The Motto (Drake song)
{{short description|2011 single by Drake}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The Motto
| cover = Drake-the-motto-1.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Drake featuring Lil Wayne
| album = Take Care
| released = {{Start date|2011|11|29}}
| recorded = 2011
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Hip hop
| length = 3:02 (Album version)
3:54 (Remix version featuring Tyga)
| label = {{flatlist|
}}
| writer = {{hlist|Aubrey Graham|Dwayne Carter|Tyler Williams|Micheal Stevenson (remix)}}
| producer = T-Minus
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Drake
| type = Single
| prev_title = Mr. Wrong
| prev_year = 2011
| title = The Motto
| year = 2011
| next_title = Take Care
| next_year = 2012
}}
{{Extra chronology
| artist = Lil Wayne
| type = Single
| prev_title = IMA BO$ (remix)
| prev_year = 2011
| title = The Motto
| year = 2011
| next_title = Faded
| next_year = 2012
}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|BYDKK95cpfM|"The Motto"}}}}
}}
"The Motto" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. It is a digital iTunes Store bonus track from Drake's second studio album Take Care. It was written as a response to the Nickelback song If Today Was Your Last Day.{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/we-have-some-bad-news-for-drake-in-the-yolo-wars/|title=We Have Some Bad News For Drake Regarding The YOLO Wars|publisher= UPROXX.com|author=Ashley Burns|access-date=May 16, 2025|date=January 6, 2013}} "The Motto" premiered on Power 106 on October 31, 2011.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/465383/drake-debuts-the-motto-tis-headlines-remix-talks-kendrick-lamar|title=Drake Debuts 'The Motto,' T.I.'s 'Headlines' Remix & Talks Kendrick Lamar Feature|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|date=November 1, 2012|access-date=November 1, 2012}} Drake released the song on his OVO blog a day later.{{cite web|url=http://octobersveryown.blogspot.com/2011/11/drake-feat-lil-wayne-motto.html|title= Drake Feat. Lil Wayne – The Motto|work=October's Very Own|access-date=November 1, 2012|date= November 2011}} It was first played on rhythmic top 40 radio stations on November 29, 2011 as the album's fourth single.
The track has sold over three million copies in the United States. It peaked atop both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and US Rap Songs charts, and was ranked 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-end Chart. "The Motto" was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards.{{cite web |last=Vasquez |first=Andres |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.22121/title.grammy-nominees-revealed-frank-ocean-drake-2-chainz-among-those-nominated |title=Grammy Nominees Revealed; Frank Ocean, Drake & 2 Chainz Among Those Nominated | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales |publisher=HipHop DX |date=2012-12-06 |access-date=2013-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015042730/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.22121/title.grammy-nominees-revealed-frank-ocean-drake-2-chainz-among-those-nominated |archive-date=2013-10-15 |url-status=dead }} Peaking at number 14, the song is one of the few songs to rank within the top 20 in the year-end chart without reaching the top ten. A music video directed by Lamar Taylor and Hyghly Alleyne was released on YouTube on February 10, 2012 and features cameos from E-40 and Mistah F.A.B.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYDKK95cpfM|title=The Motto (Explicit) – Drake ft. Lil Wayne, Tyga|date=10 February 2012 |publisher=VEVO}}
"The Motto" is best known for popularizing the phrase YOLO, an acronym for You Only Live Once, which is uttered during the song's hook.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/yolo-the-newest-abbreviation-youll-love-to-hate/2012/04/06/gIQA3QE2zS_blog.html|date=April 6, 2012|title=#YOLO: The newest acronym you'll love to hate|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 7, 2016}}
Music video
The music video for the remix version featuring American rapper Tyga was filmed in San Francisco, California. It was dedicated to West Coast hip hop Bay Area artist Mac Dre.
The original music video for the song features an appearance from Mac Dre's mother Wanda Salvatto.
