Too Much
Featuring Sampha
"Too Much" pairs Drake with a piercing, melancholic hook from English singer Sampha to explore family estrangement and the disorienting effect of success on the people closest to him. It is produced by Nineteen85 and Sampha, and the album's liner notes document that it contains a sample of Sampha's own song "Too Much" (written by Sampha and Emile Haynie, who is credited as engineer); Sampha released his own solo version through Young Turks two months after the album. The verses dwell on relatives Drake feels distant from, the discomfort of watching loved ones settle for less, and the loneliness of being the one who left and changed. Critics widely read it as one of Nothing Was the Same's emotional peaks — a continuation of the candid family writing on "From Time," aimed outward at a wider circle — and AllMusic's Tim Sendra called it a "brilliant combination of brag rap and quiet storm balladry." Sampha's vocal, then largely unknown to a mainstream audience, became one of the album's most memorable elements and a notable early platform for him.
Sources & verification
Citations below were matched specifically to "Too Much" 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.
- Wikipedia: Too Much (Drake song)Wikipedia · 2026-05-18 — Reference for Nineteen85/Sampha production, Sampha self-sample, #64 Hot 100, RIAA platinum, and Sampha's solo version.
- 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.
