Maps of Music

Take Care (2011)

Where the lyrics of Take Care take you, and where it was really made.

The album leaked online nine days before its scheduled release, yet it still debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Key places

Recording at Metalworks Studios (2011)

Recording site Metalworks Studios — MusicBrainz links Metalworks Studios to a recording session for Take Care. The mark sits on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Conway Recording Studios (2011)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — MusicBrainz links Conway Recording Studios to a recording session for Take Care in Los Angeles. The mark sits on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at The Hit Factory Criteria (2011)

Recording site Criteria Studios — MusicBrainz links The Hit Factory Criteria in Miami to a recording session for Take Care. The mark sits on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Tree Sound Studios (2011)

Recording site Tree Studios — MusicBrainz links Tree Sound Studios to a recording session for Take Care. The mark sits on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded mainly in Toronto (2011)

Recording site Toronto — Drake said the album was recorded mainly in Toronto. The mark is set at city centre, not at a studio address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Take Care: second studio album by Canadian rapper Drake
• Released November 15, 2011 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records
• Guest appearances from The Weeknd, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne and André 3000
• Primary production by Drake and 40; further contributors include T-Minus, Chantal Kreviazuk, Boi-1da, Illangelo, Jamie xx, Supa Dups, Just Blaze, Chase N. Cashe and Doc McKinney
• Expands on the low-tempo, sensuous and dark sonic aesthetic of Thank Me Later
• Themes include fame, romance, wealth, relationships with friends and family, sex and narcissism

Background

• Predecessor Thank Me Later (2010) was a critical and commercial success, but Drake felt disjointed about its musical content
• Drake wanted to reunite with 40, his long-time producer, who had featured on parts of Thank Me Later
• Sessions began in 2010 and the duo worked extensively on the new album
• In November 2010 Drake revealed the title Take Care
• Drake said the title reflects that he gets to take his time this go-round, unlike the rushed Thank Me Later
• The Weeknd said in a 2013 interview that half the tracks he wrote for his 2011 mixtape House of Balloons ended up on Take Care; Drake and Shebib disputed the statement
• 9th Wonder was initially recruited for the album but said in a late interview that he was not on it

Recording

• Drake revealed that the album was recorded mainly in Toronto
• Shebib was credited as producer on eight of the album's 17 songs and also served as audio engineer and mix engineer
• A planned collaboration with Justin Timberlake never came to fruition; the two later worked together on Cabaret for Timberlake's 2013 album

Cover

• The cover bears a striking resemblance to Labi Siffre's 1975 album Remember My Song, and is likely inspired by it

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Aubrey Drake Graham, born October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, is a Canadian rapper, singer and actor.
• Gained recognition as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008).
• Independently released mixtapes Room for Improvement (2006), Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment in 2009.
• Debut album Thank Me Later (2010) debuted atop the Billboard 200; followed by Take Care (2011), Nothing Was the Same (2013), Views (2016), Scorpion (2018), Certified Lover Boy (2021) and Iceman (2026).
• Views led the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks; "One Dance" became the first song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.
• Among the world's best-selling artists with over 170 million units sold; the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States.
• Accolades include 5 Grammy Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 41 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Brit Awards and 3 Juno Awards.
• Founded OVO Sound, DreamCrew and the fragrance house Better World; became global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors in 2013.
• Known for feuds with Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar; the 2024 feud with Lamar is reported to have damaged his public image.

Reception

At release

• NME (John McDonnell) called it an affecting masterpiece and praised its delicate, mellifluous sound and candid, emotive lyrics
• Pitchfork (Ryan Dombal) found Drake's technical abilities improved and said the music matched his richer themes
• The Village Voice (Andy Hutchins) called it a carefully crafted bundle of contradictory sentiments from a conflicted rapper
• Chicago Tribune (Greg Kot) praised the depth of Drake's moral psychodramas and said he was shaping a pop persona with staying power
• New York (Nitsuh Abebe) wrote that the album is full of gorgeous tones and that its lyrics can be rich with meaning
• The A.V. Club (Evan Rytlewski) found it plenty downbeat but gorgeous, an immersive headphone masterwork
• NPR (Ann Powers) said the artfulness of the music let her identify with Drake's characters
• The New York Times (Jon Caramanica) called it an album of eccentric black pop that asks what hip hop and R&B can do but have not been doing

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone ranked it 95th on its updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020)
• Billboard named it the sixth-best album of the 2010s so far (January 2015)
• Complex named it the fourth-best hip hop album of the last five years (October 2013)
• Los Angeles Times and The New York Times named it the best album of 2012

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 631,000 copies, Drake's second number-one album
• Topped the Billboard Rap Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in its debut week
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on January 31, 2012 for one million US shipments
• Sold 2,260,000 copies in the US as of August 2015
• Certified eight times platinum by the RIAA on October 25, 2023 for combined sales and album-equivalent units
• Certified diamond by the RIAA on October 24, 2025
• Debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with 48,000 copies; double platinum in Canada
• Entered at number five on the UK Albums Chart; BPI platinum on January 18, 2013 (300,000 shipped)
• Won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards, Drake's first Grammy
• Singles: Headlines number 13, Make Me Proud number 9, The Motto number 18, Take Care number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Drake said he rushed much of his debut, and this album was made with more time to revisit songs
• The album leaked nine days before its scheduled release but still debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
• Release was pushed back from October to November 15, 2011 because of three sample clearances; it was originally planned for his 25th birthday on October 24
• A chopped and screwed remix called Chop Care by OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick was released November 29, 2011, with over 1 million downloads in its first 48 hours
• The album was pushed to November after three sample clearances and the Club Paradise Tour was delayed until after the holiday break

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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