''Thank Me Later'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rapper and singer

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

. It was released on June 15, 2010, by

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Repub ...

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hi ...

, and Universal Motown Records. Production for the album took place at various recording studios during 2009 to 2010 and was mostly produced by longtime collaborators 40 and

Boi-1da Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario. The Toronto raised producer has worked with a variety o ...

. It features contributions from

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents. ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with " Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Ri ...

, and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, among others. ''Thank Me Later'' has a languorous, ambient production that incorporates moody

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...

s, sparse beats, obscured keyboards, minor keys, and subtle

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

s. Thematically, the album focuses on Drake's introduction to fame and his romances over the course of confessional, club-oriented, and sexual songs. Drake's emotionally transparent, self-deprecating lyrics are delivered in both rapped and subtly sung verses, and explore feelings of doubt, insecurity, and heartbreak. Following an anticipated release, ''Thank Me Later'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 447,000 copies in the US, eventually selling 1.8 million copies there by August 2015. It also topped the

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Monday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen SoundScan, and published every Tuesday by ''Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding ...

and attained a

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

certification in Canada in its debut week. All four of the album's singles became top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with " Find Your Love" reaching number five. Reviews of ''Thank Me Later'' were generally positive, with critics applauding Drake's personal themes and drawing musical comparisons to the works of

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Y ...

and West, particularly the latter's 2008 album '' 808s & Heartbreak''. It later ranked as one of 2010's best albums.

Background

Released in February 2009,

's mixtape '' So Far Gone'' proceeded his series of early mixtapes and achieved unexpected critical and commercial success, earning him two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominations and producing the hit single " Best I Ever Had". The single reappeared on his debut EP,Reid, Shaheem. Rodriguez, Jayson
Drake's Thank Me Later Among Our Top Five Most-Anticipated Rap Debuts
. MTV. Retrieved June 15, 2010. which was released after a bidding competition among labels and his signing with Universal Motown Records amid support from high-profile hip hop artists such as

, Jay-Z, and

.Kellman, Andy. Biography: Drake

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

. Retrieved June 20, 2010. Drake followed-up on ''So Far Gone''s success with several guest appearances on other rappers' works, adding to the

hype Hype (derived from hyperbole) is promotion, especially promotion consisting of exaggerated claims. Hype or The Hype may also refer to: Film and television * ''Hype'' (TV series), an American comedy television series * ''The Hype'' (TV seri ...

surrounding him at the time. In an interview for '' Complex'', Drake stated that his debut album will be "a solid hip hop album" and musically distinct from his ''So Far Gone'' mixtape, which received negative comparisons to Kanye West's '' 808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). He expressed a desire to work with

André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. ...

, and Sade for the album. In an interview for MTV, Drake cited Nas and André 3000 as influences for parts of ''Thank Me Later'', stating "Nas was somebody that I used to listen to his raps and never understood how he did it. I always wanted to understand how he painted those pictures and his bar structure. I went back and really studied Nas and André 3000 and then came back with this album". In comparing the album to his previous work, he stated "It's gonna be bigger, it's gonna sound happier. More victorious, 'cause that's where I'm at in my life".Rodriguez, Jayson
Drake Says Thank Me Later Influenced By Nas, Andre 3000
. MTV. Retrieved June 20, 2010. He told ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' that, "I didn't make this album for commercial purposes. A lot of the verses are extremely long. I just made it to share with people. I hope they can enjoy".

Recording and production

Drake resumed work on the album in October 2009, following an onstage injury from a July 2009 concert. Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios, including

Metalworks Studios Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group, Triumph. Over a span of 40 years, Metalworks has been the recipient of Canadian Music Week's ...

