Nice for What

"Nice for What"
Single by Drake
from the album Scorpion
Released April 6, 2018 (2018-04-06)
Format Digital download
Genre Bounce
Length 3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Drake singles chronology
"Walk It Talk It"
(2018)		 "Nice for What"
(2018)		 "Yes Indeed"
(2018)
Music video
"Nice for What" on YouTube

"Nice for What" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake from his fifth studio album Scorpion (2018). It was released by Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records as the second single from the album on April 6, 2018, along with its music video. The song was produced by Murda Beatz with co-production handled by Blaqnmild, and features additional vocals by Big Freedia and 5th Ward Weebie. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, replacing Drake's own "God's Plan" and becoming his fifth US number one.[1] It also topped the UK Singles Chart and ARIA Singles Chart, becoming his second number-one song of 2018 in the two countries after "God's Plan".[2]

Background

On March 14, 2018, Lauryn Hill's son Joshua Omaru Marley posted a snippet of the song on Snapchat.[3] Drake later confirmed an upcoming Murda Beatz-produced single during an Instagram Live session.[4] On April 5, Drake made a surprise appearance during a Majid Jordan concert in Toronto.[5][6][7] "The reason I'm here tonight is because I'm back in the city finishing my album," he told the audience. "I've got a new single dropping tomorrow night, too, just in case you got some free time."[8][9][10][11]

Composition

"Nice for What" is an upbeat bounce song which contains elements of early 2000s R&B,[12][13][14] with a length of three minutes thirty seconds.[15] It samples Lauryn Hill's song "Ex-Factor" (1998), "Drag Rap" by the Showboys (1986), "Get Your Roll On" by Big Tymers (2000), and also features clips from performances by Big Freedia.[16][17][18] Lyrically, the hook of Drake's song samples Lauryn Hill singing about "cutting loose in the midst of a relationship".[19]

Music video

Directed by Karena Evans, the accompanying music video shows women carrying out various activities, including swimming, dancing, modeling, playing with children, horse-riding, and holding a business meeting.[20] It features guest appearances from, in order of appearance,[21] Olivia Wilde, Misty Copeland, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Jourdan Dunn, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tiffany Haddish, Yara Shahidi, Zoe Saldana, Elizabeth and Victoria Lejonhjärta, Letitia Wright, Bria Vinaite, Emma Roberts, Syd, Michelle Rodriguez and Drake himself.[22][23][24][25] Evans called it an honour to work on the video, writing on Instagram that it was "a privilege and a blessing to have told this story with every single one of you revolutionary women, both in front and behind the camera".[26]

Critical reception

"Nice for What" received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising its promotion of female empowerment.[27][28] Hugh McIntyre of Forbes regarded the "perfectly-pitched" song as "another perfect delivery from the biggest artist in hip-hop", writing that the "vocal sample helps the track stand out from much of the rest of his discography".[20] Kevin Lozano of Pitchfork awarded the song "Best New Track", praising Drake for "smoothly handling the impeccable production from Murda Beatz", and lauding the song as "a fantastic piece of hip-hop machinery" and "one of Drake's most complete releases in some time".[29]

Chris DeVille of Stereogum deemed the song "a big, brash, almost obnoxiously loud New Orleans bounce-inspired production", describing it as "extremely poppy and sounds like a bid for continued commercial dominance".[30]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Drake became the first artist to have a new number-one debut replace his former number-one debut ("God's Plan") at the top of the Hot 100. It debuted with 88,000 downloads sold and 60.4 million streams. "Nice for What" became the 30th song in Billboard history to enter at number one. It also became Drake's fifth US number-one song overall and third as a lead artist.[1] The song also became the first song to debut on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart in the top 10. [31] "Nice for What" topped the Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks before it was replaced on May 14, 2018 by Childish Gambino's "This Is America".[32][33][34] It then returned for a fifth non-consecutive week at the number one spot on the issue date June 2, 2018.[35] On the issue dated July 14, 2018, "Nice for What" became the first song to reach number one in four nonconsecutive runs. It has topped the Hot 100 for eight nonconsecutive weeks.[36]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal and Qobuz.[15][37]