Remixes and freestyles
- Drake, featuring Lil Wayne & Tyga{{cite web|url=http://rapradar.com/2011/11/02/new-music-tyga-the-motto-remix/|title= New Music: Tyga "The Motto (Remix)"|work=Rap Radar|date= 2 November 2011|access-date=November 2, 2011}} (Official remix)
- YG, Nipsey Hussle and Snoop Dogg{{cite web|url=http://rapradar.com/2011/11/29/new-music-yg-nipsey-hussle-snoop-dogg-the-motto-remix/|title= New Music: YG, Nipsey Hussle, & Snoop Dogg "The Motto (Remix)"|work=Rap Radar|date= 29 November 2011|access-date=November 29, 2011}}
- Nelly{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJz4r4kzkTI|title= Nelly – The Motto (Remix)|date= 20 December 2011|publisher=YouTube|access-date=December 20, 2011}} (Released through the mixtape O.E.MO)
- Jeremih{{cite web|url=http://rapradar.com/2011/12/27/new-music-jeremih-the-motto-remix/|title= New Music: Jeremih "The Motto (Remix)"|work=Rap Radar|date= 27 December 2011|access-date=December 27, 2011}}
- Mario{{cite web|url=http://rapradar.com/2012/01/02/new-music-mario-the-motto-remix/|title= New Music: Mario "The Motto (Remix)"|work=Rap Radar|access-date=January 2, 2012}}
- Tinie Tempah Christmas Freestyle
- Young Jeezy and Freddie Gibbs{{cite web|url=http://nahright.com/news/2012/01/20/young-jeezy-freddie-gibbs-the-motto-remix/|title= Young Jeezy & Freddie Gibbs – The Motto (Remix)|work=Nah Right|access-date=January 20, 2012}}
- Wale and Meek Mill{{cite web|url=http://www.datpiff.com/pop-mixtape-player.php?id=mb301419&tid=6/|title= Wale & Meek Mill – The Motto (Remix)|work=Rap Radar|access-date=January 30, 2012}}
- Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, Berner
- Nekfeu, Alpha Wann, Sneazzy West (1995) (France){{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rjfXcYA-qA/ |title= 1995 – The Motto Remix (Nekfeu x Sneazzy x Alpha Wann) |work=Youtube|date= 26 January 2012 |access-date=January 26, 2012}}
Cultural impact
The song uses the phrase YOLO, an acronym for "you only live once".{{cite web|title=Drake – The Motto ft. Lil Wayne & Tyga| website=YouTube | date=13 February 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V2VVEH6AX4}} The phrase can be seen in youth culture: for example, a high school prank in Chicago, Illinois, involved high school students chanting "YOLO."{{cite web|last=Wright |first=Sharon |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/hoffman-estates-conant-high-school-senior-prank-156416395.html |title=Student Arrested Following Conant High School Senior Prank |publisher=NBC Chicago |date=June 1, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120601/news/706019819/ |title=Students lose prom, graduation privileges after senior prank |publisher=DailyHerald.com |date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012}} Some people have graffitied YOLO on walls.{{cite web|author=Express-Times File Photo |url=http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/hunterdon-county/express-times/index.ssf/2012/05/clinton_police_two_men_spray-p.html |title=Clinton police: Two men spray-paint profanity, 'YOLO' on town structures |publisher=lehighvalleylive.com |date= 2012-05-29|access-date=October 10, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/05/31/grove-city-middle-school-aged-boys-charged-vandalism.html |title=Middle School Boys Accused Of Spray-Painting Homes, Destroying Water Fountain | WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio |publisher=10tv.com |date=May 31, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053221/http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/05/31/grove-city-middle-school-aged-boys-charged-vandalism.html |url-status=dead }} It had become a popular Twitter hashtag by the end of the following year.{{cite web|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/01/parent-teachers-swore-at-hoffman-estates-students-over-senior-prank/ |title=Parents, Students: Hoffman Estates School Overreacted To Senior Prank « CBS Chicago |publisher=Chicago.cbslocal.com |date=June 1, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012}} Some youth at the time had said that it was their motto for some time.{{cite web |last=Swanson |first=Mirjam |url=http://www.pe.com/sports/high-school/hsg-schools/hsg-headlines/20120518-track-and-field-mitchells-making-most-of-it.ece |title=TRACK AND FIELD: Mitchells making most of it | Breaking News | PE.com – Press-Enterprise |publisher=PE.com |date=May 18, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201159/http://www.pe.com/sports/high-school/hsg-schools/hsg-headlines/20120518-track-and-field-mitchells-making-most-of-it.ece |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.madison-press.com/news/local-news/class-2012-calls-year/ |access-date=June 2, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608092909/http://www.madison-press.com/news/local-news/class-2012-calls-year/|title=Class of 2012 calls it a year|archive-date=June 8, 2012 }}
The hip-hop magazine Da South reported that the rapper Lecrae has deconstructed the motto YOLO in his answer song "No Regrets".{{cite web|url=http://www.dasouth.com/reviews/9266-lecrae-church-clothes|title=Lecrae – Church Clothes|last=Hill|first=Kellus|date=14 May 2012|publisher=Da South|access-date=30 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524093801/http://www.dasouth.com/reviews/9266-lecrae-church-clothes|archive-date=24 May 2013|url-status=dead}} The Washington Post describes YOLO as "the newest acronym you'll love to hate".{{cite news|last=Judkis |first=Maura |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/yolo-the-newest-abbreviation-youll-love-to-hate/2012/04/06/gIQA3QE2zS_blog.html |title=#YOLO: The newest acronym you'll love to hate – The Style Blog |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 25, 2011 |access-date=October 10, 2012}} The Huffington Post says: "YOLO is dumb."{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-black-sheep-online/yolo-the-meaning-and-evolution_b_1524721.html |title=The Black Sheep Online: YOLO: The Evolution Of The Acronym |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= May 17, 2012|access-date=October 10, 2012}}
