Drake raps his own verses and is credited as a writer on his songs, but like most modern hip-hop his tracks are built with large co-writing and production teams. In 2015 Meek Mill alleged that Drake used a ghostwriter, pointing to Quentin Miller, who is credited as a co-writer on several songs from If You're Reading This It's Too Late; Miller said he was a credited collaborator, not an uncredited ghostwriter. Across the catalogue Drake carries a writing credit on nearly everything he releases.
By the Numbers
12
Studio Albums
212
Tracks Credited
97%
Self-Written
170M+
Records Sold
20
Years Active
872
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 206 / 212 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 212 tracks: how many Drake wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Drake has a writing credit97%
7%
90%
3%
Sole author15tracks7%
Co-written191tracks90%
Outside writers6tracks3%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Drake's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 212 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)97%
Composer (music)97%
Producer2%
Performer99%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Drake's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 97%
100%
100%
100%
94%
95%
100%
95%
96%
90%
100%
100%
100%
2010Thank Me Later
2011Take Care
2013Nothing Was the Same
2015If You're Reading This It's Too Late
2016Views
2018Scorpion
2021Certified Lover Boy
2023For All the Dogs
2025Some Sexy Songs 4 U
2026Iceman
2026Habibti
2026Maid of Honour
Early · 98% written
Mid · 97% written
Late · 97% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
98%
2010s
Thank Me Later, Take Care +4 more
96%
2020s
Certified Lover Boy, For All the Dogs +4 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Drake sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Drake
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Aubrey Graham, Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Ernest Wilson, Patrick Reynolds
Co-wrote
Over
Thank Me Later
Written by Aubrey Graham, Matthew Samuels, Nick Brongers, Noah Shebib
Co-wrote
Headlines
Take Care
Written by Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib, Anthony Palman, Matthew Samuels
Co-wrote
Marvins Room
Take Care
Written by Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib, Adrian Eccleston, Jason Beck
Co-wrote
Started from the Bottom
Nothing Was the Same
Written by Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib, William Coleman
Co-wrote
Energy
If You're Reading This It's Too Late
Written by Aubrey Graham, Matthew O'Brien, Matthew Samuels, Dorfmeister, Kienzi, Thomas
Co-wrote
Know Yourself
If You're Reading This It's Too Late
Written by Aubrey Graham, Miller, Matthew Samuels, Anderson Hernandez, Milray, Allen Ritter, Scruggs
Co-wrote
10 Bands
If You're Reading This It's Too Late
Written by Aubrey Graham, Miller, Matthew Samuels, Adam Feeney, Rupert Thomas Jr.
Co-wrote
Hotline Bling
Views
Written by Aubrey Graham, Paul Jefferies, Timmy Thomas
Co-wrote
Controlla
Views
Written by Aubrey Graham, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Garfield Riley Jr., Moses Davis, Donald Dennis, Gary Jackson, Patrick Roberts, Andrew Thomas
Co-wrote
God's Plan
Scorpion
Written by Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Matthew Samuels, Noah Shebib, Ronald LaTour, Brock Korsan
Co-wrote
Nice for What
Scorpion
Written by Aubrey Graham, Shane Lindstrom, Noah Shebib, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Dennis Coles, Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, Marvin Hamlisch, Lamont Hawkins, Lauryn Hill, Jason Hunter, Russell Jones, Clifford Smith, Corey Woods, Orville Hall, Phillip Price, Bryan Williams, Byron Thomas, Glenshie Rowe
Co-wrote
In My Feelings
Scorpion
Written by Aubrey Graham, Caresha Brownlee, Jatavia Johnson, Benny Workman, Noah Shebib, Dwayne Carter Jr., Stephen Garrett, Darius Harrison, James Scheffer, Rex Zamor, Renetta Lowe-Bridgewater, Orville Hall, Phillip Price
Co-wrote
Nonstop
Scorpion
Written by Aubrey Graham, Brytavious Chambers, Dion Wilson
Co-wrote
Way 2 Sexy
Certified Lover Boy
Written by Aubrey Graham, Nayvadius Wilburn, Jeffery Williams, Bryan Simmons, Lesidney Ragland, Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass, Robert Manzoli
Co-wrote
Girls Want Girls
Certified Lover Boy
Written by Aubrey Graham, Dominique Jones, Ozan Yildirim, Mathias Liyew
Co-wrote
Knife Talk
Certified Lover Boy
Written by Aubrey Graham, Shéyaa Abraham-Joseph, Patrick Houston, Leland Wayne, Peter Lee Johnson, Jordan Houston, Rakim Mayers, Robert Mandell, Jerami Davis
Co-wrote
Slime You Out
For All the Dogs
Written by Aubrey Graham, Solána Rowe, Noel Cadastre, Noah Shebib, Benjamin Saint Fort, Dalton Tennant, Chris Powell, Grant Lapointe
Co-wrote
First Person Shooter
For All the Dogs
Written by Aubrey Graham, Jermaine Cole, Matthew Samuels, Anderson Hernandez, Brytavious Chambers, Michael Mulé, Isaac De Boni, Ozan Yildirim, Scotty Coleman, Joe Washington Jr., Snorre Tidemand
