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Back to Back (Drake song)

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"Back to Back"
A zoomed-in image of a crowd witnessing Joe Carter's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. The first word "back" is read backwards.
Single by Drake
ReleasedJuly 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)
Genre
Length2:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Drake singles chronology
"Where Ya At"
(2015) 		"Back to Back"
(2015) 		"Charged Up"
(2015)

"Back to Back" is a diss track by Canadian rapper Drake directed at American rapper Meek Mill during their 2015 feud. Released on July 29, 2015, it was the second diss track released by Drake in the feud, following "Charged Up".[5] The song was described as a "bouncier freestyle" than the latter track.[6]

The song saw critical and commercial success, peaking at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and being nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. Drake performed both "Charged Up" and "Back to Back" live at OVO Fest 2015.[7][8]

Cover art

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The album's cover art is a still of game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when former professional baseball player Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays famously hit a walk-off home run to win the series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Blue Jays repeated as World Series champions, becoming the first MLB franchise founded after 1903, and 7th overall, to win back-to-back titles.[9]

Background

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Meek Mill - Drake beef

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On July 22, 2015, Meek Mill publicly criticized Drake on Twitter after being upset with the latter's lack of involvement with the promotion of his sophomore album Dreams Worth More Than Money, claiming that Drake had used ghostwriters to write his verse on "R.I.C.O.", and then releasing the reference track to the song.[10] Following this, Drake released two diss songs within a week, "Charged Up" and "Back to Back", both aimed at Meek Mill.[11][12]

The song's title references the Toronto Blue Jays', Drake's hometown team, winning back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. They won their second consecutive championship by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, Meek Mill's hometown team, in the 1993 World Series.[13] Joe Carter, who hit the walk-off home run that ended the series, is depicted on the single's cover.[9]

Release

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The song was released on July 29, 2015, the same day that the Blue Jays and Phillies played against each other. It also is a reference to the Back-to-Back release of diss tracks. Meek Mill later responded with another diss song about Drake, titled "Wanna Know".[14] Meek Mill later removed his diss to Drake on SoundCloud.[15]

Commercial performance

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"Back to Back" debuted and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[16] The song also debuted and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, with its chart entrance fueled by 122,000 first-week digital download sales and 4.5 million streams.[17] As of September 2015, "Back to Back" has sold 253,000 copies in the United States.[18] The song is 2x platinum per the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[19]

Cultural significance and aftermath

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A different version of the song with humorous lyrics was used in the Saturday Night Live skit "Drake's Beef",[20] in the May 14, 2016 show (Season 41, Episode 20), which Drake performed on and hosted.

After the two rappers repaired their relationship, they went on to release the collaboration "Going Bad" in 2018. Meek Mill shouted out "Back to Back" in the verse, with the line "Me and Drizzy back-to-back, it's gettin' scary" followed by an ad-lib of "Back-to-Back!".[21] Meek Mill also freestyled over the "Back to Back" beat during a December 2018 appearance on Funkmaster Flex’s Hot 97 radio show.[22]

Legacy

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In a 2024 list of the 50 best diss tracks in hip-hop history, Complex put "Back to Back" at #8, noting it "builds to raucous moments that serve as death blows to Meek Mill and also creates club-ready bellow-along-with-your-boys moments—it’s genius". The song was also referenced by American rapper Kendrick Lamar during the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud on his single "Euphoria".[23]

Personnel

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All are credited as songwriters. Adapted from TIDAL and comments to Genius.[24][25]

  • Daxz – producer
  • Drake – co-producer, vocals
  • 40 – co-producer
  • Nav – producer, chords

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Drake: '6PM in NY' or 'Bing Rings?' Lyrical Style or Trap Style? Which Drizzy do You Prefer? : Entertainment : Design & Trend". Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  2. ^ a b "Noah Shebib on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Nav on Twitter: "Fammmm is that the chords i played or am i trippin @Daxz416"". Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  4. ^ "Nav on Twitter: "Blessed i could be a part of drakes diss...thank u @Daxz416"". Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  5. ^ "Drake - Back To Back (Meek Mill Diss) [New song]". HotNewHipHop. 29 July 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  6. ^ Gayomali, Chris (2015-07-29). "Drake vs. Meek Mill Explained in 60 Seconds". GQ. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  7. ^ "Drake Performs Back to Back During OVO Fest". Bossip. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Drake Performs "Back To Back" At OVO Fest 2015". YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Corrigan, Drew. "Drake Uses Blue Jays' 1993 World Series Win as Cover Art for Meek Mill Diss". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  10. ^ Angela Stephanou (July 22, 2015). "Meek Mill Says Drake Doesn't Write His Own Raps In Twitter Rant". Retrieved July 22, 2015. Stop comparing drake to me too.... He don't write his own raps! That's why he ain't tweet my album because we found out!
  11. ^ "Drake Fires Back at Meek Mill on 'Charged Up' | Rap-Up". rap-up.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  12. ^ "Drake Disses Meek Mill Again on 'Back to Back' Freestyle | Rap-Up". rap-up.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Mike Dyce (29 July 2015). "Drake uses Blue Jays' World Series win over Phillies to troll Meek Mill". Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Meek Mill hits back at Drake with diss track 'Wanna Know'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Owoseje, Toyin (13 August 2015). "Meek Mill ends Drake beef with open letter before removing his Wanna Know diss song from Soundcloud". Ibtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Drake - Chart History - Canada Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  17. ^ Mendizabal, Amaya (August 12, 2015). "Drake Takes Over Charts in Wake of Meek Mill Feud". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Mansell, Henry (September 5, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: Silentó, The Weeknd & Fetty Wap". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  19. ^ Suarez, Gary. "Drake Is Now The RIAA's Top Certified Singles Artist Ever". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  20. ^ "Drake's Beef". YouTube. 15 May 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  21. ^ "Drake & Meek Mill Drop Surprise New Song 'Going Bad' After Ending Their Beef". Capital XTRA. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  22. ^ Renshaw, David (2018-12-04). "Watch Meek Mill freestyle over Drake's "Back To Back"". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  23. ^ Complex (2024-05-14). "50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time". Complex. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  24. ^ "Back to Back Credits". listen.tidal.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  25. ^ "NAV Helped Make Drake's "Back To Back" Before He Was Signed To XO". Genius. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  26. ^ "Drake - Chart History - Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  27. ^ "Drake – Back to Back" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
  29. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  33. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  34. ^ "British single certifications – Drake – Back to Back". British Phonographic Industry.
  35. ^ "American single certifications – Drake – Back to Back". Recording Industry Association of America.
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