Nothing Was the Same

Background

While touring the United Kingdom in support of Take Care during March 2012, Drake announced in an interview that he had begun work on his third studio album. In April 2012, Drake had stated that the album will have a different style and tempo than that of Take Care. This is due to his different mindset and his recent move to the Hidden Hills-Calabasas area, where he is Kanye West's neighbor. He told GQ, "This is my fucking moment to say if I wanted to rap all the time, really rap, I would, but I also love to make music. I'll do this for you right now. But it's for me, too. It's my story…I'm trying to get back to that kid in the basement. To say what he has to say. And I'm trying to make it last."

On February 10, 2013, the same night Drake won a Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards, he announced the title of his third album would be Nothing Was the Same. During an interview with Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet, Drake told E!, "I think music, it's a process we all go through," he said. "It's an evolution. You're constantly figuring out what works for you." He explained the difference between Nothing Was the Same and Take Care to XXL saying,

"Take Care was about connecting with my city and connecting with my past and sort of still feeling guilty that I'm not in love with one of these girls that cared about me from back in the day. Now, I'm 26, I'm with my friends, I'm making jobs for people, I'm making memories for people that will last a lifetime. I don't need to be in love right now. I don't need these things that I maybe once thought that I needed to feel normal and feel righteous about myself. I think for the first time in an album I'm content—not satisfied—but proud of where I'm at as a person."

Drake also stated that Marvin Gaye's 1978 double album Here, My Dear had been a big influence on his current musical direction and he had been doing recording in Gaye's old studio "Marvin's Room". He later told MTV, "This album is not some straight rap album, I'll never do a straight rap album. That's not how I came into this and that's never what I'll do. I make songs for the people." He also spoke of Marvin Gaye again saying, "I have aspirations to be Marvin Gaye in the back of my head. So I just want to sing the world's triumphs and problems on one record." In the same interview he explained more about the differences between Nothing Was the Same and Take Care saying; "The music I'm making is more concise, more clear, I've been able to get my thoughts across a lot better on this album. Take Care is a great album but I listened to it and realized where I could do better and I think I've done better on this album."

Recording and production

In March 2012, Drake was reportedly in the studio with American rapper 2 Chainz and record producer 40. He has been stating that he was hoping that he could work with Jamie xx, while in the United Kingdom, saying that he wants him to "have a bigger presence on my third record". Jake One produced a song for Drake, originally expected to be released ahead of the third annual OVO Fest. The video, which features Drake previewing the untitled song, while smoking a hookah, was released on June 26, 2012, through Vimeo. In December 2012, Young Chop confirmed that he was working on a song with Drake. He also then released two free songs, which is a collaboration with a singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy.

In 2013, Drake was also seen in the studio with a fellow rapper Jay Z, working on what has yet to be a song, titled "Pound Cake". On June 3, 2013, Drake revealed the first guest appearance on the album, which is American singer Jhené Aiko and then he also said that he had recently been in the studio with singer Anthony Hamilton. On June 15, 2013, Drake confirmed with Hot 107.9, that he had made the final recording process for the album. On September 3, 2013, Drake confirmed on Twitter, that the album has been mixed and mastered.

In July 2013, Complex reported that he was in the studio with artists, such as Future, Rick Ross, Justin Timberlake, Sade, Migos, Saukrates, TLC and Miguel, while working on the album. Complex also reported that he had worked with producers, during the recording process, including Hit-Boy, Just Blaze, Chilly Gonzales, Mike Will Made It, Zaytoven, Bink, Detail, James Blake, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. On July 27, 2013, Drake posted a picture of him and frequent collaborator The Weeknd in the studio.

In August 2013, Drake told Rolling Stone during the interview, he has spoke that the album would contain features by Jay Z and Lil Wayne, with production from Hudson Mohawke. In a story in the September issue of Rolling Stone, he confirmed that the album was primarily produced by Noah "40" Shebib, with production also coming from Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, Detail and Hudson Mohawke. He also confirmed working with OVO Fest performer, singer and post-dubstep producer James Blake. The final track listing contained guest appearances by Jhené Aiko, Majid Jordan, Detail, Sampha, Jay Z, Big Sean and 2 Chainz.