, BLD&DSTRY, and Cherry Beach Studios in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, NightBird Recording Studios in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

, Gee Jam Studios in Portland, Jamaica, The Setai Hotel Recording Studio and

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

, Blast Off Studios and Rock the Mic in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Glenwood Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, Triangle Sounds Studios in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, Takeover Studios in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, and Avex Recording Studio in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

. The track " Up All Night" was recorded on a bus "somewhere in Lexington", and "Unforgettable" was recorded on a bus "somewhere in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

The album was mixed at Tree Sound Studios, Blast Off Studios, Gee Jam Studios, Cherry Beach Studios, The Setai Hotel Recording Studio, Metalworks Studios, Stadium Red in New York, and Studio 306 in Toronto. Lil Wayne, Cortez Bryant, Gee Roberson, Ronald "Slim" Williams, Oliver El-Khatib,

Noah "40" Shebib Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

, Derrick "E.I." Lawrence, Jas Prince, and Bryan "Birdman" Williams served as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

s for the album. Producers 40 and

handled most of the tracks' programming and instrumentation. Besides his Toronto-based producer team, Drake also collaborated with European producer Crada, who previously worked on Kid Cudi's 2009 debut album '' Man on the Moon: The End of Day''. Drake told ''Entertainment Weekly'' that he collaborated with an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band named

Francis and the Lights Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when crediti ...

.5 Things You Should Know About Drake's Album 'Thank Me Later'
. ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on th ...

''. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

Kevin Rudolf Kevin Winston Rudolf (born February 17, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist from New York City, New York. He is best known for his 2008 single " Let It Rock". Early life Kevin Winston Rudo ...

also participated in the album's recording, contributing with keyboards on "Show Me a Good Time" and " Find Your Love". R&B singer Mary J. Blige contributed additional vocals to the track "

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Places * Fancy, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a settlement * Fancy River, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video ...

". In March 2010, Drake confirmed that he had recorded a track with

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and Dr. Dre.Drake Grabs Eminem & Dr Dre For Debut Album
. Rap Basement. Retrieved June 20, 2010. In early November 2009, Lil Wayne released an official statement explaining that ''Thank Me Later'' had been completed, though Drake later commented that he was still working on the album. On April 26, 2010, Drake announced to a crowd during a show that he had finished recording and had turned in a final copy of the album.

Music and lyrics

''Thank Me Later'' has a languorous, ambient production and is characterized by subtle arrangements, obscured keyboards, skittering

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used i ...

s, and reverbed percussion. Lyrically, ''Thank Me Later'' has moody, introspective subject matter, and mainly centers around Drake's introduction to fame and his romances. The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'' describes the content as "about the sorts of doubts, excesses, betrayals and creeping paranoid suspicions that arrive hand-in-hand with celebrity". Music journalist

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

describes the album as "personal and eccentric, the journal of a flawed, self-doubting regular guy rather than a strutting icon-in-waiting". The album's first-half generally discusses fame directly with confessional songs about

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...

, money, and women, followed by club-oriented and sexual songs. Drake's lyrics explore feelings of doubt, insecurity, and heartbreak, while exhibiting both emotional and grammatical

malapropism A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed to ...

s. He raps in a nasal voice and sings subtly, with a

flow Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psych ...

generally in A-B-AB form. Music journalist

Jody Rosen Jody Rosen (born June 21, 1969 in New York City) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine''. Career Journalism Rosen served as critic-at-large for '' T: The New York Times Style Magaz ...

observes "emotionally transparent" rapping that eschews the " thuggy" style previously popular in hip hop, finding Drake's style to be "subtle and rueful rather than loud and lively". Music writers liken ''Thank Me Later'' to Kanye West's ''808s & Heartbreak''.

Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for '' The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.

writes that, "musically, Drake favors warm washes of synthesizers that create a melancholy, fragile mood redolent of ''808s & Heartbreak''." Comparisons are also drawn to ''Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' by Kid Cudi, a protégé of West. By contrast, Joshua Ostroff of '' The Globe and Mail'' feels that ''Thank Me Later''s "emotional navel-gazing lacks West's often-suffocating self-pity and offers a proper synthesis of rap and R&B." Jeff Weiss of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' views that the album ignores West's celebratory side "in search of anthems for the easily alienated". "Fireworks" references the divorce of Drake's parents and alludes to his brief fling with

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

. "Karaoke" features background keyboards that add to the song's

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to t ...

musical influence, with lyrics about the difficulty of relationships. In "The Resistance", Drake worries about fame changing him, with lyrics veering from his ailing grandmother to a

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

that resulted in an abortion. "

Over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England *Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England **Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pete ...

