Best I Ever Had (Drake song)

"Best I Ever Had"
Single by Drake
from the album So Far Gone
A-side "Fancy"
Released
  • February 13, 2009 (download)
  • June 16, 2009 (single)
  • November 29, 2010 (UK)
Format
Recorded 2008; PMCK Studios
(Toronto, Ontario)
Genre Pop-rap[1]
Length 4:19
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Boi-1da
Certification 3x Platinum (RIAA)
Drake singles chronology
"Replacement Girl"
(2007)		 "Best I Ever Had"
(2009)		 "Successful"
(2009)

"Best I Ever Had" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake's first EP So Far Gone. It first became prominent from the release of Drake's third mixtape of the same name. In 2009, the song was named the "Hot Rap Song" of the year by Billboard.[2] The song's popularity helped Drake decide to release So Far Gone as an EP, available for purchase. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards; Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. The song samples "Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds and "Do It For The Boy" by Lil Wayne. In early 2010 it was also nominated for Single of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards, but lost to Michael Bublé's "Haven't Met You Yet" The song is also included on Drake's first album Thank Me Later, as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the album and on iTunes in several countries. It was released as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2010 as a double-A-side single with "Fancy".

Artwork

The artwork originally showed the single as a file on a computer with a plain white background,[3] designed by artwork designer Darkie; this was deemed as too obscure by iTunes. A new cover was created by Darkie.[4]

Controversy

Kia Shine credited himself with the production of the hit single, claiming he co-wrote the song for Drake, entitling him with part ownership of the song. Shine had produced a mixtape track for Lil Wayne titled "Do It for the Boy" which "Best I Ever Had" interpolates. Shine had already received awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated for "Best I Ever Had".[5] Drake maintained that he had never met Shine and admitted that he sampled the Lil Wayne song, but called the claim to the credit "distasteful".[6]

In a lawsuit filed on June 24, 2010, Drake is being sued for copyright infringement by Playboy Enterprises over allegations that "Best I Ever Had" samples American rock group Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds' 1975 hit "Fallin' in Love", a song to which Playboy owns the copyright. The suit names Drake, as well as Cash Money Records and Universal Music Group, and asserts that Playboy "has suffered, and will continue to suffer irreparable injury" from the alleged infringement. The lawsuit demands that "all infringing works be recalled and destroyed". As part of its claim, Playboy also alleges that "each defendant either knew, or should have reasonably known, that the sound recording was protected by copyright".[7]

Music video

Drake told MTV News before his show at Manhattan's SOB's that he was in the process of putting together a music video for the song. He explained: “I been working with a people on some ideas,” he explained. “I don’t wanna say who yet, because everything isn’t confirmed yet. It should be pretty solid in the next few days. The biggest thing about that song is that a lot of women come up to me and say, ‘That’s my song, because it really makes me feel special.’ So I told the directors that were interested that I just want the visuals to coincide with that feeling. I want women to feel special when they watch the visual and say, ‘I wish that was me,’ or ‘I know that feeling .’ That’s the goal with the video — to be genuine and not sappy. Be sexy and keep it together, but still make women smile.”[8]

The video, directed by Kanye West, was shot in Brooklyn, New York at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School.[9] Trey Songz, Fabolous, Consequence, and the song's producer Boi-1da made cameos in the video, as well as artists signed to Young Money Entertainment, such as Lil Twist, Shanell, and Lil Chuckee.[10]

A clip of the video was shown June 30, 2009 on It's On with Alexa Chung, and the full version of the video premiered on the internet on July 1, 2009.[11] The full version of the video made its television debut on AMTV on July 2, 2009. There was criticism of the video in the media, including an article in the British newspaper The Guardian,[12] highlighting the gratuitous focus on the unsupported implanted breasts and prominent posteriors of the female basketball players that Drake coaches in the video.

Remix

The official remix of the song features rapper Nicki Minaj. The remix is included on Minaj's mixtape "Beam Me Up Scotty". Other artists to add an additional verse after Drakes 1st hook include Tank, Mase, Busta Rhymes and Swizz Beatz.

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and went on to peak at number 2 for four weeks behind The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" before falling to number 3, making Drake the third Canadian rapper to have a song chart on the Hot 100 (the first being Kardinal Offishall with "Dangerous" at number 5, followed by K'naan with "Wavin' Flag" at number 99). The single has since risen to number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs due to high airplay and downloads.[13] The single debuted on Hot Rap Tracks on May 9 at number 24 and has risen to number 1. Drake is the first Canadian rapper to achieve a number one song on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Tracks charts, simultaneously. He is the second Canadian artist to reach the summit of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs after Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here". Within the first two weeks of its availability for sale on iTunes, "Best I Ever Had" has garnered over 300,000 units sold. According to the June 29 edition of The New York Times, these sales have earned Drake the number 4 best selling single, behind only songs from The Black Eyed Peas and Sean Kingston.[14] The single peaked at number 49 on the Pop 100 chart before it was discontinued. "Best I Ever Had" has been downloaded over 2,000,000 times since its release.[15]

On May 28, 2009, an unauthorized album The Girls Love Drake, released by a label named Canadian Money Entertainment was released to iTunes, which featured the song as well as the Young Money Entertainment song "Every Girl". Both songs jumped on the Billboard Hot 100 due to heavy downloads of the album, at the positions of number 18 and number 35 respectively. After a couple of days it was removed at the request of Drake's management, with Drake filing a lawsuit against the label.[16]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2009–10) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 24
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 123
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 1
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[21] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[22] 10
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[23] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 79
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 22
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26] 4
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[27] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^
Mastertone
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/drake/best_i_ever_had/[]
  2. ↑ "Drop It Like It's Hot - Snoop Dogg". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  3. ↑ Original artwork
  4. ↑ New album artwork
  5. ↑ "Video: Kia Shine Responds To Drake! "You Can' Fabricate Me Gettin An Award For Best I Ever Had Song. I Will get 25 Percent Of Whatever That Song Makes. They Flipped The Track & Some Of The Words" [Audio]". Worldstarhiphop.com. 2009-09-18. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  6. ↑ "October'S Very Own: Best I Ever Had". Octobersveryown.blogspot.com. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  7. ↑ TC (June 27, 2010). "Playboy Seeks The Best Lawsuit They Ever Had". Uproxx. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  8. ↑ Rodriguez, Jayson (2009-05-29). "Drake Working On A Video For 'Best I Ever Had' - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  9. ↑ "Drake Best Ever Had's School is Bishop Ford High School". Slumz.boxden.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  10. ↑ Best I Ever Had Songfacts
  11. ↑ "Drake - Best I Ever Had Official Music Video". WeLiveThis.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ Pickard, Anna (July 9, 2009). "Drake - The Best I Ever Had". The Guardian. London.
  13. ↑ Archived June 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "Drake Sells 300,000 Copies of Best I Ever Had in 2 Weeks". WeLiveThis.com. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ Billboard.com - Exclusive: Fake Drake Album Sold On iTunes, Lawsuit Planned Against Label It has been put back on iTunes and has so far peaked at number #2
  17. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Drake. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Chart Log UK – Chart Coverage and Record Sales 2009 and Special Single-File Version". Zobbel.de. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Drake. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Drake.
  21. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rap Songs for Drake.
  22. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Drake.
  23. ↑ "Drake – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Drake.
  24. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: 2009 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs: 2009 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  26. ↑ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 2009 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Rap Songs: 2009 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  28. 1 2 "American single certifications – Drake – Best I Ever Had". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

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