Greece (song)

2020 single by DJ Khaled featuring Drake

"Greece"

Single by DJ Khaled featuring Drake
from the album  Khaled Khaled
A-side| "Popstar"
Released| July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)
Recorded| 2020
Genre| Hip hop
Length| 3:39
Label|

* OVO
* We the Best
* Epic

Songwriter(s)|

* Khaled Khaled
* Aubrey Graham
* Ozan Yildirim
* Calvin Tarvin
* Elijah Maynard
* Peter Eddins

Producer(s)|

* OZ
* Tiggi

DJ Khaled singles chronology
| "Important"
(2020)  | "Greece" / "Popstar"
(2020)  | "Sunshine (The Light)"
(2021)

|
|

Drake singles chronology
| "Toosie Slide"
(2020)  | "Greece" / "Popstar"
(2020)  | "Only You Freestyle"
(2020)

|
|

"Greece" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American musician DJ Khaled, featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on July 17, 2020, simultaneously with their other collaboration "Popstar", as the dual lead singles from Khaled's twelfth studio album, Khaled Khaled. The songs marked the reunion between Khaled and Drake, who collaborated on various songs since 2010. Both tracks were produced by frequent Drake collaborator OZ. Critics deemed "Greece" a "luxurious" song, comparing Drake's vocals to fellow Canadian singer the Weeknd.

"Greece" peaked at number three on the Canadian Hot 100. Outside Canada, the song topped the charts in Greece, peaked within the top ten of the charts in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, the top twenty of the charts in Switzerland and the top forty of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Germany and Ireland.

## Background

[edit]

In August 2019, Swiss record producer OZ released a 40-second video on Instagram, showcasing a new project he had been working on. The video featured the same beat later used on "Greece", together with vocals in German by OZ himself. He accompanied the video with the description "oz - greece" and the hashtag #SOLOCAREER. This sparked rumors that the producer, who had previously never come into the spotlight as a lyricist, would release the song as his first fully independent music project. The German lyrics heard in OZ's original release are very similar in meaning and vocal melody to those later used by Drake on the final song. The original video by OZ was later removed from Instagram.[1]

Speculation of a new DJ Khaled and Drake song first arose in January 2020, when Khaled flew to Drake's hometown Toronto. After spending time together in the studio, Khaled stated "It's amazing what you can get done in 24 hours". On May 1, Drake previewed the record during a livestream on Instagram.[2] In June, both Drake and Khaled teased the collaboration by captioning various posts with emojis of an owl and a key, the owl being the mascot of Drake's OVO label and the key unofficially standing for DJ Khaled. Khaled 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, but did not confirm any music with Drake.[3] The track then leaked in early July.[4]

On July 15, two days before the song's release, Khaled announced his 12th studio album would be titled Khaled Khaled. The announcement was accompanied with a video trailer documenting his life and career, including the birth of his sons, and winning his first Grammy Award. He also announced two songs would be released on July 17, "Greece" and "Popstar", both featuring Drake.[5] DJ Khaled and Drake have collaborated various times, first in 2009 with "Fed Up",[6] and during the 2010s, on "I'm on One" (2011), "No New Friends" (2013), "For Free" (2016) and "To the Max" (2017).[3]

## Production

[edit]

Shortly after the release of the song, OZ explained the production process: "He [co-producer Tiggi] sent me a sample and I flipped his sample to make it more uptempo and clubby. I did the drums and then sent it to Drake. He had the beat and we didn't know he was going to do something. A couple of weeks went by, and he sent the first idea back. From there, we knew it was about to be crazy. The vocals don't sound like the other songs he has with me. I think Noel [Cadastre, Drake's record engineer] did Drake's vocals. We started the song last fall and went back-and-forth on the production side."[7] OZ previously produced Drake's "Toosie Slide" (2020) and several tracks on his 2020 mixtape, Dark Lane Demo Tapes.[7]

## Composition

[edit]

"Greece" is a "lavish",[7] "luxurious" song, with Drake promising his lover trips around the world, vacations in Greece, and living a wealthy lifestyle. Drake brings more romance to the track, briefly singing in French.[4] He employs high-pitched vocals throughout the song,[7] and showcases his artistry, switching from singing and rapping from chorus to verse.[8] Drake's "digitally sweetened" vocals were likened to Nav's sound, with a "faint echo" of Drake's song "Dreams Money Can Buy".[9] Comparisons were also drawn to the Weeknd.[6][10][11][12]