" incorporates an orchestral backdrop, and according to Michael Cragg of ''

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'', contains three hooks. The artful song is about the elation and confusion that accompanies fame. "Show Me a Good Time" opens and closes with a squeaky yelling sound. On the song, Drake talks addresses hip hop listeners who find him inauthentic. "Up All Night" has menacing strings, and Drake boastfully rapping about his nightlife, while trading lines with

. The club song "Fancy" has a predominant

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

looped ''Looped'' is a play by Matthew Lombardo about an event surrounding actress Tallulah Bankhead. It had a Broadway run in 2010, after two previous productions in 2008 and 2009, all three of them featuring Valerie Harper. Plot Based on a real even ...

samples, and backwards strings. It is an ode to women who spend hours primping in preparation for the nightlife. The song features vocals by producer

and T.I., with additional harmonies by Mary J. Blige at the song's conclusion. "Shut It Down" is a progressive soul song, in the manner of a piano ballad and slow jam. "Light Up" features loud synth drums and plaintive piano strings. The Jay-Z-collaboration is a critique on the hip hop industry, its detrimental effects, and the trappings of being an artist: "While all my closest friends out partyin'/ I'm just here makin' the music that they party to," while Jay-Z gives advice: "Drake, here's how they gonna come at you / with silly rap feuds, trying to distract you." Jay-Z expands on the album's overarching theme of self-doubt: "And since no good deed go unpunished / I'm not as cool with niggaz as I once was / I once was cool as the Fonz was / But these bright lights turned me to a monster." " Miss Me" has Lil Wayne rapping jokes, including a crude

punch line A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up ...

about sucking "the brown" off his penis and subsequently groaning, "Ewwww, that's nasty." "Cece's Interlude" has a

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

-like

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far m ...

and transparent lyrics addressing a girl: "I wish I / Wasn't famous / I wish I / Was still in school / So that I could have you in my dorm room / I would put it on you crazy." The

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

song "Find Your Love" was produced by Kanye West and bears similarity to his 2008 song "

Heartless Heartless may refer to: Books * ''Heartless'' (Carriger novel), a 2011 novel in the ''New York Times'' best-selling "Parasol Protectorate" series by Gail Carriger * ''Heartless'' (Pretty Little Liars), a 2010 novel in the "Pretty Little Liars" se ...

Marketing and sales

''Thank Me Later'' was one of the most anticipated hip hop releases of 2010. Universal Motown Records announced its release date as June 15, 2010, before it

leaked A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...

on June 1 in its entirety. Drake responded on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

: "I gave away free music for years so we're good over here... just allow it to be the soundtrack to your summer and Enjoy! June 15th!" The album was released June 15, 2010, by Aspire Music Group, with

under a joint venture with

and distribution by Universal Motown. When ''Thank Me Later'' was released, it debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the United States and sold 447,000 copies in its first week.Caulfield, Keith
Drake Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200
. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. Retrieved June 23, 2010. It also debuted at number one in Canada with first-week sales of 31,000 copies.Williams, John
Drake beats McLachlan to No. 1
. QMI Agency. Retrieved June 23, 2010. By August 2015, the album has sold 1.8 million copies in the United States. In promotion of ''Thank Me Later'', Drake performed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 2010. On June 15, Drake made an in-store appearance at a

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

-outlet in New York City's Union Square in promotion of the album's release, interacting with fans and signing copies of the album. On the day of its release, Drake also made interviews for several radio stations through the phone. A planned free concert by Drake at

South Street Seaport The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District, in Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district ...

