Drake’s 15 Best Tracks Ranked: The DJ’s Selection
What are the best Drake songs for a DJ set? The answer changes with the room. A rap crowd wants a different release from a sunset terrace, and a huge streaming record is not automatically the right record for your next transition.
For this edition of THE 411, we have ranked 15 Drake tracks from a working DJ’s perspective: recognisable hooks, useful grooves, changes of energy and the ability to move between hip-hop, R&B and dance music. This is Hip Check’s editorial selection, not a chart of sales or a claim that one running order suits every crowd.
The starting point was The Guardian’s 2021 Drake retrospective. Our list takes a different angle and includes later releases. The countdown is a ranking, not a suggested order to play all 15 in one set.
15. NOKIA (2025)
Best for: bringing a newer reference into a familiar Drake section.
Its bright, busy production gives you a different texture from the darker rap records below. The playful vocal and changes in arrangement make it useful when a room wants a lift, but those changes also make it less forgiving than a simple loop-led club track. It earns a place for expanding the selection beyond the established favourites; it ranks lower because the older records offer a longer history of audience familiarity.
DJ move: prepare cues around the arrangement changes and decide which section you actually want to use. Introduce it over a cleared instrumental phrase, then let its own rhythm establish itself. Do not assume a single long beatmix will work across the whole recording.
Watch the official video · Listen on Spotify
14. Rich Flex — Drake & 21 Savage (2022)
Best for: a rap-led peak or a deliberate change of mood.
The opening exchange has a personality of its own. That makes the record valuable as an entrance, rather than background material for an elaborate blend. The two voices and changing sections reward familiarity with the full arrangement. It is a strong choice for listeners who know the collaboration, but less universal than the melodic records near the top.
DJ move: clear the outgoing vocal before the opening lands. Mark the later change separately; an echo-out or a clean cut can be more convincing than forcing two incompatible drum sections together. Keep a suitable clean version ready when the booking requires it.
Listen to the official audio on YouTube · Find it on Her Loss on Spotify
13. Massive (2022)
Best for: moving from a Drake moment into a house section.
On Honestly, Nevermind, Drake gave DJs a much more dance-focused palette. “Massive” is particularly useful because its steady pulse and extended groove offer room to work. Its lower position reflects the purpose of this list: excellent as a bridge, but not always the most immediate choice for a strictly hip-hop floor.
DJ move: use a drum-led passage to introduce the next house record. Change the bass ownership cleanly rather than leaving two kick-and-bass combinations fighting. Let the vocal finish before bringing in another topline. This is one of the selections where a patient transition can genuinely add something.
Listen to the official audio on YouTube · Find it on Honestly, Nevermind on Spotify
12. Nonstop (2018)
Best for: a darker, heavier rap passage.
The sparse backdrop leaves the vocal exposed and gives the low end room to dominate. That restraint is its appeal: you can change the weight of a set without reaching for a big sung chorus. It sits below the more versatile selections because its mood is fairly specific, but that specificity makes it useful when you want a firm contrast.
DJ move: bring it in after a finished vocal line and make the bass handover decisive. If your software displays the tempo at half or double the value of the next track, listen to the phrasing rather than trusting the number alone. Avoid filling every gap with effects; the space is part of the record.
Open the official Nonstop listening links · Find it on Scorpion on Spotify
11. Jumpman — Drake & Future (2015)
Best for: a short, direct burst of rap energy.
The repeated title gives the crowd something simple to latch onto while the two performers keep the delivery moving. It is useful when a set needs a clear push rather than a long emotional build. The repetition can also wear out its welcome, which is why the length you choose to play matters as much as the choice itself.
DJ move: prepare an exit after a complete hook or phrase. A quick, confident switch can preserve its impact; an unnecessary second lap may flatten it. Check the next vocal entry in your headphones so that two rappers are not delivering competing lines over the same moment.
Listen on What a Time to Be Alive on Spotify
10. Headlines (2011)
Best for: an early-2010s rap section with a collective vocal moment.
The insistent backing and assured delivery make this a useful connection between Drake’s earlier catalogue and his later hits. It carries nostalgia without depending on a soft R&B mood. Its appeal is especially strong when the room knows that era, so use the response to the opening as information rather than assuming every audience shares the same memories.
DJ move: let the recognisable musical figure announce the track. Save the busiest cuts or effects for a gap in the vocal, and give the hook enough space to register before moving on.
Watch the official video · Find it on Take Care on Spotify
9. Started From the Bottom (2013)
Best for: a chant-led reset inside a rap set.
A compact hook and uncluttered production make this easy to identify. It gives you a different kind of energy from a dense, fast-moving record: the crowd can supply the emphasis. It ranks above “Headlines” for the directness of that central phrase, though the choice between them should always depend on the audience.
DJ move: make the entrance clear, then resist the urge to over-layer it. A brief instrumental loop from the outgoing record can support the transition, but remove it before it blurs the new track’s rhythm. Use a prepared clean edit where necessary, not an improvised fader move over every explicit word.
Watch the official video · Find it on Nothing Was the Same on Spotify
8. Take Care feat. Rihanna (2011)
Best for: an emotional turn in a melodic set.
The interaction between Rihanna and Drake gives this more shape than a straightforward solo singalong. The percussion keeps movement beneath the reflective mood, making it useful when you want to soften the atmosphere without simply stopping the momentum. It is a record to build towards, rather than one to throw into the middle of a harder rap run without preparation.
