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Drake · S5 E5
September 24, 2013
Nothing Was the Same debuts at number one. 658,000 copies in the first week
September 24, 2013. Nothing Was the Same goes on sale at midnight, and by Friday morning, 658,000 people have bought it.
YG feat. Drake, Who Do You Love? (2014). After NWTS went number one, Drake's name on a track carried serious weight. This West Coast anthem proved he could ride any beat, any city, any style.
Who Do You Love?, YG feat. Drake (2014)
DJ Mustard's production is pure West Coast ratchet: a minimal synth riff, a kick-clap pattern that never stops bouncing, and enough space for two completely different rappers to coexist. Drake matches YG's energy bar for bar, ditching his usual melodic approach for something harder and more direct. Listen for how he shifts his entire delivery to fit the beat, adapting rather than forcing his sound onto someone else's track. The song proved that post-NWTS Drake could walk into any room and own it.
The Numbers
658,000 copies in the first week. Number one on the Billboard 200. Nothing Was the Same outsold every other rap album released that year in first-week sales, beating Kanye's Yeezus and Jay-Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail. The kid from Degrassi now had three consecutive number one albums, each one bigger than the last.
The Reviews
Critics agreed that Drake had grown into his sound rather than chasing trends. Pitchfork praised it, and the consensus was clear: Nothing Was the Same was tighter, more confident, and more focused than Take Care. Drake wasn't asking for permission anymore.
TAP TO REVEAL: How close did NWTS come to outselling Take Care?
Molson Amphitheatre (Budweiser Stage), Toronto
Home of OVO Fest. In August 2013, one month before NWTS dropped, Drake headlined the festival to a sold-out crowd. The album wasn't even out yet, and Toronto was already celebrating.
Nothing Was the Same: The Numbers
How many copies did Nothing Was the Same sell in its first week?
Come Thru, Drake
From Nothing Was the Same. After all the sales figures and reviews and debates, "Come Thru" is the quiet moment at the end of the night. Drake alone, singing about showing up for someone even when the timing is wrong. It's the most emotionally direct track on the album: no features, no production tricks, just a voice in a room.
Come Thru, Drake (2013)
Read the lyrics while you listen. "I overthink things, I drink too much." The version of Drake that no sales figure can protect.
Every Lane at Once
By the end of 2013, Drake had done something nobody in hip-hop had pulled off in years. He had the sales, the critical respect, the pop crossover, and the rap credibility, all at the same time. He was the first rapper since Eminem to genuinely straddle every lane at once, and he made it look effortless.
The album is a hit, but a number-one debut means nothing if you can't fill arenas. Next: the Would You Like a Tour? tour, 66 dates across three continents, and the night Drake realizes he's become a stadium act.
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