It's not easy to deliver an anthem that captures a generation, but Drake managed to do exactly that with his YOLO-sparking Take Care closer "The Motto." Arriving at the apex of Drizzy's meteoric rise, the T-Minus produced banger originally featured YMCMB mastermind Lil Wayne, before an updated variant brought Tyga into the fold for a full-scale label affair; curiously, Nicki Minaj sat this one out, appreciated though her presence would have been.
By now, "The Motto" needs no introduction. In many ways foreshadowing Drizzy's current-day style, where swagger seems to be one of his defining characteristics, the 808-heavy beat feels like a prequel to Scorpion's "Nonstop." For a rapper who was, at the time at least, largely associated with the lost art of hopeless romance, it proved an integral stepping stone for the Champagne Papi. Not to mention a perfect platform for him to lyrically joust with his mentor, the same man who once aspired to "decapitate him" on every collaboration. Whether Wayne's bold declaration held true is up to you.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Tell Uncle Luke I'm out in Miami too
Clubbing hard, fucking women, there ain't much to do
Wrist bling got a condo up in Biscayne
Still getting brain from a thang, ain't shit changed
How you feel, how you feel, how you feel?
25, sitting on 25 mill
I'm in the building and I'm feeling myself
Rest in peace Mac Dre, I'ma do it for the Bay
