for-word on this song, I’m sorry but you can’t call yourself a Drake fan. I was 11 years old rapping this in the mirror. Definitely my favorite rapping Drake song. Drinking every night because we drink to our accomplishments???
The ultimate flex song. The song where Drake just basks in his stardom. The song that he lets everyone know that he’s on top. And trust me…
“THEY KNOW, THEY KNOW ,THEY KNOW”
2. Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
TAKE YOUR NOSE OFF MY KEYBOARD…. WHAT YOU BOTHERING ME FOR??????
And then to add on to that classic intro, Drake comes in and delivers arguably his greatest verse ever as a rapper. “I told my story and made history.” He told his story and while doing it, he made history. And “his story” changed the lives of everyone around him (the crew). And that’s why now, they all loving the crew.
“That OVO and that XO is everything you believe in, I know”
1. Jaded
Ladies and gentlemen, my favorite Drake song ever. Jaded. This song is perfection from all angles. The Ty Dolla $ign background vocals, the lyrics and the beat. And the fact that he is telling his own real life story about how his relationship with Jorja Smith fell apart.
“I always want the truth, but it’s dangerous”
Drake at this point is numb to the pain that breakups bring. He is hurt but he is deflecting his own pain and sorrow by turning the blame to her. After being angry about driving two hours to her family’s house and dealing with all her problems, he shifts the blame to her and blames her decision to end things on her age and naïve mindset.
“That was before me, I musta changed it. Shifted your focus, lens lookin’ jaded”
Well there you have it. My 30 favorite songs by Drake. I really enjoyed writing this because it just brought back that nostalgic feeling. It was REALLY hard to rank these though. A lot of great songs missed the cut, but I’m happy with my rankings. Let me know what y’all think. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
Quality list 🤞🏾 jaded was fireee