Used To

"Used To" by Drake Featuring Lil Wayne

Step into early 2015, a moment when Drake was one of the most dominant forces in popular music and could shift the entire conversation simply by releasing new material. "Used To" arrived as part of a surprise project that landed without warning, a body of work delivered straight to fans in the dead of winter. Featuring his longtime collaborator and label boss Lil Wayne, the track captured the swagger and reflective edge that defined Drake at the height of his powers, a snapshot of an artist operating at full creative speed.

Drake at the Peak of His Influence

By 2015 Drake had reshaped the sound and rhythm of mainstream hip-hop, blending rapping and singing into a style countless artists would imitate. "Used To" appeared on the surprise mixtape that arrived in February 2015, a release that demonstrated his command of the cultural moment. The presence of Lil Wayne, his mentor and the founder of the Young Money label that launched him, gave the track a sense of lineage, two generations of the same hip-hop dynasty trading verses.

A Confident, Reflective Banger

The recording rides a hard, brooding beat, the kind of moody production that became Drake's signature. The mood balances braggadocio with introspection, a meditation on how much has changed since the early, hungrier days. Both rappers reflect on success, money, and the distance between who they are now and who they used to be, the theme that gives the song its title. The energy is assured and a little defiant, the sound of artists who have made it and are taking stock of the climb.

A Brief Chart Appearance

As an album track rather than a heavily promoted single, the song had a short but real run on the Hot 100. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 28, 2015, at number 91, then moved up to its peak of number 84 during the week of March 7, 2015. Its chart life was brief, spending just two weeks on the Hot 100, which reflects how it functioned: not as a radio single built for longevity but as one strong cut from a project that fans devoured as a whole.

Part of a Landmark Release

While "Used To" was not among the biggest individual hits of Drake's catalog, it belongs to a release widely regarded as a turning point in how major artists drop music. The surprise project model it was part of would influence the industry for years. The track stands as a vivid example of the Drake and Lil Wayne chemistry, a partnership that helped define an era of hip-hop. It captures a specific moment when Drake could command attention simply by existing.

A Mentor and His Protege

Part of what gives the track its weight is the relationship between the two artists at its center. Lil Wayne had signed and nurtured Drake early in his career, helping transform a talented newcomer into a global superstar. By 2015, the student had arguably surpassed the teacher in commercial reach, which lent their collaborations a fascinating, layered dynamic. When they traded verses, listeners heard not just two rappers but two stages of a single dynasty, the founder and the heir sharing a microphone. That history charged even a deep album cut like this one with significance. The easy, unforced way they bounced off each other came from years of working together, and it gave the track an authenticity that manufactured pairings rarely achieve. For fans who had followed both careers, hearing them link up was a reminder of how the modern hip-hop landscape had been shaped, and of the loyalty that ran beneath all the talk of success and status.

Press play and let that brooding beat and the easy chemistry of two Young Money heavyweights pull you into the winter of 2015.

"Used To" — Drake Featuring Lil Wayne's singular moment on the 2010s charts.