What a Time to Be Alive | ||||
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Mixtape by | ||||
Released | September 20, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
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Length | 40:30 | |||
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Drake chronology | ||||
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Future chronology | ||||
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Singles from What a Time to Be Alive | ||||
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What a Time to Be Alive is a collaborative commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future. It was released on September 20,2015,by Young Money Entertainment,Cash Money Records,Republic Records,Epic Records,A1 Records and Freebandz. The mixtape was executive produced by Metro Boomin,who also produced or co-produced eight of its 11 songs. Additional producers include 40 (who also executive produced the mixtape),alongside Southside,Allen Ritter,Boi-1da,Frank Dukes,and others. [3] It was released on the iTunes Store and Apple Music,and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. [4]
Shortly prior to What a Time to Be Alive,Drake and Future collaborated on the latter's single "Where Ya At". The duo talked about recording a mixtape together earlier that year,and following the recording sessions for "Where Ya At",they began working on the project,beginning in July.[ citation needed ]
According to a 2016 interview with Zane Lowe,Drake spent 6 days in Atlanta working on the project with Future. "Digital Dash" was the first song they made for the project,originally being a Future's record that ended up being finished with Drake later. "Jumpman" was the last song the duo created for the project. [5]
The mixtape was first teased by a range of sources;including DJ Skee,Angela Yee and Ernest Baker,and this project was officially announced on Drake's Instagram on September 19,2015,when he revealed the mixtape's release date and cover art. [6] [7] [8]
The artwork is a stock image that was purchased from Shutterstock. [9]
Drake and Future premiered the album on Beats 1 on OVO Sound's "OVO Sound Radio" show on September 20,2015,and weeks after it was released on the iTunes Store and Apple Music. [10] [11]
The Summer Sixteen Tour by Drake was made to support this mixtape. [12]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 [13] |
Metacritic | 70/100 [14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
Billboard | [16] |
Entertainment Weekly | C− [1] |
NME | 4/5 [17] |
The Observer | [18] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [19] |
Q | [20] |
Rolling Stone | [21] |
Spin | 7/10 [22] |
XXL | 4/5 [23] |
What a Time to Be Alive received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received an average score of 70,based on 24 reviews. [14] Billboard described Drake and Future's chemistry as expected and said "Future deals with personal demons that he tries,and fails,to drown in drugs;Drake is mostly about insecurities and lesser gravity". [16] Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars,attributing the "fresh and spontaneous" feel to the quick production of the album,where "both artists [are] playing off their louder-than-life personalities without overthinking the details". [21] However,Sheldon Pearce in a Pitchfork review suggests that this limited time-frame for making the album is the sonic downfall of the mixtape arguing that the album "wasn't created with the care or the dutiful curation we've come to expect from both artists when solo." [19]
In a mixed review,Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork criticizes the "decided lack of chemistry between these two",because "they have difficulty sharing the same space" when on the same song. [19] Pearce goes on to highlight how Future's presence,both in content and persona,is much more prevalent than Drake's,where the latter appears to be a "bystander" and "out of his element". [19] Yet,he highlights moments where the collaboration works most effectively. On "Scholarships",Drake "throws Future the perfect alley-oop","Jumpman" is a banger,and "Diamonds Dancing" is the first track between the two artists that "clicks on all cylinders". [19] Additionally,Pearce lauds the production by Metro Boomin as "glimmering" and hails both rappers when they are able to work on their own and make music in their respective comfort zones in songs like Future's "Jersey" and Drake's "30 for 30 Freestyle". [19]
Complex said about Drake verses;"despite a corny bar here or there,Drake sounds way more energized with much better flows." [24] Entertainment Weekly was disappointed with Drake on the album,quoting "despite a beat by Drake whisperer Noah "40" Shebib,the album-closing "30 For 30 Freestyle" doesn't come near clearing the admittedly high bar Drake has set for himself in 2015." [1]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Complex | The Best Albums of 2015 | 50 | |
Time Out Group | The 50 best albums of 2015 | 26 |
What a Time to Be Alive debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200,with 375,000 album-equivalent units;it sold 334,000 copies in its first week,with the remainder of its unit count representing the album's streaming activity and track sales during the tracking week. [4] It became both Drake and Future's second albums to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2015 ( If You're Reading This It's Too Late and DS2 ,respectively). [4] In its second week it sold 65,000 copies. [27] As of January 27,2016,What a Time to Be Alive has sold 519,000 copies in the United States. [28] On December 8,2022,the album was certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units. [29]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Digital Dash" | 3:51 | ||
2. | "Big Rings" |
| Metro Boomin | 3:37 |
3. | "Live from the Gutter" |
|
| 3:31 |
4. | "Diamonds Dancing" |
|
| 5:14 |
5. | "Scholarships" |
| Metro Boomin | 3:29 |
6. | "Plastic Bag" |
| Neenyo | 3:22 |
7. | "I'm the Plug" |
|
| 3:00 |
8. | "Change Locations" |
| Cadastre | 3:40 |
9. | "Jumpman" |
| Metro Boomin | 3:25 |
10. | "Jersey" (performed by Future) |
|
| 3:08 |
11. | "30 for 30 Freestyle" (performed by Drake) |
| 40 | 4:13 |
Total length: | 40:30 |
Notes
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [56] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [57] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [58] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [59] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and songwriter. Known for his dark production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Big Sean, Future, Young Thug, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Gunna, and Nav.