## Critical reception

[edit]

The song received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Ross Goldenberg of Dancing Astronaut complimented Drake and DJ Khaled's "tried-and-true formula", and said "Drake flexes his witty lyricism [...] and hits the higher notes for the radio".[13] The New York Times's Jon Caramanica was less favorable, stating the song "feels more like a notion than a fully formed song, an ambiguous experiment in texture".[9] Rolling Stone's Charles Holmes said while the song lacks innovation, "there's at least a sense of honed pop craftsmanship on display".[14] Complex's Jessica McKinney called the song a contender for the Song of the Summer title.[4] Eric Skelton of the same magazine had a differing opinion, saying the song only tries to live up to expectations: "Both of these songs will sound fine playing out of bluetooth speakers at the pool, but they're each missing the spark that made true summer hits like 'I'm on One', 'One Dance' and 'In My Feelings' so inescapable when the weather got warm".[11]

## Music video

[edit]

A visualizer was released along with the song, featuring an animated owl with a gold key in its mouth, flying over Greece.[10] An official video is yet to be released. However, in June 2020, DJ Khaled posted a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Director X, who previously directed Drake's videos for "Hotline Bling", "Life Is Good", and "Work", possibly alluding to the song's video.[3]

## Chart performance

[edit]

"Greece" and "Popstar" debuted at numbers eight and three on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, becoming Drake's record-extending 24th and 25th debuts in the Hot 100's top 10. It also marked his 39th and 40th Hot 100 top ten entries, breaking Madonna's 18-year record.[15]

## Personnel

[edit]

* Drake – vocals
* DJ Khaled – vocals
* Ozan "OZ" Yildirim \- production
* Calvin "Tiggi" Tarvin - co-production
* Elijah Maynard – lyrics
* Peter Eddins - lyrics
* Noah "40" Shebib – mix engineering
* Noel Cadastre - record engineering
* Juan "AyoJuan" Pena - vocal engineering

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2020)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[16] | 35
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] | 27
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18] | 10
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] | 3
France (SNEP)[20] | 129
Germany (GfK)[21] | 28
Global 200 (Billboard)[22] | 38
Greece (IFPI)[23] | 1
Ireland (IRMA)[24] | 14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] | 71
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[26] | 2
Portugal (AFP)[27] | 41
Scotland (OCC)[28] | 55
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] | 73
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 11
UK Singles (OCC)[31] | 8
US Billboard Hot 100[32] | 8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] | 6
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[34] | 14
US Rolling Stone Top 100[35] | 4

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2020)  | Position

|

Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] | 85
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] | 58
UK Singles (OCC)[38] | 85
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[39] | 62

