Drake is one of the most successful rappers in hip-hop’s nearly 51 years in existence. The Toronto, Canada icon has racked up hits, numerous great albums, tremendous features, and many sold out tours. One of his magnum opus moments in his storied career has to be the release of his 2011 album Take Care. Even after its 12 years of shelf life, it still sits really high on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. It is currently at the number 30 spot, and it has been on the chart for 572 consecutive weeks. Just last week his third project was at number 23. However, even after all this time, Drake’s Take Care is still not diamond.
According to XXL they had a direct conversation with the RIAA about incorrect reports saying Take Care reaching this coveted milestone. For those who do not know that stands for the Recording Industry Association of America. They handle and track all of the record certifications. Several music accounts on social media originally shared that Drake’s record sold the 10 million copies, the amount needed for diamond status.
Unfortunately, the RIAA confirmed and corrected the original reports, saying it is sitting at eight million copies sold and is yet to pass that mark. While it may be a tiny bit disappointing, Drake is most likely doing just fine. Eight of his records are still on the charts and his It’s All A Blur – Big As The What? Tour is bringing in big crowds. It might take a couple more years, but Take Care holds a special place in a lot of rap fans’ hearts regardless of its certification status.
What are your thoughts on Drake’s Take Care reconfirmed to be not diamond yet? How much longer do you think it will be before it reaches that mark? Is this album still in your rotation? If so which songs and why? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Drake and the RIAA. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the world of music.
Just Blaze is undoubtedly one of hip-hop’s most skilled producers. Throughout his prolific career, the New Jersey-based beatmaker has crafted tracks for some of the biggest names in hip-hop. Just Blaze’s grandiose style of production mixed with intricate musicality has resulted in some of hip-hop’s most iconic songs. He specifically dominated the 2000s with his easily identifiable sound that has never staled.
Just Blaze has produced many major hit singles, including T.I.’s “Live Your Life,” and Joe Budden’s “Pump It Up.” He also produced numerous tracks on Eminem’s Recovery. Blaze is also the man behind some of hip hop’s most culturally impactful moments like Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” and “Exhibit A,” Fabolous’s “Breathe,” and Freeway’s “What We Do.” Beyond hip-hop, Blaze has collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé, Usher, and Mariah Carey. Today, we are ranking Just Blaze’s 7 greatest productions from least to greatest. Take a look at the list below.
“Oh Boy” is a classic among the many songs that Just Blaze produced on Cam’ron’s Come Home With Me. Just’s name may be the song’s first words, but one can instantly recognize the producer’s signature sound on the track. He flips Rose Royce’s “I’m Going Down” into a simple loop, around which Cam’ron and Juelz Santana base their verses. A brilliant chipmunk soul sample, “Oh Boy” made for easily one of Cam’ron’s best songs. Just Blaze and The Diplomats reprised “Oh Boy” on Mariah Carey’s “Boy (I Need You).” They would eventually recreate their magic again on “I Really Mean It.”
Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city plays like a short film, and its closing track is certainly cinematic. “Compton” ends the hip-hop classic on an extremely high note as Just Blaze supplies a triumphant beat for Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre to exchange bars. He takes the song to greater heights towards the end, adding extra flourishes to the production. The addition of the talk box also makes the song feel distinctively West Coast. Ultimately, “Compton” is one of the album’s pinnacle moments, thanks to Just Blaze’s production.
5. “Touch The Sky”- Kanye West Ft. Lupe Fiasco (2005)
Many of Kanye West’s greatest hits are self-produced, but the Just Blaze-produced “Touch the Sky” sees him fully focusing on his bars. The song prominently samples Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” slowing the song down with additional percussion. Just Blaze does not manipulate the sample much at all. He allows it to become the main backdrop for Kanye and Lupe Fiasco’s rhymes. While Just’s best beats are often composed very intricately, the sample on “Touch the Sky” did not need much modification. The use of “Move On Up” drives the track for a phenomenally produced instrumental.
4. “Show Me What You Got” – JAY-Z (2006)
Just Blaze has given many of his best productions to JAY-Z, a few of which are included on this list. “Show Me What You Got” is easily the best of the multiple standout tracks that he produced on Kingdom Come. If “Touch the Sky” is Just Blaze at his most simplistic, then “Show Me What You Got” is one of his most intricate beats. A combination of multiple samples, drum programming, and live instrumentation; the song is powerfully jazzy in its production.
