The Best Thing About Drake's Mixtape Is the Memes

As far back as last July, there had been reports that Drake was getting ready to release new album, thought to be called View From The 6. But so far, that record has not surfaced. Instead, late last week, Drake unveiled a new short film, Jungle. And then, later that night, the rap superstar dropped a new 17-song mixtape, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late on iTunes. Was this the intended album we had heard about for so long? Was this mixtape something different? Was this a way for Drake to get out of his contractual obligation to his label? At this point, who knows.

Regardless, countless fans flocked online immediately to listen... and to have some fun with Photoshop. At first, there was a groundswell of mixtape anticipation:

“@Fames: Patiently waiting for Drake's mixtape to drop like pic.twitter.com/qR9jAI2cK6”

— Jørdÿń Pêrrÿ (@iamjordyn14) February 12, 2015

By the time If You’re Reading This dropped, many Twitter users vacillated between inquiring who purchased the album to making fun of people who did. Because who pays for a rap “mixtape” in 2015?

Don't no one contact me unless you got drake mixtape

— Pleasure D (@Dolnenzo) February 12, 2015

Drake just uploaded his surprise album for free on Soundcloud. I guess yall can't get a refund from iTunes huh? 🌚 https://t.co/5vQFySE6yz

— Tonio.™ ♕ (@_JayAntonio) February 13, 2015

Then, the Soundcloud upload of If You’re Reading This was later pulled, leaving listeners to mourn and wait for Spotify to fill the void. 

when you're mid-listening to drake's new mixtape on soundcloud and he deletes the whole thing pic.twitter.com/ZaUBtCI5Ej

— fuck devon (@leathershirts) February 13, 2015

Me waiting for @Drake's mixtape to drop on @Spotify pic.twitter.com/PengDUXGcu

— IG: msamandaray (@AmandaRay__) February 13, 2015

And that's when the memes really started piling up.

What does the free-then-paid-then-free-again album say about a music industry languishing for album sales? That it works. The short-lived appearance on Soundcloud allowed If You’re Reading This to go viral enough for people to get a taste of the album and want to purchase it. If You’re Reading This debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with a projection of over 500,000 copies sold. And, it was streamed on Spotify more than 17.3 million times in three days, setting a record for most streams from an album in its debut week.

When an artist releases an album as a surprise event (we see you Beyoncé), early listeners become both news reporters and music critics on social media -- making themselves the focus of the spectacle, sometimes as much as the content.

And all that Photoshopping didn't hurt either.