Ranking Drake Intro Tracks

Aubrey Graham is like Star Wars. Both started off with good intentions, hoping to push the boundaries of the respective medium they are in. But then, those good intentions got washed away, year after year, as greed took over. For Star Wars, this happened when George Lucas introduced the Ewoks in order to sell more toys to kids (so Lucas could make more money). And for Drake, his turn toward greed was with his 20-song album Views, which was an iTunes/Apple Music exclusive, and was streamed 8.4 million times on the first day. This album started a long run of Drizzy making 20+ song albums to boost up his streaming numbers and make him more money. But, like Star Wars, there is one thing about Drake that everyone agrees upon: his intro tracks are f**king stellar. Whenever you listen to a Drake album, you get catfished into thinking it will be great, due to a stellar first song. So, I have ranked all intro tracks from Drake’s eight studio albums (as well as his mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late). Keep in mind this is subjective (2 & 3 change depending on the day for me) and I’m just sharing my opinion. Feel free to debate my selections in the comments.

#9 – “Keep The Family Close” (7.5/10) – Views

Who’s idea was this to make this song 5 and a half minutes long? And, there’s barely any buildup, no beat switch, and nothing enticing. It is just Drake singing about how his friends have done him dirty. And, Drake has done this concept before and nailed it, but this was like doing a dive and sticking the landing – but not sticking the landing as best as you could. I always love Drake’s singing, and the marching band aspect is great, but I wish it was used longer and better.

#8 – “Falling Back” (7.6/10) – Honestly, Nevermind

This might be the biggest production carry in an artist’s career. That bassline is worth 5.5 of the points. And the drums are worth another point. Drake’s singing is fine – but like the previous example, the song just drags (the song should’ve been 2 ½ minutes, not 4 and a half). But overall, it’s a fine song, but has amazing production.

#7 – “Survival” (7.8/10) – Scorpion

If this song was faster, it would be so much better. I’m pretty sure it was meant to be slow so the listener can catch onto every bar Drizzy is saying, but it just gets old after a while. I put the acapella to this track over the instrumental to Mobb Deep’s “Survival of The Fittest”. And it was so much better – it felt lively, it had energy, and it made the bars that Drake was spitting hit harder (ok, im going to address the elephant in the room myself – the “Survival of the Fittest” instrumental is one of the greatest beats ever made, so everything sounds better on it. But, my point still stands) . If the tempo was ramped up, it would be a lot better.

#6 – “Virginia Beach” (8.1/10) – For All The Dogs

When I was talking about Drake catfishing you into thinking you’re gonna listen to a classic, this is what I was talking about. The frank sample is great, and I love how it gets reversed for the verse section, so it gives Drizzy room to breathe. And, Graham perfectly balances his melodic flow and his rapping. I don’t know why Drake didn’t go in this direction for the whole album.

#5 – “Fireworks” (8.3/10) – Thank Me Later

“Fireworks” is a “good” song up until the 3rd verse. Then, it starts to become great. Drake talks about his dad, and how he blames Drake for running their marriage. And at this point, Drake has to deal with the fact that his father isn’t man enough to blame himself for things (I guess it runs in the family) and/or come back to his mother. But now, Drake can buy his mother a nice house to make up for the trauma, but Drake still can’t find love because he never was around it. A really great verse that makes the song even better.

#4 – “Champagne Poetry” (9.3/10) – Certified Lover Boy

This is Drake at his best. Spitting his life over beautifully made soul samples with endless amounts of quotables. The first beat produced by Masego is great, as it takes the opening bars from “Navajo”, which is by itself a great song. Then, the beat switches into another soul sample, where, again, Drake spits fire. But, he’s talking politically this time. Saying that because he’s a huge draw for the city, Toronto forces him to align with their policies in public. Then he brings up that his friends are getting 25 years in prison, but he’d rather have them alive for 25 more years instead. The whole song just gives you a boost in self confidence, telling you that you can do anything, which is a common theme for the next 3 songs as well. Like..

#3 – “Over My Dead Body” (9.7/10) – Take Care

What an intro. I bet you I can go in public to my high school and sing “How I’m feeling, it doesn’t matter” and my classmates would sing the rest. It is one of those songs that has been etched into Drake’s career and made him (whether you like it or not) one of the most generational artists ever. And a huge thank you to Chnatal Kreviazuk for the iconic hook and aforementioned intro – the song wouldn’t be the same without her. The piano feels isolating and reflective, like you are in a room full of mirrors and all you have to see is yourself. And Drake delivers quotable after quotable (“I think I killed everybody in the game last year man fuck it I was wrong though”, “Shoutout to Asian girls let the lights dim sum”, “Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time”, “Oh you wanna be a motherf**king funny guy? Don’t make me break your Kevin Heart boy”). What a great track.

#2 – “Tuscan Leather” (9.9/10) – Nothing Was The Same

I have no idea what 40 was on when he made this beat. When we as a hip-hop community discuss 40 as a producer, this beat is his magnum opus. 40 samples three different sections of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” and flips them into three different beats for Drake to rap on. And holy sh*t does he snap. Drizzy talks more bradidocious on the first beat (the “record” flow is absolute insanity) – saying that the radio loves him and that he is just as famous as Lil Wayne (his mentor). But then on the second beat, he talks about how he messed up his friendships and that he needs to forgive himself. But, that verse gives us one of Drake’s best lines: “I’m tired of hearing about who you checking for now, Just give it time we’ll see who still around a decade from now”. Fast forward 10 years, and For All the Dogs hit #1 on the Billboard 200, with two of its songs becoming number 1 hits. The third beat is more relaxing, with Drake’s flow being the same – and some added adlibs from Cappodonna of the Wu-Tang Clan. Overall, this track is one of the greatest in Drake’s career, with 3 beautiful beats and some inspired delivery from The Boy. Which makes it even more insane that there is still a song better than this.

#1 – “Legend (10/10) – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

This track is Drake at his best. Drizzy’s flow is perfect, it sounds like a mix between rapping and singing, with it being aggressive yet melodic. The subject matter is all bragging – with the hook saying “If I die, all I know is I’m a motherf**king legend”. The beat (brought to you by PARTYNEXTDOOR) is iconic, taking parts from Genuine’s “So Anxious” and chopping it up. My favorite part is that the beat builds up, right until the end of the second chorus, when Drake says “I’m the one”. It feels satisfying for a reason I can’t describe. I took a flight to Venice with this song being what played in my headphones as the plane was lifting off (I shuffle all my downloaded songs during a flight) and it kept getting higher with every new element added in the song – it was perfect. If someone who has never listened to The Boy asks me to play a Drake song for them, I’m playing them this. It encompasses all that makes him great, from the singing and rapping, to the bragging, to the legendary beat. Just perfection.