  • Murda Beatz – production
  • Blaqnmild – co-production
  • Noah "40" Shebib – additional production, mixing
  • Corey Litwin – additional production
  • Harley Arsenault – mixing assistance
  • Greg Moffet – mixing assistance
  • Ronald Moonoo – mixing assistance
  • Chris Quock – recording engineering assistance
  • Noel "Gadget" Campbell – mixing
  • Mike Gaydusek – record engineering
  • Big Freedia – additional vocals
  • 5thward Weebie – additional vocals
  • Glenishe "Bobby Jean" Rowe – additional vocals

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 1
Australia Urban (ARIA)[39] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[40] 6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[41] 20
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[42] 6
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] 1
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[44] 3
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[45] 23
Denmark (Tracklisten)[46] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[47] 13
France (SNEP)[48] 28
Germany (Official German Charts)[49] 9
Greece (IFPI)[50] 3
Hungary (Single Top 40)[51] 29
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[52] 11
Ireland (IRMA)[53] 2
Italy (FIMI)[54] 53
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[55] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[56] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[57] 5
Portugal (AFP)[58] 7
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[59] 10
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[60] 13
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] 62
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[62] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[63] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[2] 1
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[64] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[65] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[66] 30
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[67] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[68] 11
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[69] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[70] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[71] Gold 30,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[72] 4× Platinum 320,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[73] Gold 45,000^
France (SNEP)[74] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[75] Platinum 30,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[76] Platinum 600,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[77] 3× Platinum 378,000[78]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various April 6, 2018 Digital download [15]
United States April 10, 2018 Rhythmic contemporary radio
[79]

