Format Digital download Genre Hip hop | Recorded 2013 Length 3:08 | |
Released February 27, 2014 (2014-02-27) Label Young Money, Cash Money, Republic | ||
"Trophies" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake. The song was produced by Hit-Boy, Hagler and 40 originally for Drake's third studio album Nothing Was the Same. However, it would be left off the final track listing. After Drake released the song for free in December 2013, it was then announced to be included on the Young Money Entertainment compilation Young Money: Rise of an Empire. On February 27, 2014, it was released as the album's second official single. It has peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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Background
The trailer Drake released for his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same (2013), featured a snippet of "Trophies" playing in the background, but the song did not make the final version of the album. After teasing its release over the following months, the song surfaced on the internet on December 30, 2013. Hit-Boy has said he was more than frustrated with the track's rollout. Then saying, "But it’s love. I got respect for Drake. He knows what’s best for him. He’s been dictating his career since Day One."
Critical reception
The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly praised it as a blustery, superstar moment. Sheldon Pearce of XXL called the song brilliant and boisterous. Writing for Now, Jordan Sowunmi said, the "stentorian hit" is "a reminder that Young Money boasts some of rap’s biggest crossover stars." David Jeffries of AllMusic said the song featured, "Drake stomping over Hit-Boy's Viking-worthy beat. A two-headed monster of a track that pits verses-filled Southern rap victory against an emo-rap chorus.
Commercial performance
As of May 18, 2014, the song has sold 406,272 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan. It has spent multiple weeks in the top ten of the US R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart.