Drake, Beyoncé Can I (2015)
It might be a weird moment to be talking about Drake, but the reality is, since 2009 and the genre defining So Far Gone, when has the collective consciousness we call the internet not been talking about Drake?
Champagne Papi really is internet royalty. He’s the face that launched a million memes, the butt of everyone’s jokes although most of the time he’s in on it. But, as his persona hangs in the balance in the court of public opinion, let’s get back to the basics; more specifically to the music, to the atmospheric bangers he and long-time collaborator Noah ‘40’ Shebib concocted in Toronto. Their loud yet amniotic ambience would become the sound of their hometown, and the vibe of intimate reflection would distinguish Drake from his peers, setting the tone for a decade of massively popular music. But that’s a story for the 2020s.
“Can I” was leaked in 2015 just before Drake’s fourth LP Views was set to be released. He released the song on OVO Beats Radio later that year and finally brought it back, refreshed, for 2019’s deep-cut compilation Care Package.
Here he’s riding with Queen B herself and this wonderful meeting of generational talents is a millennial moment, a tête-à-tête between two behemoths, and we have the privilege of listening in. The song bangs in that subtle, sexy way only Toronto can.
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