For Free
| "For Free" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"For Free" is a single by DJ Khaled, featuring Canadian rapper Drake, released on June 17, 2016 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records as the lead single from DJ Khaled's ninth studio album, Major Key. The song was produced by Nineteen85 and Jordan Ullman.[1]
Background
On Snapchat, DJ Khaled talked about "the Drake vocals finally [being] in", referencing the then unreleased song. The song samples lyrics and cadences from Too Short's "Blow the Whistle" and interpolates Akinyele's "Fuck Me For Free" produced by platinum producer Frankie Cutlass. The single was premiered by Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio on June 3.[2] One of Drake's verses pay homage to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly song, "For Free? (Interlude)" with a lyric that states, "and like your boy from Compton said/You know this dick ain’t free."[3]
Commercial performance
On the chart dated June 25, 2016, "For Free" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 18, powered by first-week digital download sales of 104,748 copies.[4] It became DJ Khaled's second highest-charting single peaking at number 13 in its ninth week (behind 2011's "I'm On One" with Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne). In Great Britain, the song has peaked at number 25, while peaking at number 47 in Canada and at number 79 in France, making it Khaled's most successful single in those countries.
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 70 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] | 47 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 79 |
| Scotland (OCC)[8] | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 25 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 13 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] | 4 |
| US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 26 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard)[13] | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Shake (2016-06-03). "DJ Khaled & Drake Team Up On New Summer Anthem, "For Free"". Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "DJ Khaled - For Free Lyrics". Genius.com. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ Lang, Cady (2016-06-03). "Drake and DJ Khaled Release New Track 'For Free'". TIME. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
- ^ Mansell, Henry (June 18, 2016). "Hip Hop Single Sales: DJ Khaled, Drake & Desiigner". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (June 18, 2016). "ARIA Singles: Drake Returns to No 1". Noise11. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 23, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "American single certifications – DJ Khaled – For Free". Recording Industry Association of America.