Album artwork

On August 21, 2013, Drake revealed the album's cover artwork was an oil painting by Southern California's Kadir Nelson, the designer behind Michael Jackson's posthumous album, Michael. The two versions of the cover feature illustrations of profiles of Drake as a child, while the other shows the rapper as an adult. His younger self is adorned only with an afro comb in his hair, and his older self has a gold chain. Both covers are set against a blissful blue sky. The cover artwork was compared to iconic hip hop albums Nas' Illmatic, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III. "What that album art is to me, is the fact that this is my most clear, concise thoughts from now, and my best recollection of then", Drake explained. Both covers will be available side by side in stores, so consumers may choose which one they want.

The artist, Kadir Nelson told MTV, "Drake wanted a signature painting, he didn't want something that looked like a hip-hop album cover. He wanted something that was a little bit more artsy and had more weight to it, so I did a number of sketches, and when we picked out what he liked, I sculpted it together." He said he listened to Drake's music in the studio to gain inspiration and he also gave Drake a full sized painting of the album cover. The album artwork would end up being named the fourth-best album cover of 2013 by Complex. XXL also listed it among the best album covers of 2013.

Release

On June 22, 2013, Drake announced a release date of September 17, 2013, via Twitter. On the following day, he has released the first trailer for the album, featuring him and his friends drinking alcohol out of his 2012's Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for his previous album Take Care. On August 21, 2013, the album was pushed back one week from its initial release date for September 17, 2013, until September 24, 2013. On September 10, 2013, Drake released the second trailer for the album, featuring "Trophies", which was produced by Hit-Boy. In the video Drake and his entourage drive various luxury cars such as Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti's, all sporting small Canadian flags while driving down an empty street.

Promotion

In March 2013, Drake premiered a song, titled "5AM in Toronto", which is a sequel to the Thank Me Later track "9AM in Dallas". In the same month, he filmed a music video for the song and it was released on April 1, 2013. On April 15, 2013, Drake released two more songs, "No New Friends" (which ended up being a track for DJ Khaled's album Suffering from Success) and "Girls Love Beyoncé", which contains a samples from Destiny's Child's song "Say My Name", and the song features guest vocals from James Fauntleroy. On June 17, 2013, an unreleased track, titled "On My Way", which was recorded back in 2010, that had been leaked. This song also features guest appearances from Fauntleroy. On June 22, 2013, Drake released four songs for streaming via his official website. This included collaborations with J. Cole, PartyNextDoor, Migos and a song titled "The Motion". It was confirmed that these songs were only released, in promotion for the album, that did not make the album. However, "The Motion" appeared as a Best Buy bonus track on the album.

On June 18, 2013, Drake announced that he would be going on tour, in support of Nothing Was the Same, starting September 25, 2013, in Portland, Oregon. The tour, titled Would You Like a Tour?, featured supporting acts by singers Future, Miguel and OVO Sound's PartyNextDoor. In the months leading up to the album's release, Drake was featured on the covers of various magazines, such as Billboard, GQ and the 150th issue special of XXL. On September 20, 2013, Drake revealed that he had rescheduled the Would You Like A Tour? due to "an intense rehearsal schedule and technical production requirements that will be part of the show." The tour was rescheduled to begin on October 19, and the first leg ran until December 16, 2013.

