What a Time to Be Alive (2015) is catalogued as a collab 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
Conceived in July 2015 after Drake and Future recorded 'Where Ya At,' the project was teased by DJ Skee, Angela Yee and Ernest Baker, then officially announced on Drake's Instagram on September 19, 2015 - one day before release - and premiered on OVO Sound Radio on Beats 1. The cover art is a purchased Shutterstock stock image. It arrived between Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late and Views and between Future's DS2 and Purple Reign, capping the 'Mixtape King' run; Drake's 2016 Summer Sixteen Tour was built to support it.
Themes
Mixtape KingOVOTorontoAtlanta trap immersionDrake-Future chemistry and tensionSurprise no-rollout releaseMoney, victory laps and excess
Production
Co-executive produced by Metro Boomin, who produced or co-produced eight of eleven tracks, with 40 co-producing the closer '30 for 30 Freestyle.' Additional production from Southside (multiple cuts), Boi-1da and Frank Dukes ('Diamonds Dancing'), Allen Ritter ('Diamonds Dancing'), Neenyo ('Plastic Bag') and Noel Cadastre ('Change Locations'); Maneesh played piano/keyboards on 'Live from the Gutter' and 'Plastic Bag.' The palette is dark, minimal, negative-space Atlanta trap - a deliberate move onto Future's sonic home turf rather than Drake's Toronto sound design.
Legacy
Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 375,000 album-equivalent units (334,000 in pure sales) the week of October 10, 2015 - the second 2015 chart-topper for both Drake (after If You're Reading This It's Too Late) and Future (after DS2). It topped the Canadian Albums and US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, sold roughly 519,000 US copies by January 2016, and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in December 2022. Its lone single, 'Jumpman,' became one of the biggest rap songs of the era and birthed the 'If Young Metro don't trust you' tag that defined a generation of trap.
Best For
Listeners tracing Drake's Mixtape King run and his full immersion in Atlanta trap, fans of the Metro Boomin / Future axis, and anyone studying the surprise no-rollout joint-project model of the mid-2010s.
Fun Fact
The album cover is a stock photograph of an oil rig purchased from Shutterstock, and the project was announced on Drake's Instagram just one day before its release (Wikipedia, citing Complex).
Tracklist — 11 songs
Producers — 8
Featured Artists — 1
Era — Mixtape King (2015)
Combative surprise releases, Future chemistry, and the most quoted rap run of Drake's career.
Also in this era
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to What a Time to Be Alive. 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.
- Pitchfork: Drake & Future 'What a Time to Be Alive' reviewPitchfork · 2015-09-23 — Dated review of the joint mixtape.
- Wikipedia: What a Time to Be Alive (Drake & Future)Wikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Authoritative track-listing table (per-track producers and writers), personnel, recording locations, charts, certifications, and critical reception used to correct fabricated producer credits and enrich editorial copy.
- Genius: Drake & Future - What a Time To Be Alive (album page)Genius · 2026-05-18 — Album page and Q&A confirming Metro Boomin produced 7 of 11 tracks; the four he did not produce are 'Plastic Bag,' 'I'm the Plug,' 'Change Locations' and '30 for 30 Freestyle.' Confirms 'Jersey' as a Future solo and '30 for 30 Freestyle' as a Drake solo. Discrepancy with Wikipedia on 'I'm the Plug' noted.
- Pitchfork: Drake / Future - What a Time to Be Alive (review)Pitchfork · 2015-09-23 — Sheldon Pearce review (7.0/10) used for critical framing: lack of chemistry / Drake as 'bystander,' Metro's 'glimmering' production, and the highlights 'Scholarships,' 'Jumpman,' 'Diamonds Dancing,' 'Jersey' and '30 for 30 Freestyle.'
