"Popstar" is a song by American musicianDJ Khaled, featuring Canadian rapper Drake, released simultaneously with their other collaboration "Greece", on July 17, 2020, as the dual lead singles from Khaled's upcoming 12th studio albumKhaled Khaled. Both songs were produced by OZ. It marks the sixth and seventh collaborations between Khaled and Drake, and their first since 2017's "To the Max". The upbeat "Popstar" sees Drake boasting about being the "popstar" of the generation. The song proved to be more successful than "Greece", debuting at number three on the BillboardHot 100, and number-one in Drake's native Canada.
Background
In January 2020, Khaled flew to Drake's hometown Toronto where they spent time together in the studio. In June, he teased a Drake collaboration on his Instagram, captioning various posts with emojis of a key and owl, the mascot of Drake's OVO label. He further revealed that "the first single been ready" and confirmed that he was working on a new album. After fans inundated Khaled with questions on the Drake references, he said fans would have to wait a little longer for new music. In early July, Khaled confirmed that Drake was on his new album. On July 15, a day before the song's release, Khaled announced his 12th studio album would be titled Khaled Khaled. He also announced two Drake collaborations would be released on July 17, "Popstar" and "Greece". DJ Khaled and Drake have collaborated various times, first in 2009 with "Fed Up", and during the 2010s, on "I'm On One", "No New Friends", "For Free" and "To the Max". Produced by OZ, he previously produced Drake's "Toosie Slide" and several tracks on his Dark LaneDemo Tapes mixtape.
Composition
Producer OZ created the beat on July 23, 2019, and then used a loop by German production duo David x Eli, to take the track to "the next level". The reggae-tinged song contains "moody" production, with a hard, "" beat. Drake's "tight syllables" include lyrics about vacationing in the tropical islandTurks and Caicos, which he also referenced on the songs "Omertà" and "Pain 1993". He also boasts about his status as the "popstar" of the generation, while name-dropping Scooter Braun, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, David Foster, and Justin Bieber. He further touches on his accomplishments and those who discredits his success. Complexs Eric Skelton said Drake's style on the song "may have drawn inspiration" from rappers Valee and Baby Keem. Valee's manager Andrew Barber tweeted that Drake replicated Valee's flow on his 2018 track .
The New York TimesJon Caramanica called the song a "string of ruminative tough talk", and opined "when he raps like this, with a stream of boastfulness, it's often an ego-clearing amuse bouche for a more ambitious release to follow". Rolling Stones Charles Holmes complimented the song's star quality, stating: "It's a blunt object of a song that seems willing to forgo anything resembling subtlety". Billboards Michael Saponara labelled the song "Instagram caption-friendly", and said it oozes with "song of the summer potential".
Music video
With the announcement on the songs, Khaled posted a trailer for the song's video, co-starring Spanish actor Jordi Mollà.
Commercial performance
"Popstar" and "Greece" debuted at numbers three and eight on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, becoming Drake's record-extending 24th and 25th debuts in the Hot 100'stop 10. It also marked his 39th and 40th Hot 100 top ten entries, breaking Madonna's 18-year record.