The phrase "you only live once" is commonly attributed to Mae West,{{Cite book|title=Dangerous Women: The Guide to Modern Life |author=Clare Conville |author2=Liz Hoggard |author3=Sarah-Jane Lovet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1czNe-pEbt4C&q=you+only+live+once+%2Bmae+west&pg=PT174|access-date=August 4, 2012|isbn=9780297866008|date=2011-11-03|publisher=Orion }}{{cite web|url=http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mae_west_4.html|title=Mae West Quotes|publisher=BrainyQuote|access-date=August 4, 2012}} but variations of the phrase have been in use for over 100 years,{{cite web|url=http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/05/24/live-once/|title=You Only Live Once – YOLO|publisher=Quote Investigator|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=August 4, 2012}} including as far back as (the German equivalent of) "one lives but once in the world" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the play Clavigo in 1774,{{cite web|url=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe|title=Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|publisher=Qikiqoute|access-date=August 4, 2012}} and as the title of a waltz Man lebt nur einmal! ("You Only Live Once!") by Johann Strauss II in 1855.
Accolades
The song received a nomination at the 2013 Grammy Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.youngmoneyhq.com/2012/12/06/drake-receives-three-nominations-at-the-2013-grammy-awards/|title=Drake receives three nominations at the 2013 Grammy Awards|date=17 June 2009 |publisher=Young Money HQ|access-date=September 19, 2015}}
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with first-week sales of 124,000.{{cite magazine|title=It's Official: Drake's 'Take Care' Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/it-s-official-drake-s-take-care-debuts-at-1005558362.story|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc|access-date=November 23, 2011|archive-date=November 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124185411/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/it-s-official-drake-s-take-care-debuts-at-1005558362.story|url-status=dead}} In its 22nd week, it ascended to number 14.{{cite magazine|title=Hot 100|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=drake|chart=Hot 100}}|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc|access-date=November 24, 2011}} On the week of February 18, 2012, "The Motto" reached number one on the US Rap Chart making it his 12th number one on the chart and extending his lead as the artist with the most number one hits since the chart began. As of April 2013, the song has sold 3,113,000 copies in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-oct-6-2013-songs-adele-reaches-192150577.html |title=Week Ending Oct. 6, 2013. Songs: Adele Reaches A Milestone|last=Grein|first=Paul|date=9 October 2013 |publisher=Yahoo|access-date=October 9, 2013}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly charts =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2011–12)
!scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Flanders Tip|29|artist=Drake feat. Lil Wayne|song=The Motto}} |
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Canada|38|artist=Drake|song=The Motto|artistid=855020|access-date=March 1, 2012}} |
| scope="row" | UK R&B (Official Charts Company){{cite web|title=Official UK Singles Top 100 |url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/singles-chart/|publisher=The Official Charts Company|access-date=February 18, 2012}}
| 22 |
| scope="row" | UK Singles (Official Charts Company){{cite web|title=R&B Singles Top 40|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/r-and-b-singles-chart/|publisher=The Official Charts Company|access-date=February 18, 2012}}
| 80 |
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|14|artist=Drake|song=The Motto|artistid=855020|access-date=February 7, 2012}} |
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Billboardrandbhiphop|1|artist=Drake|song=The Motto|artistid=855020|access-date=February 7, 2012}} |
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Billboardpopsongs|25|artist=Drake|song=The Motto|artistid=855020|access-date=March 5, 2012}} |
| scope="row"{{singlechart|Billboardrhythmic|1|artist=Drake|song=The Motto|artistid=855020|access-date=March 5, 2012}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2011|certyear=2022|access-date=November 7, 2022|note=remix featuring Tyga}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Drake Ft Lil Wayne & Tyga|title=The Motto|award=Platinum|id=13712-4176-1|relyear=2011|certyear=2021|access-date=August 20, 2021|note=remix featuring Tyga}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|relyear=2011|certyear=2023|title=The Motto|artist=Drake|type=single|award=Platinum|number=8|access-date=October 26, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}
Release history
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Drake songs}}
{{Lil Wayne singles}}
{{Tyga}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motto, The}}
Category:Drake (musician) songs
Category:Cash Money Records singles
Category:Songs written by Drake (musician)
Category:Songs written by Lil Wayne
Category:Song recordings produced by T-Minus (record producer)