References

  1. 1 2 Trust, Gary (April 16, 2018). "Drake Dethrones Himself Atop Hot 100, as 'Nice for What' Debuts at No. 1, Replacing 'God's Plan'". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Listen to a Snippet of a Drake and Lauryn Hill Collaboration". Rap-Up. March 14, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  4. ↑ Mojica, Nick (March 22, 2018). "Drake Confirms New Single on the Way Is Produced by Murda Beatz". XXL. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  5. ↑ Wicks, Amanda (April 6, 2018). "Drake Says He's Releasing a New Song Tomorrow". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ Thiessen, Brock (April 6, 2018). "Drake Is Releasing a New Single Friday Night". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ Robles, Jonathan (April 6, 2018). "New Drake Song Is Coming Very, Very Soon". Variance. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  8. ↑ Rolli, Bryan (April 6, 2018). "Drake Confirms He's Finishing New Album, Drops 'Nice For What' Song/Video". Forbes. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  9. ↑ Jones, Abby (April 6, 2018). "Drake Says He's Dropping a New Single Tonight". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  10. ↑ Aswad, Jem (April 6, 2018). "Drake Says He's Dropping a New Song Tonight (Video)". Variety. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  11. ↑ Grant, Teddy (April 6, 2018). "Drake Announces He's Dropping New Single Tonight". Ebony. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ Peters, Mitchell (April 7, 2018). "Drake Drops New Lauryn Hill-Sampling Song and Video 'Nice For What': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  13. ↑ Peters, Micah (April 9, 2018). ""Nice for What" Is Another Inevitable Victory for Drake". The Ringer. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  14. ↑ Ting, Jasmine (April 7, 2018). "Drake Does Everything Right in 'Nice For What'". Paper. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Nice For What / Drake TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  16. ↑ Hussein, Wandera (April 7, 2018). "Legendary New Orleans bounce producer BlaqNmilD talks co-producing "Nice For What"". The Fader. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ Welsh, April (April 7, 2018). "Watch the star-studded video for Drake's new song 'Nice For What'". Fact. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  18. ↑ Carmichael, Rodney (April 7, 2018). "Drake Bounces, Looking To Uplift Single Women As They Drop It Low". WPSU. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  19. ↑ Arcand, Rob (April 7, 2018). "Video: Drake – "Nice For What"". Spin. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  20. 1 2 McIntyre, Hugh (April 6, 2018). "Drake Drops Energetic New Single 'Nice For What'". Forbes. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  21. ↑ Maicki, Salvatore (April 7, 2018). "A breakdown of all the cameos in Drake's "Nice For What" video". The Fader. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (April 7, 2018). "Watch Drake's Star-Studded Video for New Song 'Nice for What'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  23. ↑ Young, Alex (April 7, 2018). "Drake drops new single "Nice For What" and all-star video: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  24. ↑ Hall, Gerrad (April 7, 2018). "Olivia Wilde, Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae, more powerful women star in Drake's 'Nice for What' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. ↑ Blais-Billie, Braudie; Wicks, Amanda (April 7, 2018). "Drake's New "Nice for What" Video Stars Issa Rae, Olivia Wilde, Rashida Jones: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  26. ↑ Saad, Nardine (April 7, 2018). "Drake lauds celebrity girl squad in new 'Nice for What' video". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  27. ↑ Chaplain, Chloe (April 7, 2018). "Drake 'Nice For What' track praised for promoting female empowerment". London Evening Standard. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  28. ↑ Mapstone, Lucy (April 7, 2018). "Drake praised for empowering women with star-studded new video". Irish Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  29. ↑ Lozano, Kevin (April 7, 2018). ""Nice for What" by Drake Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  30. ↑ DeVille, Chris (April 7, 2018). "Drake – "Nice For What" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  31. ↑ Anderson, Trevor. "Drake's 'Nice for What' Marks First-Ever Top 10 Debut on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  32. ↑ Trust, Gary. "Drake's 'Nice for What' No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Post Malone's 'Psycho' No. 2 & Camila Cabello's 'Never Be the Same' Hits Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  33. ↑ McIntyre, Hugh. "Camila Cabello and Post Malone Chart New Top 10 Hits While Drake Rules Again". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
  35. ↑ "Drake's 'Nice for What' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Lil Baby, Ella Mai & BTS Earn First Top 10s". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  36. ↑ Trust, Gary (July 9, 2018). "Drake Claims 7 of Hot 100's Top 10, Breaking the Beatles' Record, As 'Nice For What' Returns to No. 1 For Eighth Week". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Nice for What - Drake". Qobuz. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Drake – Nice for What". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  39. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Urban Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Drake – Nice for What" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Drake – Nice for What" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Drake – Nice for What" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  45. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201816 into search. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Drake – Nice for What". Tracklisten. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Drake: Nice for What" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  48. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Drake – Nice for What" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Drake – Nice for What". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  50. ↑ "IFPI – Greek Charts". IFPI. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  53. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 16" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  55. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Drake – Nice for What" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Charts.nz – Drake – Nice for What". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Drake – Nice for What". VG-lista. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Drake – Nice for What". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  59. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  60. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201816 into search. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  61. ↑ "Top 100 Canciones – Semana 17: del 20.4.2018 al 26.4.2018" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  62. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Drake – Nice for What". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  63. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Drake – Nice for What". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  65. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  66. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  67. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  68. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  69. ↑ "Drake Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  70. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Drake – Nice For What" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  72. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Drake – Nice For What". Music Canada. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  73. ↑ "Drake "Nice For What"". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  74. ↑ "French single certifications – Drake – Nice For What" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  75. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Drake – Nice for What". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  76. ↑ "British single certifications – Drake – Nice For What". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 11, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Nice For What in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  77. ↑ "American single certifications – Drake – Nice For What". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  78. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (July 12, 2018). "Post Malone & Drake Rule Nielsen Music's Mid-Year 2018 R&B/Hip-Hop Charts". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  79. ↑ "Top 40/R Future Releases". Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
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