The Motto (Drake song)
| "The Motto" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Drake featuring Lil Wayne | ||||
| from the album Take Care | ||||
| Released | November 29, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:02 (Album version) 3:54 (Remix version featuring Tyga) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | T-Minus | |||
| Drake singles chronology | ||||
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| Lil Wayne singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Motto" on YouTube | ||||
"The Motto" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. It is a digital iTunes Store bonus track from Drake's second studio album Take Care. "The Motto" premiered on Power 106 on October 31, 2011. Drake released the song on his OVO blog a day later. It was first played on rhythmic top 40 radio stations on November 29, 2011 as the album's fourth single. It was written as a response to the Nickelback song If Today Was Your Last Day.
The track has sold over three million copies in the United States. It peaked atop both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and US Rap Songs charts, and was ranked 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-end Chart. "The Motto" was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards. Peaking at number 14, the song is one of the few songs to rank within the top 20 in the year-end chart without reaching the top ten. A music video directed by Lamar Taylor and Hyghly Alleyne was released on YouTube on February 10, 2012 and features cameos from E-40 and Mistah F.A.B.
"The Motto" is best known for popularizing the phrase YOLO, an acronym for You Only Live Once, which is uttered during the song's hook.