"Laugh Now Cry Later" is a song by Canadian rapperDrake featuring American rapperLil Durk. It was released throughRepublic Records andOVO Sound as a single on August 14, 2020. The two artists wrote the song alongside producersCardo,Rogét Chahayed, G. Ry, Bryan Yepes and Yung Exclusive. It was originally the intended lead single from Drake's sixth studio album,Certified Lover Boy (2021).[1]
On August 12, 2020, Drake posted a clip of himself and another person riding jet skis at night on his social media. The post was accompanied by the caption "TMRW MIDNIGHT 🤍".[2][3] Upon release, it turned out that the song's music video also entailed an upcoming collaboration between Drake andNike, Inc.[4]
Jeremy D. Larson ofPitchfork praised Drake's delivery, calling the song "one of the lightest and breeziest Drake songs to come out in a while". He further described his presence as "effortlessly cool and simple", while "Lil Durk shows up as a perfect counterpart".[5]Complex thought the song was "a vibe, but not an obvious hit record", neither a "by-the-numbers pop radio play or a hard-hitting club record".[6] According to Charles Holmes atRolling Stone, the song "sounds like Drake featuring Drake", further explaining that the song "is the embodiment of what happens when you surround real Drake with a room full of past Drakes, like a tortured Canadian reboot ofBeing John Malkovich".[7] Lil Wayne released a version of the song on his No Ceilings 3 mixtape called Something Different which also had a music video.
The song's official music video was released on August 13, 2020, and was directed byDave Meyers.[1] It was shot atNike's headquarters inBeaverton, Oregon, thus receiving criticism for advertising the company and resembling a commercial.[1][7] The video features shots predominantly of Drake engaging in different sporting activities: boxing underwater (as a reference toMuhammad Ali), running on a treadmill in Nike's sports-science lab, and going on a shopping spree in a closed down Nike store with Instagrammer Aggyabby, as well as Durk and Drake riding jet skis and Drake posing in oversized white, and cream colored suits with Durk (as a reference toLeBron James).[8] The video also includes several cameos from athletes, includingKevin Durant,Odell Beckham Jr., andMarshawn Lynch, as well as internet comedianDruski & noted shoe designer Ben Nethongkome.[6]
The Vocal Recording of Lil Durks Feature was recording in Atlanta, Georgia in July of 2020Recorded at Triangle Sound Studios owned by Tricky Stewart leased out by Sony Publishing Urban Operated by Sony VP Mike Jackson & CEO Jon Platt
THE RECORDING SESSION TOOK PLACE OVER THE COURSE OF TWO DAYS IN THE A ROOM STUDIO WITHIN TRIANGLE SOUND STUDIOS IN ATLANTA, GA IN 2020
in July of 2020 Lil Durk Completed the recording of his feature verse for Drake's Song Laugh Now Cry Later .......the independently contracted audio engineers in the studio doing the general studio labor and recording are as follows:
Joshua "Turn Me Up Josh" Samuels - Primary Tracking Engineering, Vocal Producer, Record Producer, & Mixer
Zack "MAESTROZ420" Shochet - Assistant Engineer, Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios, & Food Runner
Triangle Sound Studio's operations staff and Lil Durks Engineering Team additionally includes:
Nick "THE HITMAN" Rice - In house Co-Chief Engineer for Sony Publishing, Recording Engineer, & Mixing Engineer
Kenya "Felz" Tolbert - Recording Studio Booking Manager for Triangle Sound Studios circa 2020
Scott "Scotti" Taylor - In house Co-Chief Engineer for Sony Publishing, Recording Engineer
Aniza "N!ZA" Clark - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios, & Assistant Engineer
Lauren "Naypalm" Bromell - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios, & Assistant Engineer
Larson Hodge - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios
Ron J HitMaker - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios
Reggie Williams - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios
Britney "Peaches" Henderson - Recording Studio Operations Staff for Triangle Sound Studios
Triangle Sound Studios was rebranded to Seszions ATL in 2021 after Tricky Stewart had leased out his 4 room facility of Triangle Sound Studios to Sony Publishing Global and Sony Publishing Urban in 2020 with a 5 year contract ending in 2025. Seszions atlanta website can be found herehttp://www.sessionsatlanta.com
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 34. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 35. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
