The Language
"The Language" is Nothing Was the Same's most extroverted, aggressive moment, a hook-light track devoted almost entirely to bars. It is produced by Boi-1da with additional production credited to Vinylz and Allen Ritter per the album's liner notes. Over a hard, knocking beat, Drake raps with sneering confidence about money, status and rivals — a deliberate break from the album's many interior passages. It is widely read as the record's pressure release: proof Drake could still make a cold, quotable street record in the middle of his most emotionally refined album. The song was released to mainstream urban radio as the album's fifth single in October 2013, and at the time was speculated by some writers to be a passive response to Kendrick Lamar's "Control" verse — a reading later publicly downplayed. Within the album's architecture it functions much as "HYFR" did on Take Care: an injection of aggression that keeps the introspection from becoming the only mode the record knows.
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to "The Language" and Nothing Was the Same. Drake Universe catalogs songs by album placement, verified collaborators, producers, samples, and themes, and avoids unsupported lyric-level claims.
- 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.