DJ move: use a rhythmically compatible, less vocal-heavy passage to approach it. Keep the outgoing bass controlled and let Rihanna’s entrance own the space. A transition that is technically long is not necessarily better than one that protects the emotional arrival.
Watch the official video · Listen on Take Care on Spotify
7. Controlla (2016)
Best for: a warm, rolling dancehall-influenced section.
The groove gives a DJ room to connect styles without making the set feel like a succession of hard stops. Its easy motion is the attraction, rather than a huge drop. It earns a high place for that flexibility, especially in open-format sets that need to move between rap, melodic records and Caribbean-influenced rhythms.
DJ move: follow the percussion as closely as the tempo display. Two tracks with similar BPMs can still have different accents and swing. Use a short, phrase-aligned blend, and make sure you know which version you have loaded before choosing the vocal entry.
6. Hotline Bling (2015)
Best for: a playful singalong and a change of texture.
The distinctive musical loop makes the opening useful before the vocal has even done its work. It can loosen a room after a tougher sequence, and it offers recognition without needing the same level of aggression. It is high on the list because it changes the emotional temperature so efficiently.
DJ move: give the opening a clean reveal. If you want a crowd moment, leave the hook intact instead of immediately mixing another singer across it. Be careful with harmonic blends: a distinctive melodic backing is harder to hide beneath than a plain drum intro.
Watch the official video · Find it on Views on Spotify
5. God’s Plan (2018)
Best for: a broad, familiar rap singalong.
Its measured pace and clear vocal landmarks make it an accessible moment inside a mixed hip-hop set. You do not need to push the arrangement very hard for people to follow it. It ranks above the more specialist rap cuts because it offers a useful balance of melody, attitude and recognition.
DJ move: cue the exact entry you want and leave the recognisable lines unobstructed. An echo-out from the previous record can work when a long beatmix would introduce competing vocals. Keep an exit ready if the room wants faster movement; familiarity does not remove the need to read the floor.
Watch the official video via OVO Sound · Find it on Scorpion on Spotify
4. Hold On, We’re Going Home feat. Majid Jordan (2013)
Best for: crossing into R&B and pop without losing the groove.
The smooth pulse and sung hook make this one of the most adaptable records in the selection. It can serve a warm-up, a melodic middle section or a late-night release, depending on what surrounds it. That range puts it ahead of bigger, more forceful moments that only suit one part of a set.
DJ move: use a compatible instrumental section and allow the song to breathe. Be wary of bringing another chord progression underneath the chorus, even when your software suggests matching keys. Trust your ears and keep the two vocals apart.
Watch the official video · Find it on Nothing Was the Same on Spotify
3. Passionfruit (2017)
Best for: warm-up sets, terraces and an understated melodic lift.
This is the selection for DJs who understand that holding a groove can be more valuable than chasing another peak. The gentle rhythmic motion and intimate vocal make it particularly useful in a room that is settling into the night. It takes third place for its ability to connect different musical moods with very little friction.
DJ move: prepare a cue at the musical entrance you intend to use; do not discover the introductory spoken section on the night. Give the drums room and keep any blend restrained. This is a good place to lower the intensity while retaining movement, rather than forcing a dramatic drop.
Listen on YouTube · Find it on More Life on Spotify
2. Nice for What (2018)
Best for: a sharp lift in energy and a celebratory vocal moment.
The Lauryn Hill sample and bounce influence help explain why this feels so different from Drake’s more restrained records. There is movement in the drums and urgency in the vocal treatment. It finishes second because it delivers impact while still feeling distinctive within a familiar catalogue.
DJ move: learn the stops and changes before attempting a long blend. Protect the sample’s entrance, then let the percussion do the work. A tight transition at a clear phrase boundary will usually communicate the lift better than piling extra vocals and effects over an already busy arrangement.
Watch the official video · Find it on Scorpion on Spotify
1. One Dance feat. Wizkid & Kyla (2016)
Best for: connecting a broad crowd through a compact, immediately readable groove.
Our number one balances familiarity with rhythmic flexibility. It can sit within a pop-friendly set, a melodic hip-hop passage or a sequence built around dancehall and Afropop influences. The features matter to its identity, and its relatively concise shape helps it make a point without needing a long runway.
Its reach is not just an impression: Official Charts records 15 consecutive weeks at UK number one in 2016. That does not guarantee a reaction in every country or venue, but it supports the record’s unusually broad familiarity. For this ranking, its combination of groove and usefulness gives it the edge.
DJ move: bring the rhythm in cleanly, avoid smothering the hook and have the next phrase ready before the track runs away from you. Match the feel of the percussion as well as the tempo. A confident, economical mix suits a record whose strongest quality is how little explanation it needs.
Listen to the official audio on YouTube · Find it on Views on Spotify
How to use this Drake selection in your DJ sets
Treat these as options for different moments, not a ready-made 15-track routine. Prepare clean versions where needed, check your own files’ beatgrids and place cues at useful entrances, hooks and exits. Album recordings, radio edits and DJ edits can have different structures; the linked videos are for listening and reference, not precise cue-point instructions.
The key is to avoid clashing vocals. Let one recognisable line finish before the next begins, use instrumental space deliberately and choose an echo-out or cut when the grooves do not suit a long blend. A room in Toronto, Berlin or Los Angeles may respond differently to the same selection. Your next choice should follow that response.
Research note: release and listening information was checked against the linked artist uploads and album pages. Ranking and mixing suggestions are Hip Check’s editorial judgement. Spotify links open the relevant album where a verified direct track link was not available; availability may vary by territory.