Best I Ever Had (Drake song)
Encyclopedia
"Best I Ever Had" is the first single from 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
. 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
. 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
".
for "Best I Ever Had". Drake maintained that he had never met Shine and admitted that he sampled the Lil Wayne song, but called the claim to the credit was "distasteful".
' 1975 hit "Fallin' in Love", a song which Playboy owns the copyright to.
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."
before his show at Manhattan
's S.O.B.'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.”
The video was shot in Brooklyn
, New York
at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School
. Kanye West
was the director of the video. 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.
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. 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, highlighting the gratuitous focus on the unsupported implanted breasts and prominent posteriors of the female basketball players that Drake coaches in the video.Drake later won the lawsuit
in the US and went on to peak at #2 for four weeks behind The Black Eyed Peas
' hit "I Gotta Feeling
" before falling to #3, making Drake the third Canadian rapper to have a song chart on the Hot 100 (the first being Kardinal Offishall
with "Dangerous
" at #5, followed by K'naan
with "Wavin' Flag
" at #99). The single has since risen to number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
due to high airplay and downloads. 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 #4 best selling single, behind only songs from The Black Eyed Peas
and Sean Kingston
. The single peaked at #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.
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 #18 and #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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rapper Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
's first EP So Far Gone
So Far Gone
So Far Gone is the third official mixtape from Canadian rapper/singer Drake. Released in February 2009, the mixtape proved to be a major catalyst in the launching of Drake's career on an international scale. Tracks "Best I Ever Had" and "Successful" were released as singles from the mixtape, and...
. 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
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. 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
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds was a 1970s AM soft rock trio from Los Angeles. The original members were Dan Hamilton , Joe Frank Carollo , and Tommy Reynolds , all of whom had previously played in The T-Bones, a 1960s band noted for the instrumental hit "No Matter What Shape ".The group first hit...
. In early 2010 it was also nominated for Single of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards, but lost to Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
's "Haven't Met You Yet
Haven't Met You Yet
"Haven’t Met You Yet" is the first single from Canadian singer Michael Bublé's fourth album Crazy Love, released on August 31, 2009. According to Bublé, the single and its official music video are "about everyone's dream of finding a relationship and love." Bublé co-wrote "Haven’t Met You Yet" with...
" The song is also included on Drake's first album Thank Me Later
Thank Me Later
Thank Me Later is the debut studio album of Canadian recording artist Drake, released June 15, 2010, on Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records...
, 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
Fancy (Drake song)
"Fancy" is a song by Canadian recording artist, Drake, from his debut album Thank Me Later. Fancy features T.I. and Swizz Beatz, who also co-produced the track alongside Noah "40" Shebib...
".
Artwork
The artwork originally showed the single as a file on a computer with a plain white background, designed by artwork designer Darkie, this was deemed as too obscure by iTunes. A new cover was created by Darkie.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" of which "Best I Ever Had" interpolates. Shine had already received awards from Broadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
for "Best I Ever Had". Drake maintained that he had never met Shine and admitted that he sampled the Lil Wayne song, but called the claim to the credit was "distasteful".
Lawsuit
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 & ReynoldsHamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds was a 1970s AM soft rock trio from Los Angeles. The original members were Dan Hamilton , Joe Frank Carollo , and Tommy Reynolds , all of whom had previously played in The T-Bones, a 1960s band noted for the instrumental hit "No Matter What Shape ".The group first hit...
' 1975 hit "Fallin' in Love", a song which Playboy owns the copyright to.
The suit names Drake, as well as Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
and Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, 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."
Music video
Drake told MTV NewsMTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
before his show at Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's S.O.B.'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.”
The video was shot in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School
Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School
Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.-Background:...
. Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
was the director of the video. Trey Songz
Trey Songz
Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...
, Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
, Consequence
Consequence (rapper)
Dexter Mills , better known as Consequence, is an American rapper. He is the cousin of rapper Q-Tip of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and was formerly an affiliate of Kanye West's GOOD Music family. Consequence debuted in 1996 on A Tribe Called Quest's album Beats, Rhymes, and Life...
, and the song's producer Boi-1da
Boi-1da
Matthew Samuels , better known as Boi-1da , is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists and groups such as Chip tha Ripper, Kardinal Offishall, Clipse, Drake, Eminem, Saukrates, k-os, G-Unit, and The Diplomats among others...
made cameos in the video, as well as artists signed to Young Money Entertainment, such as Lil Twist, Shanell, and Lil Chuckee.
A clip of the video was shown June 30, 2009 on It's On with Alexa Chung
It's On with Alexa Chung
It's On with Alexa Chung was an American live interactive talk and variety program that aired weekdays on MTV from June 15 to December 17, 2009...
, and the full version of the video premiered on the internet on July 1, 2009. The full version of the video made its television debut on AMTV
AMTV
For the Ladytron song of the same name, see Witching HourAMTV is a television program on MTV in the United States, first aired unofficially as a sneak preview on March 26, 2009, and launched officially on March 30, 2009...
on July 2, 2009. There was criticism of the video in the media, including an article in the British newspaper The Guardian, highlighting the gratuitous focus on the unsupported implanted breasts and prominent posteriors of the female basketball players that Drake coaches in the video.Drake later won the lawsuit
Chart performance
The song debuted at #92 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the US and went on to peak at #2 for four weeks behind The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' hit "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
" before falling to #3, making Drake the third Canadian rapper to have a song chart on the Hot 100 (the first being Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
with "Dangerous
Dangerous (Kardinal Offishall song)
"Dangerous" is a hip-hop/R&B song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon. Produced by DJ Kemo and hAZEL, it was the first single from his fourth album Not 4 Sale. It was released to radio in March 2008, and on iTunes on April 1. On the week of May 13, at the American iTunes store, the song was...
" at #5, followed by K'naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...
with "Wavin' Flag
Wavin' Flag
"Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour. The song was a global hit, reaching the top ten in 19 charts around the world and was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. The English version was released as...
" at #99). The single has since risen to number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
due to high airplay and downloads. The single debuted on Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
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
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here
Nobody's Supposed to Be Here
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a single written by Montell Jordan and Anthony "Shep" Crawford. Canadian R&B singer Deborah Cox released the song in 1998 from her second album One Wish.-Chart performance:...
". 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
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, these sales have earned Drake the #4 best selling single, behind only songs from The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
and Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
. The single peaked at #49 on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart before it was discontinued. "Best I Ever Had" has been downloaded over 2,000,000 times since its release.
On May 28, 2009, an unauthorized album The Girls Love Drake, released by a label named Canadian Money Entertainment was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, which featured the song as well as the Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
song "Every Girl". Both songs jumped on the Billboard Hot 100 due to heavy downloads of the album, at the positions of #18 and #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.
Charts
| Chart (2009–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
22 |
External links
- http://www.mtv.com/videos/drake/405950/best-i-ever-had.jhtml"Best I Ever Had" music video on MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
]