Ranking Drake’s Discography From Worst to Best
Before you listen to Drake’s latest album, revisit the highs and lows of his discography.
Whether you love him or hate him — you know Drake. He got his start in entertainment playing Jimmy Brooks on the popular Canadian teen soap Degrassi: The Next Generation, but Drake’s big break came when Lil’ Wayne cosigned his rap career and catapulted him to the forefront of the music industry. Drake stole hearts and rode his ’90s R&B influences, penchant for diary-esque flows, and flair for the dramatic to the top of the charts.
Now that Drake is cosigning the careers of others, it’s safe to say that he’s reached hip hop’s peak and defied the boundaries of genre to become a bonafide pop star. Drake is the answer to the question, “Who else making rap albums, doing numbers like it’s pop?”
His highly anticipated eighth studio album For All The Dogs dropping in October 2023, let’s revisit the highs and lows of one of hip-hop’s most debated discographies. To ensure that only the most essential Drake releases were ranked, this list only includes solo studio albums and commercial mixtapes that are currently available on a physical format (sorry, More Life fans).
9. Certified Lover Boy (2021)
After a yearlong rollout and twice-postponed release date, fans expected to hear Drake in rare form on his sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy. Instead, they got more of the same from the rapper on an album with a too long runtime that even its star-studded guestlist couldn’t save. On CLB, Drake rehashes his previous works with raps about tainted romances, fame, industry dominance, and disloyalty over light R&B and southern hip-hop samples and glossy trap production (though the use of Right Said Fred on “Way 2 Sexy” is a notable exception). Ultimately, the record suffers from following the same formula that made Drake famous. Rather than position him as a rapper intent on maintaining his spot at the top of the game, CLB paints Drake as a shallow pop star who’s resistant to change.
Standout tracks: “Fair Trade,” “No Friends In The Industry,” “7am On Bridle Path”
8. Views (2016)
The release of Views was a seminal moment in Drake’s career. He began promoting it almost as soon as he dropped his third studio album and by the time it reached listeners in April 2016, the anticipation had reached a fever pitch. This album is remembered for a lot of things — some good and some bad — including its stylistic experimentation, summer-ready bops, poorly photoshopped cover, and its tedium. Views was largely influenced by Afrobeats and Afro-caribbean music styles, and marks Drake’s first foray into Jamaican dancehall. The album’s introspective observations — which mostly focused on love and relationships, with a few stories sprinkled in about the negative consequences of fame — were stale. Taken as a whole, Views simply wasn’t interesting enough to justify its 81 minute runtime.
Standout tracks: “9,” Feel No Ways,” “One Dance,” “Child’s Play,” “Pop Style”
7. Honestly, Nevermind (2022)
Drake dropped his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, with no prior promotion. Surprised fans pressed play on a record that was a complete departure from the rapper’s previous ambient R&B and trap-influenced releases, and instead embraced dance, house, and Baltimore and Jersey club styles. While Honestly, Nevermind’s lyrical content still gives listeners the sad, introspective Drake they know and love, the music sets this album apart from the rest of his discography. The change was refreshing and critics praised the rapper for finally making the Drake album he wanted to make.
Standout tracks: “Falling Back,” “Texts Go Green,” “Sticky,” “Massive”
6. Scorpion (2018)
Drake’s fifth studio album, Scorpion, came two years after his previous record and hot on the heels of an intense beef with rapper Pusha T. Scorpion was billed as a double album with one disc showcasing Drake’s hard emcee persona (Side A) and the other his R&B crooner act (Side B). The album’s production was influenced by ambient, soul, quiet storm R&B, pop, electronic, and trap styles, and focuses on common themes in Drake’s music while also directly addressing the “secret child” allegations levied by Pusha T earlier that year. Upon release, Scorpion broke both Spotify and Apple Music’s single-day record for album streams, but received critiques about its lack of cohesion and overall length. While the overlong double album gimmick and time spent nursing bygone beef are what ultimately hobbled Scorpion, the album also produced some of the highest highs of Drake’s career. No two fans will agree on exactly which songs should be trimmed from the tracklist, but they’re united in the knowledge that there’s one great album in there somewhere.
Standout tracks: “Nonstop,” “Emotionless,” “Can’t Take A Joke,” “Nice For What,” “Blue Tint”
5. So Far Gone (2009)
So Far Gone primed listeners for what would soon become one of the biggest names in hip-hop. The 2009 mixtape, which was later reissued as an EP, was produced by friend and longtime collaborator Noah “40” Shebib. So Far Gone’s minimalist, mid-tempo, synth-led tracks were inspired by Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak. The mixtape’s singles, “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful,” were unexpected Billboard Hot 100 hits and became catalysts for launching Drake’s career internationally.
Standout tracks: “Lust For Life,” “November 18th,” “Best I Ever Had,” “Bria’s Interlude”
4. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)
Plenty of rumors surrounded the release of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. The mixtape’s surprise drop led fans and critics to believe it contained throwaways from the recording sessions for Nothing Was The Same and the to-be-released Views. They also speculated that it was released to quickly fulfill his four-album contract with Cash Money Records. Primarily produced by longtime collaborators 40, Boi-1da, and PartyNextDoor, the stripped down instrumentals and braggadocio-filled bars made fans feel as though they were listening to a mirror opposite of the sentimental, moody Drake they’d come to know. It’s safe to say that on IYRTITL the rapper needed to get some things off his chest, and he did it with a satisfyingly cohesive mixtape that sounds nothing like the projects that came before and after it.
Standout tracks: “Energy,” “10 Bands,” No Tellin’,” “6 Man”
3. Take Care (2011)
Take Care expands on the low-tempo, dark, and sensuous vibe of Drake’s debut album and brings it into clearer focus. Primarily produced by the rapper himself and 40, with assistance from T-Minus, Boi-1da, and Jamie xx, Take Care is the album that defined Drake’s sound — alternately rapped and sung vocals laid atop minimalist R&B, pop, and electronic music with subtle, ambient keys. Drake dives headfirst into the emotional crooning on this record, occasionally coming up for air to spit a braggadocious bar or two about fame and excess. Take Care is a standout album in Drake’s discography that earned him his first Grammy Award and landed the rapper a spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Standout tracks: “Shot For Me,” “Crew Love,” “Lord Knows,” “Look What You’ve Done”
2. Thank Me Later (2010)
Drake’s debut album introduced listeners to everything we know and love about the rapper today. The ambient production with moody synths, sparse beats, and muddled keyboards is all there. The confessional-style lyricism centered around sex, fame, romance, and insecurity is there too — and on Thank Me Later, Drake sounds more transparent and vulnerable than on any other album. More than ten years after its release, Thank Me Later is one of the few unskippable records in Drake’s discography with an incredibly high replay value.
Standout tracks: “Karaoke,” “Over,” “Up All Night,” “Shut It Down”
1. Nothing Was The Same (2013)
Nothing Was The Same builds on the production ethos Drake and 40 created with Take Care and stretches it to its limits. Trap bangers blend seamlessly into crossover R&B ballads as Drake showcases his bravado and brooding in equal measure. At just 13 songs, this album is the shortest in the rapper’s discography, but is easily his most consistent project. The minimalist production allowed Drake’s tightly crafted lyrics and dynamic vocal performances to shine, leading to some of 2013’s biggest hits. On NWTS, Drake confidently leans into the sound that would define his output for the next decade and cement his status as one of hip-hop’s most vital artists. Plus, it’s worth noting that NWTS is Drake’s favorite Drake album.
Standout tracks: “Furthest Thing,” “Wu-Tang Forever,” Worst Behavior,” “Connect”
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