Fan of a Fan: The Album is a collaborative album by American singer Chris Brown and American rapper Tyga, billed together as Chris Brown X Tyga and was released on February 20, 2015, by RCA Records, along with affiliated record labels; including CBE Records, Last Kings Records, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. The album served as the sequel to their breakout mixtape Fan of a Fan (2010).
If You're Reading This It's Too Late is the fourth mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake, released on February 13, 2015 without prior announcement by OVO Sound, Young Money, Cash Money and Republic Records. The mixtape was produced by Drake's longtime collaborators 40 and Boi-1da, as well as labelmate PartyNextDoor, among others. Features include PartyNextDoor, Travis Scott, and Lil Wayne.
DS2 is the third studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on July 17, 2015, through A1 Recordings and Freebandz, and distributed by Epic Records. The album serves as the sequel to his breakout mixtape, Dirty Sprite (2011). It features production from Metro Boomin, Southside, and Zaytoven, among others. The album was supported by three singles: "Fuck Up Some Commas", "Where Ya At", and "Stick Talk".
Evol is the fourth studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on February 6, 2016, through A1 Recordings and Freebandz, and distributed by Epic Records. The album features a sole guest appearance from the Weeknd. It premiered on DJ Khaled's We The Best Radio debut on Beats 1. Evol released five months after the collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive (2015) and a month after Purple Reign (2016). Production was handled by frequent collaborators Metro Boomin, Southside, TM88 and DJ Spinz, among others.
Stoney is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released on December 13, 2016, by Republic Records. The album features guest appearances from Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Quavo. The deluxe edition was released on the same day. It features an additional guest appearance from 2 Chainz. The production on the album was handled by Malone himself, Mustard, Metro Boomin, Vinylz, Frank Dukes, Illangelo, Charlie Handsome, Rex Kudo, Foreign Teck, and Pharrell Williams, among others. Malone generally sing-raps on the album, which is noted for its woozy, contemporary R&B-hip hop production. The album also features influence from country and outlaw country music.
The Perfect LUV Tape is the fourth mixtape by American rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert. It was released through Generation Now and Atlantic Records on July 31, 2016. The mixtape features guest appearances from American rappers Playboi Carti, Offset, and Future. The mixtape's production was handled by Don Cannon, DJ Drama, Cubeatz, Maaly Raw, Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, Nard & B, and among others. The mixtape is considered a spiritual successor to Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World (2016) as it retains subtle references to the mixtape, as well as the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim, on its cover art. The cover art was created by Eryck Sakutaro. The song "Do What I Want" has been featured in the soundtrack for the video game "NBA 2K18".
More Life is the fifth commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake. Described and marketed as a playlist, some publications have referred to it as a mixtape. It was released on March 18, 2017, through Republic Records and distributed by Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment. Production of More Life was handled by a variety of record producers, including 40, Frank Dukes, Boi-1da, Murda Beatz, T-Minus, Nineteen85, and Kanye West, among others. An ensemble of guest vocalists also appear, including West, Young Thug, Giggs, Skepta, Quavo, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jorja Smith, Sampha, and PartyNextDoor.
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Issa Album is the debut studio album by British-American rapper 21 Savage. It was released on July 7, 2017, through Slaughter Gang Entertainment and distributed by Epic Records. The album features production from frequent collaborator Metro Boomin, alongside Southside, Pi'erre Bourne, Zaytoven, Wheezy, DJ Mustard and 21 Savage himself. It succeeds 21 Savage's collaborative EP with Metro Boomin, Savage Mode (2016).
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