Nothing Was the Same
Nothing Was the Same is the third studio album by the Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 24, 2013, through OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. Work on the record began in 2012 and continued through 2013. As an executive producer, Drake enlisted collaborators such as 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Majid Jordan, Jay-Z, Jhené Aiko and Sampha for guest appearances on the album. The album's production was primarily handled by 40 and other OVO Sound producers; including Boi-1da, Mike Zombie, Nineteen85 and Detail.
The album was supported by the seven successful singles; "Started from the Bottom", "Hold On, We're Going Home", "All Me", "Pound Cake", "The Language", "Too Much" and "Worst Behavior". "Wu-Tang Forever" was released prior to the album as a promotional single. "Started from the Bottom" and "Hold On, We're Going Home" were both top 10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. Drake also toured with Future, Miguel and PartyNextDoor from October through December 2013, on the Would You Like a Tour? concert tour.
Nothing Was the Same received generally positive reviews, and was named as one of the best albums of 2013 by multiple publications. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 658,000 copies sold in its first week of release. Within three months of its release, the album became the seventh best-selling album of 2013 in the United States. It also debuted at number one in Canada and Denmark, and number two in Australia and the United Kingdom. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
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 Los Angeles area in Hidden Hills, 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 Award 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 to ballads rather than "straight rap" 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." Drake stated in a Vibe magazine interview in 2014 that he had intended for the album's deluxe edition to be in reverse order, but didn't due to "some iTunes or something like that"
Recording and production
In March 2012, Drake was reportedly in the studio with 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 singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy.In 2013, Drake was also seen in the studio with 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 an interview 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 cloudy 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" and "Girls Love Beyoncé", which contains 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, and 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.