Shazamers' Blog

Since June this year Drake has been dominating blogs with his sophomore teasers including ‘Dreams Money Can Buy’ – sampled from Jai Paul, ‘Marvin’s Room’ and the duet with Rick Ross ‘Free Spirit’. Since releasing his second album ‘Take Care’, the title track has gone on to make the strongest impact with the commercial crowd. It features one of the biggest selling female artists of all time Rihanna and takes it sample from Jamie xx’s rendition of Gill Scot-Heron’s ‘I’ll Take Care Of You’.

The song features repetitive drums, a deep bassline and harmonic piano chords matched with polite side-chained strings.  Drake’s lyrics touch upon past romances and the emotions involved with break-ups. The track reached #9 in the UK official charts and has topped our Shazam Tag Charts in the UK and USA. The album has been received with mixed reviews, although reaching #1 in the Billboard charts. Compared to Drake’s debut album, the overall feel of this is slower and introduces Drake more of a compassionate singer. With most songs produced by his sidekick 40, this was inevitable. Just Blaze’s production of ‘Lord Knows’ is the most dynamic and hard hitting track which also features Maybach Music, other featured artists on the album include The Weeknd, Birdman, Lil’ Wayne and Stevie Wonder.

Jack Taylor Shazam's Tags Of 2011 drake

Drake and Lil Wayne hit the top spot in the Shazam New Release chart USA.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake, Lil Wayne

Drake hits the top spot in the Shazam New Release Chart UK with the Jamie XX sampling ‘Take Care’.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart UK drake

It’s a good week for Drake as he takes both the number one spot and around 40% of the real estate in the Shazam New Release USA.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake

Drake takes the top spot in the Shazam New Release Chart USA for a second week with ‘Make Me Proud’.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake

The anticipation mounts for Drake’s forthcoming album as he tops the Shazam New Release Chart USA for a third time this year.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake, Nicki Minaj

After sending the Twitter-verse into a storm last year over their supposed ‘marriage’ Drake and Nicki Minaj team up for something that is undoubtedly real. A certifiable club banger, ‘Make Me Proud’ motors along with a propulsive bass shudder precision-tooled to get booties shaking across the land. Things really kick off when Nicki Minaj drops in for a typically awesome verse that demonstrates why she’s just about the hottest thing in hip-hop right now.

‘Make Me Proud’ is taken from Drake’s forthcoming album ‘Take Care’, which will be released 15 November. It’s going to have some pretty big shoes to fill if it’s going to top his previous record, the platinum-selling, Billboard-topping ‘Thank Me Later’, but it looks as though he may be on the right track. While he’s dialling back on the collaborations that defined his last LP, Drake has managed to bring in none other than Stevie Wonder to give a major boost to his R&B credentials

“With Stevie it’s hard for me to explain. It’s an incredible thing I witnessed that night,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “He heard a song that he saw some potential in and he added some key pieces that made it come to life. I’ve never played a song for people and they’ve cried and gone into their own private zone in their mind where they’re really thinking about some situations that hit home. And this song has done that for me.”

With just a few weeks to go until ‘Take Care’ hits, Drake seems quietly confident that he’s got another smash on his hands. If the record can maintain the levels on show in ‘Make Me Proud’, there’s every chance he’s right.

Listen to ‘Make Me Proud’ here.

Huw Thomas Tag Of The Day drake, Nicki Minaj

If Lil’ Wayne’s rap career ever goes down the tubes – and that seems highly unlikely considering his latest release became the fastest selling album on iTunes when it was released last week – he can always rest easy that his record label is in good shape. Wayne’s imprint Young Money has  been riding high on the ongoing success of Nicki Minaj’s debut ‘Pink Friday’; but things are set to go stratospheric when Drake drops his long awaited sophomore record, ‘Take Care’.

The latest single, ‘Headlines’, hints at an electronic sounding production and introspective mood for the forthcoming album: one not far from Kanye West’s ‘808 ‘s And Heartbreaks’. Drake stays true to past form, concentrating his verses on the grand scale of his bank account. Yet many of the lyrics hint at uneasiness. “Money on my mind / then she wanna ask when it got so empty,” is just one example that shows Drake contemplating the spoils of the rap game. Like the previous single, ‘Marvin’s Room’, Drake’s latest work shows that he consciously self examines himself in a way that most rappers would never dream of.

With collaborations with Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross and soul legend Stevie Wonder all confirmed, ‘Take Care’ is sure to be at worst a highly competent hip hop record. At best, it could be one of the albums of the year.  

You can check the video here

Stephen Titmus Tag Of The Day drake, Lil Wayne

Canadian rap sensation Drake holds on to the top spot in the Shazam New Release Chart USA.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake

Drake follows up the success of ‘Marvin’s Room’ as his latest single, ‘Headlines’, takes the top spot in the Shazam New Release Chart USA.

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA drake