The lead single from his debut album, Thank Me Later, it was written by Drake with Boi-1da, and produced by the latter and Al Khaaliq (Nick Brongers).

[7] Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly called the song "a prideful track about a guy who fought for notoriety, gained it, and now struggles with what comes with it: criticism, groupies, and the pressure of expected greatness".

[8] The song makes heavy use of an orchestral backdrop, while Drake delivers confident, aggressive raps in a paced fashion.

[12] He also references Michael Jackson's iconic attire in his "Thriller" video, and commented, "He was young and had the world excited and anticipating his every move.

[8] Wete also said that "He chose not to go the cliche rap-video route and fill his four-minute flick with nearly naked women, Ciroc bottles, and Beamers", and that he stuck with "one leading lady".

[8] Several artists have remixed or made a freestyle over the beat, including Eminem, B.o.B, Sean Kingston, Royce da 5'9", Trey Songz, Fat Joe, Teairra Marí, and Diggy Simmons.

[26] Drake also performed the song at the 2010 BET Awards on June 27, 2010, in a medley along with "Fireworks" and a remix of Young Jeezy's "Lose My Mind".

Mariel Conception of Billboard said that the single lived up to its expectations, and that "Drake continues to prove he's worthy of the hype."

[9] Chris Ryan of MTV News said the song sounded "very much a first single" and that Drake "is almost overwhelmed by the opportunity to officially go off".

[27] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media said the song "does not back down" as the album's lead track, with "royal fanfare-- strings, horns, the works", which he called "an emperor's welcome".

[28] Henry Adaso of About.com dismissed the song, giving it two out of five stars, not pleased with the chorus, and called the rhymes and metaphors "redundant" and "proposterous".

[30] The single was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over three million digital copies in the United States.