's Pier 17 that day was cancelled by concert organizers and authorities after unruly behavior within crowds and unsafe overcrowding. Following the cancellation, Drake appeared at Manhattan nightspot Amnesia for an album-release party sponsored by radio station Hot 97. Four singles were released from the album—"Over" on March 8, 2010, "Find Your Love" on May 5, "Miss Me" on June 1, and "Fancy" on August 3. All four singles reached the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including "Miss Me" at number 15 and "Over" at number 14. "Find Your Love" charted at number five on the Hot 100 and also reached number 10 in Canada. "Shut It Down" was originally planned for release as the first single in late 2009 and "Show Me a Good Time" was planned to be the fifth single, but both releases failed to materialize.

Critical reception

''Thank Me Later'' was met with generally positive reviews. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 75, based on 26 reviews. Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are ad ...

gave it 6.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Tim Sendra of

complimented the album's "rich and nuanced production and Drake's thoughtful, playful, and intense lyrics", writing that his "willingness to be introspective and honest ... makes imunique and helps make ''Thank Me Later'' special." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' critic Ryan Dombal said "Drake vies for superstardom while embracing his non-drug-dealing, non-violent, non-dire history-- one that connects with most rap fans in a completely reasonable way." In '' The A.V. Club'', Rabin wrote that "on his cohesive, bittersweet, assured debut, he proves himself worthy of the sometimes-blinding spotlight". Rosen, writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', found Drake to be "in total command of a style that would have been hard to imagine dominating hip-hop a few years ago". In the opinion of Ben Detrick from '' Spin'', ''Thank Me Later'' had " dynamics like few other hip-hop albums before it", and while "Drake's personal anecdotes lack the bravado of bullet-wound boasts", they were "intimate and lyrically detailed enough to draw blood". ''Prefix'' critic Wilson McBee deemed it one of the few

pop rap Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...

records "that comes close to being a classic". Some reviewers were less impressed. Daniel Roberts of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...

'' said none of the songs are better than "Best I Ever Had" and believed Drake was suffering from an "identity crisis", finding the record "good at parts, but never great". Josuha Errett of '' Now'' felt Drake "complains about fame way too much" while calling him "humorless". In ''

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History I ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

deemed Drake "neither thug nor thug wannabe ... plenty talented, but pretty shallow and without much focus as a mack". He wrote of the record: "Pleasing and hookful though it be, tconsistently bemoans the confusing emoluments and accoutrements of fame". Pete Cashmore from '' NME'' believed "it's those constant and predictable superstar interjections that prevent the album from standing out as much as it had potential to do." ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

''s Jesse Cataldo viewed Drake's "insistent navel-gazing" as a flimsy "concept", but commended the album for "nail ngconfused introspection in a genre famous for willful misrepresentation of self." At the end of 2010, ''Thank Me Later'' appeared on several critics' top-ten lists of the year's best albums, including ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'', who ranked it fifth best, and ''Rolling Stone'', who named it the seventh best album of the year. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, "Best I Ever Had" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. In 2013 and 2022, ''Rolling Stone'' included ''Thank Me Later'' in its list of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer Sample credits *"Fancy" contains elements and samples of "I Don't Want to Play Around", written by Aubrey Johnson and Henry Zant, published by Ace Spec Music (BMI). *"Unforgettable" contains elements and excerpts from " At Your Best", performed by

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Q ...

, written by

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sall ...

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

Marvin Isley Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was the youngest member of the family music grou ...

, O'Kelly Isley Jr., and

Chris Jasper Christopher Howard Jasper (born December 30, 1951) Allmusic biography/ref> is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the ...

, published by EMI April Music Inc (ASCAP). *"Miss Me" contains elements and excerpts from "Wild Flower", performed by Hank Crawford, written by Doug Edwards and Dave Richardson, published by Nettwerk Tunes (BMI). *"Miss Me" contains an interpolation of "What's Hannenin'", performed by

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single " Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peak ...

