“Pain 1993” by Drake (ft. Playboi Carti)

The title of this song actually points to the slogan of one Ian Connor, a hip-hop oriented fashion designer, which reads “Born from Pain 1993”. But at the end of the day, we can say Drake adopting such a title is primarily because it sounds cool. For neither he nor Playboi Carti are actually harping on the concept of “pain” or anything depressing.  Rather, simply put, their primary focus is on how much they’re chillin’ and their extravagant wealth.

Drake’s verse centers on how he has made it, and in the process he elaborates on some of the psychological aftereffects of his success. For instance, he points out that whereas he was “antisocial” in the past, now he is compelled to ‘make friends’. And of course his newfound joy has a lot to do with his wealth.For instance, Drizzy depicts himself as someone who can have five ladies tanning in front of his exotic-beachfront mansion simultaneously.

Meanwhile Playboi Carti goes about delineating his riches by namedropping a number of brands and luxuries he enjoys that only the rich can afford.  Indeed he lets it be known that he can spend $100,000 in a single NYC night and the following day part ways with another “100K” just because he’s “bored”. He also alludes to the idea that he enjoys getting intoxicated via lean. And it should be noted that in the process of such boasting he lets it be known, albeit briefly, that he has in fact ascended from an impoverished background.  So going back to the titular phrase, perhaps its intended purpose is to ultimately point out that despite being borne into hardship, the artists are now chillin’.

Is this the first time Playboi Carti is collaborating with Drake?

Yes. This is the first musical collaboration between Drake and Carti.

On which album does “Pain 1993” appear?

It appears on Drake’s 2020 mixtape “Dark Lane Demo Tapes”. Said mixtape also features the popular collaboration with Chris Brown “Not You Too“.