"Laugh Now Cry Later" is a song by Canadian rapper
Drake featuring American rapper
Lil Durk. It was released through
Republic Records and
OVO Sound as a single on August 14, 2020. The two artists wrote the song alongside producers
Cardo,
Rogét Chahayed, G. Ry, 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 and
Nike, Inc.[4]
Critical reception
Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork 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 at Rolling 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 of Being 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.
Music video
The song's official music video was released on August 13, 2020, and was directed by
Dave Meyers.[1] It was shot at
Nike's headquarters in
Beaverton, 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 to
Muhammad 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 to
LeBron James).[8] The video also includes several cameos from athletes, including
Kevin Durant,
Odell Beckham Jr., and
Marshawn Lynch, as well as internet comedian
Druski & noted shoe designer Ben Nethongkome.[6]
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202034 into search. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202035 into search. Retrieved September 1, 2020.