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[40] | Platinum  | 70,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[41] | Gold  | 15,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[42] | Gold  | 20,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[43] | Gold  | 45,000‡
France (SNEP)[44] | Gold  | 100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[45] | Gold  | 200,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] | Platinum  | 30,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[47] | Gold  | 5,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[48] | Gold  | 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] | Platinum  | 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[50] | 2× Platinum  | 2,000,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[51] | Platinum  | 2,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Drake schnappt sich OZ' Solo-Song: Der Weg von der Insta-Skizze bis zu "Greece"". lyricsmagazin.ch (in German). July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
2. ^ Cowen, Trace William (May 1, 2020). "Drake Previews More New Music After Dropping 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes' Project". complex.com. Complex Networks. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
3. ^ a b c "DK Khaled Teases Drake Single". Rap-Up. June 10, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
4. ^ a b c McKinney, Jessica (July 17, 2020). "Best New Music This Week: DJ Khaled, Drake, Joey Badass, Tinashe, and More". Complex. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
5. ^ "DJ Khaled Announces New Album 'Khaled Khaled'". Rap-Up. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
6. ^ a b Sanfiorenzo, Dimas (July 17, 2020). "Drake & DJ Khaled Team up For Two New Songs, "Greece" & "Popstar"". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
7. ^ a b c d Saponara, Michael (July 17, 2020). "Producer OZ Breaks Down How DJ Khaled and Drake's 'POPSTAR' & 'GREECE' Came Together". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
8. ^ Li, Nicolaus (July 17, 2020). "DJ Khaled and Drake Reunite on "POPSTAR" and "GREECE"". Hypebeast. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
9. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (July 17, 2020). "Drake Clears His Throat With DJ Khaled, and 10 More New Songs". New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
10. ^ a b Hore-Thorburn, Isabelle (July 17, 2020). "DJ Khaled & Drake Just Delivered the Summer Anthems We Needed". Highsnobiety. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
11. ^ a b Skelton, Eric (July 17, 2020). "7 Takeaways From DJ Khaled and Drake's New Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
12. ^ Woods, Aleia (July 17, 2020). "People Think Drake Sounds Like The Weeknd on DJ Khaled's "Greece"". XXL. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
13. ^ Goldenberg, Ross (July 20, 2020). "Drake grants back-to-back singles to DJ Khaled with 'POPSTAR', 'GREECE'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
14. ^ Holmes, Charles (July 17, 2020). "Drake and DJ Khaled Try to Solve the Song of the Summer Crisis". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
15. ^ Trust, Gary; Zellner, Xander (July 27, 2020). "Drake Breaks Record For Most Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits, Thanks to DJ Khaled Collabs". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
16. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
17. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
18. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
19. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
20. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
21. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
22. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
23. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 30/2020". IFPI Greece. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
24. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
25. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
26. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
27. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
28. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
29. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
30. ^ "DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
32. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
33. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
34. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
35. ^ "Top 100 Songs, July 17, 2020 - July 23, 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
36. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
37. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
38. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
39. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
40. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
41. ^ "Austrian single certifications – DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
42. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – DJ Khaled ft. Drake – Greece" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
43. ^ "Danish single certifications – DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
44. ^ "French single certifications – DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
45. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (DJ Khaled feat. Drake; 'Greece')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
46. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – DJ Khaled feat. Drake – Greece". Radioscope. Retrieved July 31, 2025. Type Greece  in the "Search:" field.
47. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – DJ Khaled ft. Drake – Greece" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
48. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Greece')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
49. ^ "British single certifications – DJ Khaled ft Drake – Greece". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
50. ^ "American single certifications – DJ Khaled – Greece". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
51. ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International)" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved October 26, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

DJ Khaled

* Discography
* Awards and nominations

Studio albums|

* Listennn... the Album (2006)
* We the Best (2007)
* We Global (2008)
* Victory (2010)
* We the Best Forever (2011)
* Kiss the Ring (2012)
* Suffering from Success (2013)
* I Changed a Lot (2015)
* Major Key (2016)
* Grateful (2017)
* Father of Asahd (2019)
* Khaled Khaled (2021)
* God Did (2022)
* Aalam of God (TBA)

Singles|

* "Holla at Me"
* "Grammy Family"
* "Born-N-Raised"
* "We Takin' Over"
* "I'm So Hood"
* "Out Here Grindin"
* "Go Hard"
* "Put Your Hands Up"
* "All I Do Is Win"
* "Welcome to My Hood"
* "I'm on One"
* "Take It to the Head"
* "I Wish You Would"
* "No New Friends"
* "I Wanna Be With You"
* "They Don't Love You No More"
* "Hold You Down"
* "How Many Times"
* "Gold Slugs"
* "For Free"
* "I Got the Keys"
* "Holy Key"
* "Do You Mind"
* "Shining"
* "I'm the One"
* "To the Max"
* "Wild Thoughts"
* "Top Off"
* "I Believe"
* "No Brainer"
* "Higher"
* "Just Us"
* "You Stay"
* "Popstar"
* "Greece"
* "Let It Go"
* "Every Chance I Get"
* "I Did It"
* "Body in Motion"
* "Staying Alive"
* "Beautiful"
* "Big Time"
* "Supposed to Be Loved"

Featured singles|

* "100 Million"
* "Speedin' (We the Best Remix)"
* "Cash Flow"
* "Foolish" (Remix)
* "Always Strapped (remix)"
* "Body 2 Body (remix)"
* "Ima Boss (remix)"
* "Cold"
* "Pride N Joy"
* "Bugatti" (Remix)
* "Dinero"
* "Big Energy" (Remix)
* "Love, Money, Fame"

Other songs|

* "Wish Wish"
* "Sorry Not Sorry"
* "God Did"
* "Use This Gospel" (Remix)
* "Juice Wrld Did"

