“Energy” by Drake
On “Energy”, Drake expounds on the haters in his life. And relatedly the title, as used in the chorus, is meant to point to how such individuals make a conscientious effort to drain the vocalist of his “energy”. Or viewed differently, there are a lot of different people after Drizzy for no justifiable reason. And that would be why he closes out the chorus by asking the audience to “pray” for him.
And as we get into the actual rap it reads a lot like Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” (2003), though this time around with a different famous rapper noting a wider range of issues he faces in life.
The Problems
For instance, there’s females online out to slander his name. He also has some difficulties with family, though Drake doesn’t really get into that subject. Additionally he has homeys who “can never leave Canada”, most likely due to be being felons.
And whereas we’re not exactly sure how that would be a personal concern of his, it probably has something to do with him wanting to take them south of the border or overseas sometimes to chill.
Moreover, Drizzy boasts of a couple mortgages which come out to ‘$30,000,000 in total’. And yes, paying such a ridiculous amount for housing would definitely be concerning, but such a statement also affords the rapper an opportunity to engage in a bit of braggadocio.
Furthermore, there are various “n**gas” who are out to defraud Aubrey. And then there are his industry peers which he has to pretend that he likes in the name of good business relations or what have you. However, he’s tired of kissing a-s, if you will and is now cursing said individuals. But he doesn’t go as far as to actually namedrop any of them.
The second verse commences with Drake reiterating that a number of people are speaking poorly about him. However, he doesn’t “give a f–k”. And as implied, the reason why he doesn’t care is because he’s filthy rich. Moreover, it’s as if he has an unlimited number of women at his disposal.
Before closing the passage out, the vocalist also speaks of investing significant amounts of cash into freeing his incarcerated homeys and dares enemies who claim they’re going to do him harm to make an attempt to do so.
And such also serves as sort of the subplot of the third verse, this idea of Drake not being overall concerned with his haters. In fact a lot of these people talk junk behind his back, but when they see him in person they act like everything’s all good. But on a more positive note Drizzy also acknowledges his real homeys, such as those “living past Kennedy Road” up in Toronto.
So does Drake have “a lot of enemies”? According to the rapper yes, he does. And whereas they are bothersome at times, ultimately he’s not going to let them bend him out of shape. This is partially due to the fact that he doesn’t really consider them credible threats in the first place.
But it’s also as if the rapper is chillin’ too hard, being too successful to let such matters disorient him. And on the other side of the coin, Drake is utilizing the common rap strategy of harping on his success to make his enemies even more discontent.
“Energy” Facts
Artist(s): Drake
Album/EP: “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”
Did Drake release “Energy” as a single?
Yes. It’s the second single from the rapper’s mixtape, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”. Drake’s management officially released “Energy” on July 10 of 2015.
Credits
It was written by Drake and the following:
- Markus Kienzi
- Marcus Jones II
- Matthew Samuels
- Richard Dorfmeister
- Phillip Thomas
- Matthew O’Brien
It was produced by Boi-1da and OB O’Brien.
What music genre is “Energy”?
- Hip hop
- Trap
Awards/Honors
“Energy” was nominated for an award for “Best Rap Song” at the Grammys in 2016. The category looked like this:
- “All Day” (Kanye West with Paul McCartney, Theophilus London, and Allan Kingdom)
- “Energy” (Drake)
- “Glory” (Common together with John Legend)
- “Trap Queen” (Fetty Wap)
- “Alright” (Kendrick Lamar) – Winner
Other Accolades
“Energy” has been the highest-charting song on “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”.
Chart Performance
- UK – 71
- US – 26
Controversy
Critics alleged Drake used the video of the song to mock some celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Justin Bieber but none of them reacted to the video.
Sampling
- Styles P – “Ghost Energy” (2015)
- Meek Mill – “Energy” (2015)
- Lud Foe – “Energy” (2016)
- Fat Trel – “Energy (GLEESH-MIX)” (2015)
Movies
“Energy” was the main song in the 2017 movie, “Sleepless”. The movie starred Gabrielle Union and a bunch of other famous names, including Jamie Foxx, T.I. and Michelle Monaghan.
