Solo Artist · Drizzy

Drake

Active2006-present
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Albums9
Tracks166

Most frequent collaborator: 40  ·  74 tracks

Hip-HopRapR&BPop RapTrap
98%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 162 of 166 tracks

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.

By the Numbers

9
Studio Albums
166
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
170M+
Records Sold
20
Years Active
701
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 162 / 166 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 166 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 credit98%
9%
89%
2%
Sole author15tracks9%
Co-written147tracks89%
Outside writers4tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Drake's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 166 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)98%
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 98%
100%
100%
100%
94%
95%
100%
95%
96%
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
2026Iceman
Early · 100% written
Mid · 97% written
Late · 97% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

98%
2010s
Thank Me Later, Take Care +4 more
97%
2020s
Certified Lover Boy, For All the Dogs +1 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.

Whitney Houston5%
Ray Charles14%
Backstreet Boys25%
Rihanna44%
TLC59%
Ariana Grande77%
Snoop Dogg88%
98%Drake
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Find Your Love
Thank Me Later
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 Mule, 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

Discography 9 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Drake166 tracks
474 NS73 MS30 B30 AP17 N11

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. 4 40 · NS Noah Shebib · MS Matthew Samuels · B Boi-1da · AP Anthony Palman · N Nineteen85

The Writers & Producers Behind Drake 6 key collaborators

4
40
Producer
Thank Me Later / Take Care / Nothing Was the Same / If You're Reading This It's Too Late74 tracks
NS
Noah Shebib
Songwriter
Thank Me Later / Take Care / Nothing Was the Same / If You're Reading This It's Too Late73 tracks
MS
Matthew Samuels
Songwriter
Thank Me Later / Take Care / Nothing Was the Same / If You're Reading This It's Too Late30 tracks
B
Boi-1da
Producer
Thank Me Later / Take Care / Nothing Was the Same / If You're Reading This It's Too Late30 tracks
AP
Anthony Palman
Songwriter
Take Care / Nothing Was the Same17 tracks
N
Nineteen85
Producer
Nothing Was the Same / Views / Scorpion / Certified Lover Boy11 tracks

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.
How many albums has Drake released?
Nine studio albums, from Thank Me Later (2010) through Iceman, including Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, Views, and Scorpion.
Is Drake the most-streamed artist?
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.

Sources

Wikipedia: Drake (musician) Complex: Quentin Miller, the man Meek Mill claims is Drake's ghostwriter