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.Track listing and credits as per liner notes for ''Thank Me Later'' album * Al-Khaaliq – producer, horns, keyboards, and strings (track 4) *

A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...

– scratching (track 5) *

Jeff Bhasker Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013. An accomplished producer, he ...

– co-producer and keyboards (tracks 5, 13) * Mary J. Blige – additional vocals (track 7) *

– producer (tracks 4, 6, 9, 11), co-producer (1), instrumentation (6, 11), drum programming (4, 9), additional keyboards (7), additional drum programming (1, 3) * Cortez Bryant – executive producer * Matthew Burnett – co-producer and strings (track 6) * Michael "Banger" Cadahia – engineer (track 11) * Noel Cadastre – engineer (tracks 5, 10), assistant engineer (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), mixing assistant (6, 7, 13) * Noel "Gadget" Campbell – mixing (tracks 8–11) * Ariel Chobaz – engineer (track 6) * Crada – co-producer (track 1) * Drake – vocals (all tracks) *

– vocals (track 8) * Adrian "X" Eccleston – guitar (tracks 10–12) * Oliver El-Khatib – art direction, executive producer *

– producer (tracks 1, 3, 8–12), co-producer (7), engineer (1–4, 6–14), mixing (1–7, 12, 13), instrumentation (1, 3, 12), keyboards (8–10), piano (10), additional programming (7), additional keyboards (2, 4, 7, 11), additional drum programming (8), executive producer *

– producer (track 2) *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

– mastering * Chris Godbey – mixing (track 14) * Philip Golebiewski – artwork, photography * Travis Harrington – assistant engineer (track 8) * Ghazi Hourani – assistant engineer (track 14) * Jay-Z – rap (track 10) * Tandra "Lytes" Jhagroo – assistant engineer (track 2), mixing assistant (4) * Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton – engineer (track 10) *

– vocals (track 1) * Anthony Kronfle – assistant engineer (tracks 1, 8, 10) * Derrick "E.I." Lawrence – executive producer *

– rap (track 11), executive producer * Anthony Mandler – photography * Jonathan Mannion – photography * Mark "Darkie" Mayers – design *

– rap (track 6) * Ann Mincieli – engineer and mixing (track 1) * Marq "MoodyMan" Moody – assistant engineer (track 11) * Greg Morrison – mixing assistant (tracks 8–11) * No I.D. – co-producer and drum programming (tracks 5, 13) * Yashar Oghabi – mixing assistant (track 2) *

Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

– producer and drum programming (track 8) * Anthony Palman – assistant engineer (track 14) * Keith Parry – mixing assistant (track 5) * J. Prince – assistant engineer (track 14), executive producer * Kevin Randolf – keyboards (tracks 5, 13) * Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds – drum programming (track 13) * Gee Roberson – executive producer * Miguel Scott – mixing assistant (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 12) *

Francis Farewell Starlite Francis Farewell Starlite (born Abe Morre Katz-Milder; 14 June 1981) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the pop band Francis and the Lights. He is prim ...

– instrumentation (track 2) * David "Gordo" Strickland – mixing assistant (tracks 8–11) *

– vocals, producer, and instrumentation (track 7) * T.I. – rap (track 7) * Pat Thrall – engineer (track 8) *

– producer and instrumentation (track 14) * Tone Mason – producer and drum programming (track 10) * Dale "Dizzle" Virgo – assistant engineer (track 2), mixing assistant (4) *

– producer (tracks 5, 13) * Bryan "Baby Birdman" Williams – executive producer * Ronald "Slim Tha Don" Williams – executive producer *

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...

– rap (track 9)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2010 debut albums Albums produced by Boi-1da Albums produced by Jeff Bhasker Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by No I.D. Albums produced by Noah "40" Shebib Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by Tone Mason Albums recorded at Metalworks Studios Cash Money Records albums Drake (musician) albums Universal Motown Records albums Young Money Entertainment albums Pop-rap albums