"The Motto" is a hip hop song by Canadian recording artist Drake. The song features American rapper Lil Wayne and is a digital iTunes Store bonus track from Drake's second studio album Take Care. "The Motto" premiered on Power 106 on October 31, 2011.
Drake released the song on his OVO blog a day later.[2] It was first played on rhythmic top 40 radio stations on November 29, 2011 as the album's fourth single. Drake says in the song Spanish girls (Latinas) love him like the band Aventura.
The track has sold over three million copies in the United States. It peaked atop both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and US Rap Songs charts, and was ranked 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-end Chart.
"The Motto" was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards. Peaking at number 14, the song is one of the few songs to rank within the top 20 in the year-end chart without reaching the top ten. A music video directed by Lamar Taylor and Hyghly Alleyne was released on YouTube on February 10, 2012 and features cameos from E-40 and Mistah F.A.B.
It is best known for popularizing the acronym YOLO (You Only Live Once).