What a Time to Be Alive
What a Time to Be Alive is a collaborative commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future. It was released on September 20, 2015, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, Republic Records, Epic Records, A1 Records and Freebandz. The mixtape was executive produced by Metro Boomin, who also produced or co-produced eight of its 11 songs. Additional producers include 40 (who also executive produced the mixtape), alongside Southside, Allen Ritter, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and others.[3] It was released on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.[4]
For other uses, see What a Time to Be Alive (disambiguation).What a Time to Be Alive
September 20, 2015
2015
- Chalice, Los Angeles, California
- Tree Sound, Atlanta, Georgia
40:30
- Metro Boomin (also exec.)
- 40
- Allen Ritter
- Boi-1da
- Frank Dukes
- Neenyo
- Noel Cadastre
- Southside
Background[edit]
Shortly prior to What a Time to Be Alive, Drake and Future collaborated on the latter's single "Where Ya At". The duo talked about recording a mixtape together earlier that year, and following the recording sessions for "Where Ya At", they began working on the project, beginning in July.
According to a 2016 interview with Zane Lowe, Drake spent 6 days in Atlanta working on the project with Future. "Digital Dash" was the first song they made for the project, originally being a Future's record that ended up being finished with Drake later. "Jumpman" was the last song the duo created for the project.[5]
Release, packaging and promotion[edit]
The mixtape was first teased by a range of sources; including DJ Skee, Angela Yee and Ernest Baker, and this project was officially announced on Drake's Instagram on September 19, 2015, when he revealed the mixtape's release date and cover art.[6][7][8]
The artwork is a stock image that was purchased from Shutterstock.[9]
Drake and Future premiered the album on Beats 1 on OVO Sound's "OVO Sound Radio" show on September 20, 2015, and weeks after it was released on the iTunes Store and Apple Music.[10][11]
The Summer Sixteen Tour by Drake was made to support this mixtape.[12]
Commercial performance[edit]
What a Time to Be Alive debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 375,000 album-equivalent units; it sold 334,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit count representing the album's streaming activity and track sales during the tracking week.[4] It became both Drake and Future's second albums to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2015 (If You're Reading This It's Too Late and DS2, respectively).[4] In its second week it sold 65,000 copies.[25] As of January 27, 2016, What a Time to Be Alive has sold 519,000 copies in the United States.[26] On December 8, 2022, the album was certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units.[27]
Notes
Musicians
Technical