Just Blaze sampled “Darkest Light” by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band for its main backing track and Johnny Pate’s “Shaft of Africa” for the lead melody. He explained the process for the song’s creation in an episode of NPR Music’s The Formula, where he continued to build on top of the samples. He and 1500 Or Nothin’ “jumped on keys, guitar, bass, and organs” for one masterful composition. Just Blaze served as the main orchestrator in the production while the instrumentation from 1500 Or Nothin’ brought it to greater heights. With an excellent beat from Just Blaze, “Show Me What You Got” served as JAY-Z’s perfect comeback single.
3. “Lord Knows” – Drake Ft. Rick Ross (2011)
The instrumental for “Lord Knows” has Just Blaze written all over it. From its stunning gospel sample to the scattered percussion, it contains the maximalist elements of production that Just Blaze is known for. Arguably one of hip hop’s greatest gospel flips, “Lord Knows” samples “Lord, Lord” by Andrew Brown and the National Baptist Convention Choir. The combined samples were flipped into a hard-hitting beat drop. It serves as the perfect soundtrack for Drake to spit some of his most legendary bars. Just Blaze strips the production back during Rick Ross’s verse, adding another lively element to the beat. Possibly Drake and Ross’s most legendary collaboration, “Lord Knows” captivates listeners, not only with its lyrics but with its remarkable production.
2. “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” – JAY-Z (2003)
Starting with perhaps the most famous bassline in both of their catalogs, JAY-Z commands the Just Blaze production as he re-introduces himself on “Public Service Announcement.” While Jay drops some of his most impressive bars on the track, the iconic album interlude is unmistakable with its Just Blaze-produced beat. Sampling “Seed Of Love” by The Little Boy Blues, the organ and drums crash over the famous bassline. One of JAY-Z’s most iconic tracks and one of Just Blaze’s best productions, “Public Service Announcement” is a hip-hop staple. What is even more impressive about the song is that Just Blaze made the beat in about ten minutes.
1. “U Don’t Know” – JAY-Z (2001)
Just Blaze has produced instrumentals for many of JAY-Z’s greatest songs, but his best beat is one of their earliest collaborations. Producing on The Blueprint was a breakout moment for Blaze, handling three different tracks. But, “U Don’t Know” stands out, immediately grabbing listeners with its energetic production and Hov’s commanding presence. The fiery beat puts all attention on Jay to spit some of his toughest rhymes. “U Don’t Know” is a quintessential Just Blaze, production marking the Roc-a-Fella sound of the 2000s. A high-energy track, the song also includes flourishes of soul with its chipmunk samples and vocal screams. The aggressive rapping from M.O.P. on the song’s remix also adds to the intensity of the instrumental. “U Don’t Know” displays JAY-Z and Just Blaze’s musical chemistry as one of Hov’s best lyrical moments and Blaze’s greatest production.
As an artist of his magnitude, it seems like every Drake album is his best-selling album. With each new release, he appears to break some sort of chart or streaming record. Most recently, he tied with Michael Jackson for the record of the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from a solo male artist. The milestone came off the heels of his latest album, For All The Dogs. Just like any Drake album, it went to #1 across worldwide charts regardless of the reception from fans and publications.
Few artists have the longevity at the enormous scale that Drake does. Even less have maintained their relevance as he has. Given that every Drake album has gone #1, boasted numerous hit singles, and is certified at least platinum, it begs the question of what Drake’s best-selling album actually is. That award goes to his second studio album, Take Care.
While Drake’s discography is highly decorated with gold, multi-platinum, and even diamond records, Take Care is his best-selling album to date. It is certified 8x platinum, achieving that milestone just this month. With the exception of the recently released For All the Dogs, every single one of Drake’s albums has gone both No. 1 and multi-platinum in different countries. However, Take Care’s status of 8x platinum is a sizable gap between the certifications of his other albums.
The closest works in Drake’s discography to beating Take Care are 2016’s Views and 2013’s Nothing Was the Same, which are 6x platinum, as well as the 5x platinum Scorpion. Additionally, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and Thank Me Later are 4x platinum, along with the 3x platinum – More Life and Certified Lover Boy. Drake’s output certainly has not slowed down, releasing four albums within the past three years. Regardless, Take Care has maintained its position as his best-selling album.