Related articles|

* We the Best Music Group

* v
* t
* e

Drake songs

Singles discography

So Far Gone
(Mixtape / EP)|

* "Successful"
* "November 18th"
* "Best I Ever Had"
* "I'm Goin' In"

We Are Young Money|

* "Every Girl"
* "BedRock"

Thank Me Later|

* "Fireworks"
* "Over"
* "Up All Night"
* "Fancy"
* "Miss Me"
* "Find Your Love"
* "9AM in Dallas"

Take Care|

* "Over My Dead Body"
* "Shot for Me"
* "Headlines"
* "Crew Love"
* "Take Care"
* "Marvins Room"
* "We'll Be Fine"
* "Make Me Proud"
* "HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)"
* "The Motto"

Nothing Was the Same|

* "Tuscan Leather"
* "Furthest Thing"
* "Started from the Bottom"
* "Wu-Tang Forever"
* "Worst Behavior"
* "From Time"
* "Hold On, We're Going Home"
* "The Language"
* "Too Much"
* "Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2"
* "All Me"

If You're Reading This
It's Too Late|

* "Energy"
* "Preach"

What a Time to Be Alive|

* "Jumpman"

Views|

* "Controlla"
* "One Dance"
* "Pop Style"
* "Too Good"
* "Hotline Bling"

More Life|

* "Free Smoke"
* "No Long Talk"
* "Passionfruit"
* "Gyalchester"
* "Portland"
* "KMT"
* "Glow"
* "Fake Love"
* "Teenage Fever"

Scary Hours / Scorpion|

* "God's Plan" / "Diplomatic Immunity"
* "Survival"
* "Nonstop"
* "Elevate"
* "Emotionless"
* "I'm Upset"
* "8 Out of 10"
* "Mob Ties"
* "Can't Take a Joke"
* "Talk Up"
* "Jaded"
* "Nice for What"
* "That's How You Feel"
* "In My Feelings"
* "Don't Matter to Me"

Care Package|

* "Trust Issues"
* "Paris Morton Music"

Dark Lane Demo Tapes|

* "Chicago Freestyle"
* "Toosie Slide"
* "Time Flies"
* "Pain 1993"
* "War"
* "Desires"

Scary Hours 2|

* "What's Next"
* "Wants and Needs"
* "Lemon Pepper Freestyle"

Certified Lover Boy|

* "Champagne Poetry"
* "Papi's Home"
* "Girls Want Girls"
* "In the Bible"
* "Love All"
* "Fair Trade"
* "Way 2 Sexy"
* "TSU"
* "N 2 Deep"
* "No Friends in the Industry"
* "Knife Talk"
* "7AM on Bridle Path"
* "Race My Mind"
* "Fountains"

Honestly, Nevermind|

* "Falling Back"
* "Sticky"
* "Massive"
* "Jimmy Cooks"

Her Loss|

* "Rich Flex"
* "Major Distribution"
* "On BS"
* "BackOutsideBoyz"
* "Spin Bout U"
* "Circo Loco"
* "Pussy & Millions"
* "Jumbotron Shit Poppin"

For All the Dogs /
Scary Hours Edition|

* "Virginia Beach"
* "Amen"
* "Calling for You"
* "Fear of Heights"
* "Daylight"
* "First Person Shooter"
* "IDGAF"
* "7969 Santa"
* "Slime You Out"
* "8AM in Charlotte"
* "Gently"
* "Rich Baby Daddy"
* "Evil Ways"
* "You Broke My Heart"

Drake–Kendrick
Lamar feud|

* "Push Ups"
* "Taylor Made Freestyle"
* "Family Matters"
* "The Heart Part 6"

Some Sexy Songs 4 U|

* "CN Tower"
* "Gimme a Hug"
* "Nokia"
* "Die Trying"
* "Somebody Loves Me"

Other songs|

* "Forever"
* "0 to 100 / The Catch Up"
* "Charged Up"
* "Back to Back"
* "Right Hand"
* "Summer Sixteen"
* "Sneakin' "
* "Two Birds, One Stone"
* "No Frauds"
* "Signs"
* "Yes Indeed"
* "Duppy Freestyle"
* "Only You Freestyle"
* "Laugh Now Cry Later"
* "Bubbly"
* "Search & Rescue"
* "On the Radar Freestyle"
* "Wah Gwan Delilah"
* "It's Up"
* "What Did I Miss?"
* "Which One"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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