Care Package

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The tracks on Care Package originated as promotional material released alongside various albums and projects over several years. The earliest entries, "I Get Lonely" (a cover of TLC's "FanMail") and "Paris Morton Music," dropped in 2010 after Thank Me Later. In 2011, before Take Care, Drake released "Dreams Money Can Buy," "Trust Issues," "Club Paradise," and "Free Spirit." The year 2013 saw the arrival of "5AM in Toronto," "Girls Love Beyoncé," and "Jodeci Freestyle" prior to Nothing Was the Same. Other notable moments include "The Motion," which appeared on the Best Buy exclusive edition of that album, and tracks like "Draft Day" and "Days in the East," released via OVO's SoundCloud in April 2014. Leaks also played a role, with "Heat of the Moment," "How About Now," and "6 God" surfacing online in 2014, while "Can I" featuring Beyoncé leaked in 2015.

In Their Own Story

The compilation's timeline concludes with "4PM in Calabasas," premiered on OVO Sound Radio in June 2016 as the latest recorded track. The release strategy was anchored by an Instagram announcement from Drake on August 1, 2019, just one day before the album hit streaming services. This timing aligned perfectly with the ninth annual OVO Fest, turning the festival into a launchpad for the collection. At Metacritic, the project earned an average score of 77 based on five reviews. Roisin O'Connor of The Independent highlighted the "darker, moodier vibe" running through the record, noting it contrasted with the scattered eclecticism of Drake's 2018 album, Scorpion.

Reader's Guide

Care Package debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 109,000 album-equivalent units, including 16,000 in pure album sales. This achievement marked Drake's ninth US number-one album, though it was displaced by Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind after just one week. The success extended to Canada, where the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with 10,000 units, securing his ninth Canadian number-one hit. The tracklist includes specific production details and samples: "Dreams Money Can Buy" samples Jai Paul's "BTSTU (Demo)," while "Trust Issues" interpolates DJ Khaled's "I'm on One." "Can I" features additional vocals by Beyoncé, and "The Motion" includes background vocals by Sampha. Other samples range from Lauryn Hill on "Draft Day" to Destiny's Child on "Girls Love Beyoncé," creating a dense web of musical references spanning decades.

Did You Know?

• "I Get Lonely" is a cover of the TLC song "FanMail."
• "4PM in Calabasas" is the latest track recorded on the album, premiered in June 2016.
• "The Motion" features background vocals by Sampha and was a bonus track on the Best Buy exclusive edition of Nothing Was the Same.
• "Can I" contains a sample of "The Draize Train" by The Smiths.
• The album received an average score of 77 on Metacritic based on five reviews.