Drake hit #1 with Scorpion

First posted 2/14/2021.

Scorpion Drake

Released: June 29, 2018 Peak: 15 US, 15 RB, 13 UK, 15 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.3 UK, 5.82 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rap

Tracks, Disc 1: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Survival (7/14/18, 17 US, 15 RB, 18 CN) Nonstop (7/14/18, 2 US, 2 RB, 4 UK, 1 CN, 5 AU, 0.6 million) Elevate (7/14/18, 14 US, 13 RB, 15 CN) Emotionless (7/14/18, 8 US, 7 RB, 5 UK, 13 CN, 12 AU) God’s Plan (1/19/18, 1 US, 3 RR, 1 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, sales: 15.3 million) I’m Upset (5/26/18, 7 US, 6 RB, 37 UK, 5 CN, 17 AU, 0.2 million) 8 Out of 10 (7/14/18, 21 US, 16 RB, 19 CN, 27 AU) Mob Ties (7/14/18, 13 US, 12 RB, 11 CN, 28 AU, 0.2 million) Can’t Take a Joke (7/14/18, 18 US, 16 RB, 16 CN, 26 AU) Sandra’s Rose (7/14/18, 27 US, 21 RB, 28 CN) Talk Up (with Jay-Z) (7/14/18, 20 US, 17 RB, 17 CN, 33 AU) Is There More (7/14/18, 36 US, 25 RB, 38 CN, 67 AU) Tracks, Disc 2: Peak (7/14/18, 38 US, 27 RB, 37 CN, 58 AU) Summer Games (7/14/18, 28 US, 22 RB, 27 CN, 52 AU) Jaded (7/14/18, 32 US, 24 RB, 36 CN, 64 AU) Nice for What (4/6/18, 1 US, 1 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 6.73 million) Finesse (7/14/18, 42 US, 30 RB, 39 CN, 57 AU) Ratchet Happy Birthday (7/14/18, 51 US, 35 RB, 43 CN, 73 AU) That’s How You Feel (7/14/18, 37 US, 26 RB, 34 CN, 62 AU) Blue Tint (7/14/18, 30 US, 23 RB, 30 CN, 66 AU) In My Feelings (7/10/18, 1 US, 1 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 14.8 million) Don’t Matter to Me (with Michael Jackson) (7/6/18, 9 US, 8 RB, 2 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU, 0.4 million) After Dark (with Static Major & Ty Dolla $ign) (7/14/18, 41 US, 28 RB, 40 CN, 63 AU) Final Fantasy (7/14/18, 56 US, 37 RB, 52 CN, 84 AU) March 14 (7/14/18, 57 US, 38 RB, 54 CN, 87 AU) Total Running Time: 89:44

Rating: 3.512 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Quotable: -- Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Scorpion marked Drake’s eighth consecutive release to top the Billboard album chart. It gave him three #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Combined, “God’s Plan,” “Nice for What,” and “In My Feelings” gave the Canadian a record 29 weeks on top within one calendar year. “I’m Upset,” “Don’t Matter to Me,” “Nonstop,” and “Mob Ties” were also released as official singles. The album features guest spots from Jay-Z, Ty Dolla $ign, Michael Jackson, and Static Major – the latter two posthumously. In addition to the seven singles, all 18 of the other cuts from the double album charted. Thanks to Billboard’s policy of tracking digital sales, big albums by big-name artists tend to land all or most of their cuts on the chart in the album’s first week of release. As a result, Drake became the first musician to debut four songs in the top 10 in one week. He also had seven songs in the top 10 simultaneously, making Scorpion only the fourth album to land seven top 10’s. WK Drake covers familiar ground such as “claustrophobia caused by his fame, complications of relationships, and boasting about his rise from an ‘underdog’ to a prominent figure in music.” WK As All Music Guide’s Tim Sendra said, “the 25 songs go back and forth over the same lyrical territory and the monochromatic trap beats drag along slowly behind…It’s a one-trick record…by an artist who’s so deep into the self-obsessed, self-pitying rut he created for himself that he can’t see daylight anymore.” AMG Pitchfork’s Jamieson Cox said, “Whether it’s 2011 or 2018, you’re getting the same guy: anxious, calculating, and self-obsessed with a golden ear and a fondness for terrible punchlines.” WK All Music Guide’s Tim Sendra said Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph characterized the first disc as a “sharply focused hip-hop album, with Drake delivering eloquent zingers” and the second as a showcase for his “sensitive R&B loverman.” WK Alex Petridis of The Guardian said the album “is frequently fantastic” but “there isn’t quite enough strong material here to support its gargantuan running time.” WK Roisin O’Connor of The Independent described the album as “oddly erratic…exhausting and, ultimately, messy.” WK

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Drake AMG All Music Guide review by Tim Sendra WK Wikipedia