Co-wrote
Rich Baby Daddy
For All the Dogs
Written by Aubrey Graham, Janae Wherry, Solána Rowe, Diamanté Blackmon, Richard Zastenker, Johannes Klahr, Benjamin Saint Fort, Douglas Ford, Shivam Barot, Yuval Chain, Florence Welch, Isabella Summers, Mac Felländer-Tsai, T. Schaeferdieck
Co-wrote
8AM in Charlotte
For All the Dogs
Written by Aubrey Graham, Denzel Williams, Mario Dragoi, Jason Woodland, Lauren Santi, Nichol Eskridge
Co-wrote
Janice STFU
Iceman
Written by Drake, Aubrey Drake Graham
Wrote it
Which One
Maid of Honour
Written by Drake, Oakley Caesar-Su, Bradley Baker, Octavian Godji, Ozan Yildirim, Lars Cristen, Tyshane Thompson, Vincent Dubinsky, Aubrey Drake Graham
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 848. B B4U
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Drake writes all of his own rap verses; his lyricist credit is effectively 100% across his catalog. Like Lil Wayne, the musical compositions are produced externally (40, Boi-1da, Murda Beatz, Noah '40' Shebib, Metro Boomin), creating the same hip-hop split between MC and producer. He is one of the few artists who bridges rap and R&B, often singing hooks he also wrote.
Quick Facts
Billboard #1s14 Hot 100 singles, 15 #1 albums (records for a male soloist)
StreamingMost-streamed act in Spotify history
Grammys5 wins, plus a record 41 Billboard Music Awards
HonorsBillboard Artist of the Decade, 2010s
Creative Fingerprint
A rapper-singer who writes all his own vocals inside large co-writing and production rooms: he holds a writing credit on nearly everything, but most songs carry many co-writers and outside producers.
The Story
Drake (born Aubrey Drake Graham) is a Toronto-born rapper, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence after transitioning from acting to music in the mid-2000s. He redefined modern hip-hop by blending introspective rap lyricism with melodic R&B hooks, a style often called 'emo rap' or 'singing rap' that influenced an entire generation of artists. His string of commercial and critical successes, spanning mixtapes, studio albums, and streaming records, has made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Awards & Recognition
Over 170 million units sold, among the best-selling music artists of all time
Highest-certified digital singles artist in US history, about 142 million units
Most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles (14) and Billboard 200 number-one albums (15) among male solo artists
Five Grammy Awards and a record 41 Billboard Music Awards
Billboard Artist of the Decade (2010s); most-streamed act in Spotify history
Frequently Asked Questions Drake
Does Drake write his own songs?
Drake raps his own verses and is credited as a writer on his songs, but like most modern hip-hop his tracks are built with large co-writing and production teams. In 2015 Meek Mill alleged that Drake used a ghostwriter, pointing to Quentin Miller, who is credited as a co-writer on several songs from If You're Reading This It's Too Late; Miller said he was a credited collaborator, not an uncredited ghostwriter. Across the catalogue Drake carries a writing credit on nearly everything he releases.
Who produces Drake's music?
Most of it comes from a small circle led by his longtime collaborator Noah '40' Shebib, alongside producers such as Boi-1da and Metro Boomin. Drake writes the vocals while the beats and compositions are usually external, the standard rapper-and-producer split.
How many writers are on a typical Drake song?
Often many. Sample-heavy hits like 'In My Feelings' carry more than a dozen credited writers, because every sampled or interpolated songwriter is added to the credits. Drake is the one name common to all of them.
Did Drake write 'Hotline Bling'?
Drake is credited on 'Hotline Bling' (Views, 2016) with producer Nineteen85 (Paul Jefferies) and Timmy Thomas, whose 1972 song 'Why Can't We Live Together' the track interpolates.
What are Drake's biggest songs?
'God's Plan' and 'In My Feelings,' both from Scorpion (2018), each reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and 'One Dance' (Views, 2016) was a global chart-topper. Earlier favorites like 'Marvins Room' and 'Started from the Bottom' built his reputation.
How many number-one hits does Drake have?
Drake has 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and 15 number-one albums on the Billboard 200, both records among male solo artists.
Yes. In February 2023 Drake was named the most-streamed act in Spotify history, and he holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo artist.
Did Drake write 'One Dance'?
Yes, Drake co-wrote 'One Dance' (Views, 2016) with its producers and the artists it features, Wizkid and Kyla. It became one of his biggest global hits.
How many Grammys has Drake won?
Drake has won five Grammy Awards. He has also collected a record 41 Billboard Music Awards and was named Billboard Artist of the Decade for the 2010s.