Nothing Was the Same (2013) is catalogued as a studio project in Drake Universe. The entry emphasizes release context, Toronto/OVO continuity, collaborators, and verified chart or cultural significance. Same-day 2026 projects include inline verification notes and avoid unverified credits.
Deep Dive
Background
Drake's third studio album, released September 24, 2013 after a one-week delay from September 17. Primarily produced by Noah "40" Shebib, who Drake confirmed to Rolling Stone was the album's lead producer, with contributions from Boi-1da, Detail, Hudson Mohawke, Mike Zombie, DJ Dahi, Nineteen85, Majid Jordan, Key Wane and others. Guests include Jhené Aiko, Majid Jordan, Sampha, JAY-Z, Big Sean and 2 Chainz. Supported by the Would You Like a Tour? tour with Future, Miguel and PartyNextDoor.
Themes
OVO Noir Canonarrival and its costsfamily estrangementTorontoOVO team victory
Production
Primarily produced by Noah "40" Shebib (lead producer and executive producer), with Boi-1da, Mike Zombie, DJ Dahi, Detail, Nineteen85, Majid Jordan, Hudson Mohawke, Key Wane, Jordan Evans, Jake One and Hagler, plus additional production from Vinylz and Allen Ritter. Credits adapted from album liner notes.
Legacy
Debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (658,000 first-week copies), certified 6x platinum by the RIAA (October 2023), Metacritic 79, Pitchfork 8.6, nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards, and frequently ranked among the best albums of 2013 (XXL named it #1).
Best For
Listeners tracing the consolidation of Drake's and 40's signature sound and the pivot from striver to arrived narrator.
Fun Fact
Tracklist — 15 songs
Producers — 15
Featured Artists — 7
Sample Map — 3 sources
Era — OVO Noir Canon (2011-2014)
The 40-built sound: cold Toronto space, R&B confession, timestamp rapping, and global hits.
Also in this era
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to Nothing Was the Same. Drake Universe catalogs albums by verified release structure, collaborators, producers, samples, and themes, and holds back time-delayed chart, certification, and publishing claims until public ledgers settle.
- Genius: Drake 'The Language' lyricsGenius · 2013-09-24 — Primary track page for the Nothing Was the Same cut widely read as subliminal.
- Billboard: Drake — Nothing Was The Same coverBillboard · 2013-08-22 — Billboard cover story for the 2013 print interview.
- Complex: Drake — Nothing Was The Same coverComplex · 2013-08-12 — Complex cover story tied to Nothing Was The Same.
- Vibe: Drake — Nothing Was The Same coverVibe · 2013-10-01 — Vibe cover story tied to Nothing Was The Same.
- Wikipedia: Nothing Was the SameWikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Album-level reference for liner-note personnel, sample credits, single chronology, chart peaks, sales (658,000 first week), 6x platinum certification, and critical reception used in the NWTS editorial pass.
- Drake — The Motion (Genius)Genius · 2026-05-18 — Confirms 2013 SoundCloud release, Best Buy deluxe bonus-track status for Nothing Was the Same, and Sampha co-production/vocals.
- Drake — 5AM in Toronto (Genius)Genius · 2026-05-18 — Confirms March 7, 2013 release as '9AM in Dallas' sequel ahead of Nothing Was the Same, Boi-1da/Vinylz credits, Lou Donaldson sample.