Singles

In January 2013, Drake was seen filming a music video for a new song, titled "Started from the Bottom", which was directed by Director X. Drake later announced that he would release the song as the first single for his third album, which happened on the night of the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. The single premiered instead on February 1, 2013, and was released on iTunes, five days later. On February 10, 2013, the music video for "Started from the Bottom" was released. The song charted in many countries, reaching a peak of number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified double Platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

On August 4, 2013, it was revealed that Drake would soon be releasing the second single, titled "Hold On, We're Going Home". The song featuring Majid Jordan, with production by Noah "40" Shebib and Nineteen85, and was released via iTunes on August 7, 2013. On August 12, 2013, the song was serviced to rhythmic contemporary and contemporary hit radio. On September 24, 2013, the music video was released for "Hold On, We're Going Home". The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Canadian Hot 100, respectively.

Drake premiered a song from Nothing Was the Same, titled "All Me", via SoundCloud on August 1, 2013. The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers 2 Chainz and Big Sean, and was produced by Key Wane. On the album's US release date of September 24, 2013, Drake sent "All Me" to urban contemporary radio, as the album's third single. The song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, on the week of the album's release.

On September 12, 2013, Drake released the previously announced track, titled "Wu-Tang Forever", as the album's second promotional single, along with the pre-order of Nothing Was the Same on iTunes. The song is a reference to the Wu-Tang Clan and their critically acclaimed double album Wu-Tang Forever (1997). The track also samples their song "It's Yourz". After the song's release, Wu-Tang Clan member U-God told Vibe, that Wu-Tang Clan members, including himself and Method Man among others, has recorded a remix to the track.

"Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2" serves as the album's outro and consists of two songs, "Pound Cake" featuring a guest appearance from Jay Z, and "Paris Morton Music 2" is a sequel to "Paris Morton Music". "Pound Cake" features a significant sample of "C.R.E.A.M." performed by Wu-Tang Clan, and was produced by frequent collaborator Boi-1da. "Pound Cake" was serviced to radio in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2013, as the album's fourth single, and was subsequently added to the BBC Radio 1Xtra playlist. The track peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number 111 on the UK Singles Chart.

"The Language" was serviced to mainstream urban radio, as the album's fifth single on October 29, 2013. It received many positive reviews, one coming from Nick Cutucci of Entertainment Weekly, which named the song, along with "Hold On, We're Going Home" as one of the album's best songs. Erika Ramirez of Billboard also credited Drake with "arrogantly" reinstating his spot in the rap game with the song. The song was said to be "addressed" and "acting passively" towards American rapper Kendrick Lamar's recent diss record, but it was later denied by Birdman, whom appeared to be seen on MTV, prior to the album's release and said that it was not directed towards Lamar. The song peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 13 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

In the United Kingdom, "Too Much" impacted urban contemporary radio as the album's sixth overall single on October 31, 2013. On November 11, 2013, the music video was released for "Worst Behavior". "Worst Behavior" was then serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom as the album's seventh single on June 9, 2014.

Critical reception

Nothing Was the Same received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 33 reviews. Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Nothing Was the Same "bristles with epiphanies, absurdities, and plenty of bluster, but it's all fodder for a hyperrealistic portrait of Aubrey Drake Graham, not some coronation ceremony." Elysa Gardner of USA Today noted that Drake "continues to juggle bravado with brooding, though he sounds more empowered in the latter." Rolling Stone's Simon Vozick-Levinson wrote, "After a while, his confessions start to sound like sneaky boasts about all the beautiful hearts he's broken. And maybe he wants you to see that contradiction. After all, hiding his flaws has never been Drake's style – they're the whole point."

Pitchfork writer Jayson Greene praised Nothing Was the Same as "Drake and 40's most audacious experiment yet in how far inward they can push their sound; a lot of the album sounds like a black hole of all 40's previous productions being sucked into the center. Song-to-song transitions, which have always been melty and blurry, are more notional than ever." In the Chicago Tribune, critic Greg Kot noted that "Drake's increasing mastery of not just rhyme, but tone and inflection is readily apparent", while Eric Diep of XXL noted Drake's apparent desire on the album "to hold the spot as an innovator". Bonsu Thompson of Vibe felt that while Nothing Was the Same was not a "classic album", "its accomplishments may end up more pivotal. Hip-hop music hasn't been blurred and stretched this wide since Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak."

Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club concluded that "if Nothing Was the Same doesn't resonate quite as consistently as Take Care, it's because Drake and his in-house collaborator Noah "40" Shebib sometimes seem content to revisit that album's sonic landscapes instead of carving out new ones." Tim Sendra of AllMusic wrote that the album "doesn't show large amounts of growth, but the small changes to the sound and the slightly wider net his lyrics cast make it worthwhile." Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times felt that the album "overwhelms even by Drake's selfie standards, and confirms that just because they're well-marketed and Midwest-palatable doesn't make internal diaries wholly compelling." Aaron Matthews of Exclaim! praised it as a "challenging, uncompromised major label rap album" that is nonetheless "weighed down slightly by the rapper's increasingly solipsistic viewpoint."

Accolades

Closing out the year, Nothing Was the Same was named to multiple "Best Albums of the Year" lists. XXL named it the best album of 2013. They commented saying, "The OVO general is at his highest point of his career, perfecting his formula of singing and rapping that truly carries the album from start to finish. With 40 in his corner, the pair executed tighter levels of their dark, lush sound that became easily identifiable. The compelling cuts—"From Time", "Too Much", "Hold On, We're Going Home"—as well as obvious anthems like "Started From The Bottom" and "Worst Behaviour" display leaps of growth." Complex named it the second best album of 2013 stating, "it was one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and one that actually lived up to the hype. Nothing Was the Same might not have had a legendary producer on hand to "minimalize" its sound, but it has minimized the discussion of who is the most popular rap star in the world right now." Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly also named it the second best album of 2013 saying, "When he gets to flexin' — as on "Worst Behavior," with its Rube Goldberg underpinnings; the MC smackdown "The Language"; and the hypnotic "Started From the Bottom" — he's flawlessly confident. But his restless thoughts keep the elegant music here taut." It was ranked at number 14 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 best albums of 2013. They commented saying, "Drake is the people's rapper, a smart kid conflicted about his fame, heart, family, everything except his mic potency. But what makes his lonely fantastic voyage matter is its emotional weight, which gets crucial amplification from Noah "40" Shebib's whirlpool beats."

The Guardian placed it at number 31 on their list of the forty best albums of 2013. Exclaim! named it the third best hip hop album of 2013. It was named the ninth best album of 2013 by Slant Magazine. They commented saying, "Drake, the Canadian master of confession-rap, cuts the usual sharp lines, and his lamentations have never felt so knowing, nor more tuneful. He doesn't need a handful of guest MCs, and he doesn't want our sympathy either—just the chance to give us mellow ear-gasms, which he does on nearly every track." It was ranked at number 19 on Consequence of Sound's list of the top 50 albums of 2013. Stereogum ranked it at number 28 on their list of the 50 best albums of the year. Spin positioned it at number 50 on their list. The album is a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.

Commercial performance

Nothing Was the Same debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 658,000. The album has the second highest first week sales of any album in 2013, at the time of its release. It would also be the highest first week sales for a hip hop album since Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV (2011). In its second week, the album sold 148,000 more copies. In its third week, the album sold 83,000 more copies. In its fourth week, the album continued to remain in the top five on the Billboard 200, selling 58,000 more copies. The album sold 1,344,000 copies in 2013 in the United States, making it the seventh best-selling album of the year. As of August 2016, the album has sold 1,783,000 copies in the United States.

The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 61,000 copies in its first week. It would be Drake's highest debut on the chart and was the fastest selling hip hop album of 2013 in the United Kingdom, at the time of its release. The album also debuted at number one on the main album charts in Canada and Denmark, along with peaking in the top five of the main album charts in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The album has sold 108,000 copies in Canada in 2013.

Track listing

Album credits adapted from Nothing Was the Same digital booklet.

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for Nothing Was the Same adapted from AllMusic.