Songfacts®:

• Backed by a soulful choir, Drake flaunts his chart dominance and legacy and name-drops A-listers and associates. He released "8AM in Charlotte" as the second single from his 2023 album, For All the Dogs, on October 5, 2023.
• As the beat drops, Drake gets to business, spitting his signature mix of cockiness, defense, and celebration. He flexes skiing in the high-end French ski resort of Courchevel sporting a chinchilla fur coat and an ushanka hat.
  
  In verse two, Drake's all about the grind, numbers soaring higher than the Empire State.
  
  Because it's Drake, you know there'll be talk about his haters. In verse three, Drizzy isn't sweating the small stuff. Those opps and foes, they're just background noise.
• Throughout the song, Drake drops a list of names. They include:
  
  Actor and director Orson Welles: ("Knowin' they gon' sell another citizen 'cane, they think they Orson Welles")
  
  Singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill: ("The restaurant clears out faint echoes of Lauryn Hill")
  
  The writer and director of the 2019 film Us: ("I say, 'We gotta talk about us,' I feel like Jordan Peele")
  
  Drake's friend and co-founder of the OVO label, Oliver el-Khatib also called "Oliver North": ("Shout' to Oliver North, he out in Rome doin' Toronto s--t")
  
  Drake's bodyguard Jeremiah: ("And Jeremiah the watchdog, you ni--as know what time it is")
  
  UK rapper Central Cee, also known as Cench. He opened many of Drake and 21 Savage's 2023 It's All a Blur Tour shows. They also collaborated for "On The Radar Freestyle" in July, 2023: ("Hoes waitin' on Cench in the lobby, that boy a lobbyist")
  
  Rapper 21 Savage, whose immigration status has been in limbo since 2019 when he was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. In 2023, 21 Savage's immigration case was finally resolved, and he was granted a green card: ("Got a green card straight out of the consulate")
  
  The "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, who started wearing a single white glove in the early 1980s: ("I feel like Mike switched out the glove for the pen")
  
  Drake's business partner, Adel "Future the Prince" Nur: ("Been talkin' to Adel like he majored in finance")
  
  Country icon Shania Twain, whose songs are popular for line dancing: ("Shania Twain, notepad, I'm making it line-dance")
  
  Megachurch preacher T.D. Jakes: ("I swear I'm like a young T.D. Jakes to my menaces. Long kiss goodnight, PDA for my nemesis")
  
  Anti-vaccine presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.: ("Conspiracy theories start floatin' around like the Kennedy guy")
  
  The late DJ Screw, the creator of the now-famous Screwed and Chopped DJ technique. He has had a substantial influence on Drake's music: ("R.I.P. to the DJ from Houston, we loose screws")
• "8AM in Charlotte" is a continuation of Drake's timestamp series. Over the years, Drizzy has checked in at:
  
  2010 "9AM in Dallas"
  2013 "5AM In Toronto"
  2015 "6PM in New York"
  2016 "4PM in Calabasas" (June 2016)
  2021 "7AM On Bridle Path"
  
  Drake's trip to North Carolina likely occurred on his It's All a Blur Tour stop in Charlotte on September 22 and 23, 2023.
• Conductor Williams' laconic boom-bap beat dials up some soulful piano and a gospel choir. Hip-hop producer Denzel "Conductor" Williams is best known for his work with artists from the Griselda label, such as Westside Gunn ("Eurostep"), and Mach-Hommy ("Folie À Deux"). He's also had a placement with Tyler, The Creator ("Sir Baudelaire").
• The video kicks off with Drake interviewing his five-year-old son, Adonis, about a cute drawing. In it, a goat escapes monsters and other animals, with the word "Daddy" next to the goat - or rather GOAT.
  
  "Daddy's name is next to the goat, does that mean that he's the GOAT? (a reference to the "Greatest of All Time" acronym") Drake wonders.
  
  "Yes, so it's Daddy GOAT," Adonis confirms.
  
  Adonis' appearance is fitting, since his line drawing of a dog graces the cover of the For All the Dogs album.
  
  Drake raps alongside his son and his team throughout the rest of the clip.