Photo: John Gunion(Getty Images)
Drake is surely and by far the most influential and popular male artist in both rap and R&B genres while touching other music styles in his songs as well. The Canadian rapper/singer is a household name, and his 2013 album Nothing Was the Same really cemented his place as one of the leading male artists on the planet.
We take a look at the best songs from Nothing Was the Same tracklist, which had 16 songs if you add all the extra, bonus, and special releases. What seems like the obvious perk of Nothing Was the Same is that, unlike most contemporary rap albums, there is only a few, or just one, producers per song. It really shows as the songs are all coherent even when they mix up genres and contrasting artists.
Nothing Was the Same Best Songs
Started From the Bottom
Arguably the best trap track by any rapper ever as it has the simple but a captivating beat, relatable lyrics, and mountain deposits of energy. It’s the anthem of Drake fans and one of his most recognizable songs for a reason as it shows that not overly complex tracks can still be major hits in this day and age.You should check out the original version if you can, not the music video one which gets too chopped up and breaks the flow and the energy build up that Started From the Bottom Brings.
Worst Behavior
The most aggressive track from Nothing Was the Same produced uniquely by DJ Dahi and followed up perfectly by a very memorable music video that was also a gif mine. In Worst Behavior Drake does something he does a few times on the album and splits the song into two parts, but it works best on this track as the transition seems very natural and the tones aren’t too different.
Hold On, We’re Going Home featuring Majid Jordan
Probably the most melodic singing by Drake in any of his songs, not just on Nothing Was the Same, and he chooses the perfect song to go all in as it is self-admittedly not a rap song. Drake, Majid Jordan, and the producers wanted a song that will stand the test of time and that would be “family friendly” in a way that it could be played at weddings without anyone’s grandma having a stroke. They conquered the radio stations on the tune, and YouTube with a music video that is basically a short crime movie.
The Motion ft. Sampha
One of the best Drake songs of all time and surely one of the reasons Drake is a meme-god on the account of his emotionality seeing how the track is very soulful and is in part about how artists use him for features. But he gets into his love life after. The Motion was first released as a way of promoting the actual Nothing Was the Same album without being on it, but it later appeared as a Best Buy bonus track.
All Me featuring 2 Chainz and Big Sean
The track from the bonus section of the deluxe version of Nothing Was the Same slowly builds up in a simple, but fresh way thanks to Drake’s control of the flow and balancing in between rapping and singing. Three rappers change the battons flowlessly and showcase their skills on an, basically, acapella track. 2 Chainz holds true to his own style, Drake to his own, and Big Sean to his without the song seeming like it’s three parts glued into one, but rather a well-structured whole.
From Time featuring Jhené Aiko
A verbal bow is needed for Jhené Aiko as her melow singing is unparaleled and could very be the best Drake feature despite him working with all of the major music industry’s names. The piano instrumental is produced by 40 and it really gives the artists the opportunity to shine in their own game, singing and rapping, and connecting it perfectly with some obvious but not corny tricks. A warm song that is an impecable example of how good the marriage of rap and R&B can be.
Too Much featuring Sampha
Another example of how simplicity can still work as Too Much has a plain formula, unimposing instrumental, and straightforward rapping but is one of the most popular songs from the album. English singer Sampha classes up the song and the whole Nothing Was the Same album with his raspy, nostalgic and technically perfect singing. It’s probably the song that will leave you feeling the most sentimental out of all tracks from this instant-classic album.
This, of course, doesn’t mean that the rest of the tracks on the album are bad, as Nothing Was the Same as a whole is a great album. Special honorable mentions go to Come Thru, Furthest Thing, and Pound Cake.
But what are your favorite tracks from Nothing Was the Same?
