God's Plan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The song originated from an instrumental sent to Drake by producer Cardo in September 2017, created using FL Studio and VSTs. Initially titled "Grace of God," it was selected after Drake called Cardo to say, "We got one." The production evolved when Boi-1da added more drums at Drake's request for a "bouncy vibe" after receiving the track half-finished. Originally featuring American rapper Trippie Redd and teased on January 1, 2018, at a New York New Year's Eve Party, the final version was released alongside "Diplomatic Immunity." The music video, directed by Karena Evans and filmed in Miami on February 5, 2018, became legendary for its budget of $996,631.90 being given away entirely to residents and institutions, including a $50,000 check for tuition at the University of Miami.

In Their Own Story

Following an eight-month hiatus since his 2017 playlist More Life, Drake launched "God's Plan" into history with record-breaking numbers. The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 3, 2018, becoming only the 29th song ever to achieve this feat. It shattered first-day streaming records on Apple Music with 14 million streams and Spotify with 4.3 million plays in twenty-four hours. By its second week, it became the second song in Hot 100 history to surpass 100 million weekly streams. The track held the number one spot for eleven consecutive weeks before being unseated by Drake's own "Nice for What" on April 21, 2018. It ultimately spent 36 weeks on the chart and was named Billboard's number-one rap song of 2018.

Reader's Guide

"God's Plan" dominated global charts, topping lists in fourteen countries including the UK and Canada while reaching the top ten in nine others. In the US, it became the most-streamed song of 2018 with over 1.5 billion on-demand streams and the second best-selling digital song with 1,056,000 copies sold. The accompanying music video, which featured NFL player Antonio Brown dancing with Drake, garnered over 1.7 billion views by July 2026. Critical reception was mixed; while praised for its catchiness, critics like Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger called it the third worst UK number-one hit of 2018, and Def Leppard's Joe Elliott questioned its melody. Despite this, the song secured three Grammy nominations, winning Best Rap Song at the 61st ceremony.

Did You Know?

• The song was originally titled "Grace of God" and was chosen from beats sent to Drake in September 2017.
• Boi-1da added more drums to the production at Drake's request to create a "bouncy vibe."
• The music video's entire budget of $996,631.90 was given away to people and institutions in Florida during filming.
• "God's Plan" became only the 24th song in Billboard Hot 100 history to top the chart for eleven consecutive weeks.
• The single won Best Rap Song at the 61st Grammy Awards after receiving three nominations including Record of the Year.