Other than being one of Drake’s most beloved albums, what pushed Take Care to become his highest-selling album is its many hits. The album’s lead single, “Marvin’s Room” is one of Drake’s most emotional tracks to date and became the ultimate soundtrack to one’s late-night heartbreaks. Tracks like “Headlines,” “HYFR,” and “The Motto” remain some of Drake’s most iconic anthems. Additionally, Drake’s work with The Weeknd and Rihanna on “Crew Love” and “Take Care,” respectively, are some of his most revered collaborations to date. While many of these multi-platinum tracks may not be his all-time biggest hits, they are some of his most classic records. Take Care’s numerous hit singles contributed to the album’s overall commercial success and 8x platinum status.
Take Care may be Drake’s best-selling album to date, but it is also one of his most timeless albums. With projects like So Far Gone and Thank Me Later, Drake separated himself from his peers as a unique and vulnerable artist who could both rap and sing. On Take Care, Drake solidified his sound as an artist with a unique approach to hip hop and R&B. Production from the likes of 40, T-Minus, Boi-1da, and more allowed Drake to write from his most candid and transparent perspective.
Both the production and the guest features brought the best out of Drake while allowing him to steer the album’s creative direction. Overall, Take Care contained some of Drake’s most legendary and biggest songs, leading to his best-selling album. The rap superstar has been nothing short of prolific since its release, but the fact that no album has overthrown its top position is a testament to its longevity.
Drake sees that his new album For All The Dogs isn’t getting unanimous rave reviews on Twitter. With his every move continuing to be watched, Drake reflected on how people felt about Take Care when it dropped.
Posting a screenshot of Hot New Hip-Hop to Instagram, Drake wrote: “reading these comments from when Take Care dropped [laughing emoji]”
The comments state the album was weak, boring, and singing too much. Much of the criticism surrounding his current release.
Drake is one of the most accomplished and beloved musicians working today, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to criticism. He’s not letting that bother him, though, and in fact, he seems to actually be having a great time checking out some old comments about Take Care, his 2011 sophomore album.
On his Instagram Story yesterday (October 8), he shared a screenshot of an old online comments section, presumably from a post about the album. Drake wrote, “Reading these comments from when Take Care dropped [crying laughing emoji].”
As for the feedback, one commenter wrote, “i agree with the review Drake lost some respect with this one, in my own opinion he should had back dated the release day and done a better Cd.” Another said, “I think his album was weak, repetitive, boring at times.. Nothing new, nothing exciting.. Same ole, same ole.. Blah!” Somebody else commented, “thank me later > take care… features went harder on TML, classic verses from all of them… the rapping was better and no track had to be skipped, take care has a few I don’t really like… good album but not great.”
@champagnepapi/Instagram
Given that Drake decided to take this trip down Memory Lane shortly after the release of his new album For All The Dogs, perhaps this is his way of dismissing whatever hate his new project may be subject to at the moment.
Drake shared a series of comments on HotNewHipHop’s original review of his now-classic album, Take Care, on Instagram, Sunday. The post comes after the release of his newest album, For All The Dogs.
“Reading these comments from when Take Care dropped,” Drake captioned the screenshot with a laughing emoji. One user argued that Thank Me Later was better than Take Care. “Features went harder on TML, classic verses from all of them,” they wrote. “The rapping was better and no track had to be skipped. Take Care has a few I don’t really like… good album but not great.” Others labeled it “weak” and noted they “lost respect” for Drake.
INDIO, CA – APRIL 12: Rapper Drake performs onstage during day 3 of the 2015 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Weekend 1) at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2015 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
Drake dropped Take Care back in November 2021, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and selling 631,000 copies in its first week. He brought a star-studded list of collaborators to appear on the project including The Weeknd, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and André 3000. It went on to win Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Check out the comments from HotNewHipHop on the project that Drake shared below.
Drake Reacts To HNHH’s Comments
Image via Instagram @champagnepapi
Reading criticism of his work is nothing new for Drake. After the release of For All The Dogs, he feuded with Joe Budden, who responded negatively to the project. In a lengthy post on social media, Drake wrote: “@joebudden you have failed at music. You left it behind to do what you are doing in this clip cause this is what actually pays your bills. For any artist watching this just remember you are watching a failure give their opinion on his idea of a recipe for success… a quitter give their opinion on how to achieve longevity…”
