TSU
"TSU" is one of Certified Lover Boy's more atmospheric cuts, opening with sampled spoken passages (the album credits note uncredited vocals from Houston DJ OG Ron C and background vocals from DJ Screw) before settling into a moody, late-night groove. Its sample stack is unusually layered and was itself a subject of discussion: per the album's documented credits the track interpolates R. Kelly's "Half on a Baby" alongside samples of NSYNC's "Sailing" and Justin Timberlake's "Until the End of Time," and the R. Kelly credit drew media attention, with Drake's camp characterizing it as an oversight. Production is credited to Harley Arsenault, Noel Cadastre and OG Ron C. The song is widely read as Drake revisiting a familiar mode of romantic detachment and difficult connection given his fame, trading in mood and impression rather than a tight narrative and contributing texture to the album's long, nocturnal sequence.
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to "TSU" and Certified Lover Boy. Drake Universe catalogs songs by album placement, verified collaborators, producers, samples, and themes, and avoids unsupported lyric-level claims.
- Pitchfork: Kanye West 'Donda' album reviewPitchfork · 2021-09-09 — Dated album review covering Donda's release-week proximity to Certified Lover Boy.
- Pitchfork: Drake 'Certified Lover Boy' album reviewPitchfork · 2021-09-07 — Dated album review covering Certified Lover Boy and the Donda release-week framing.
- The New York Times: Drake's Certified Lover BoyThe New York Times · 2021-09-03 — NYT Joe Coscarelli CLB feature.
- Wikipedia: Certified Lover BoyWikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Primary reference for CLB release, rollout, billboard campaign, Damien Hirst artwork controversy, full track listing, sample/producer credits, critical reception (Metacritic 60), commercial performance (613,000 first-week units; tenth #1; nine top-ten singles), Grammy withdrawal and certifications.
- Pitchfork: Certified Lover Boy Unseats Donda, Debuts at No. 1 With Biggest Week of 2021Pitchfork · 2021-09-12 — Chart-context source for CLB's 613,000-unit debut overtaking Kanye West's Donda (309,000) atop the Billboard 200, the biggest US week of 2021 at the time.
