Drake's most recent release, the chart-topping hit "Nice For What," was written in under two hours while the Canadian rapper was playing NBA 2K.
In a new interview, music producer Murder Beatz recounted how the 31-year-old came up with the idea to write a female-empowerment anthem while virtually shooting hoops on his gaming console.
Drake Writes 'Nice For What'
To recall, "Nice For What" was released back in April. A music video, which featured celebrities such as Olivia Wilde and Rashida Jones, also dropped on YouTube.
The track was an immediate success. It unseated the rapper's previous hit, "God's Plan," on top of the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after its release and stayed there for weeks before Childish Gambino's viral and socially conscious new track "This Is America" claimed the throne last week.
However, it did not take Drake too long to craft the chart-topper.
"We were chillin' at Drake's house, we're playing [NBA] 2K, and we came up with the idea to get like a female artist, to sample a female artist," Murda Beatz, who produced the track, told the Rap Radar podcast. "So I asked my manager Cory, like, 'Yo, what do you think?' He's like, '[Lauryn Hill's] 'Ex-Factor' and then Drake's like, 'Oh, what part?' And we picked the part, chopped it up, I made the beat while he was playing [NBA] 2K."
He added that it took the Billboard 200 Artist 2018 winner less than two hours to write the lyrics, create the beats, and cut it to its final form.
Murda Beatz previously worked on Migos' "Motorsport," 2 Chainz's "It's A Vibe," and Cardi B's "I Do."
'Scorpion' Details
Drake is currently laying the finishing touches on the upcoming release of his new album Scorpion. The Grammy-winning artist announced earlier this year that his follow-up to 2017's More Life would finally drop this June.
While details about the album have been scarce, the "Hotline Bling" rapper hinted that the record might feature DJ Premier. On an Instagram post, Drake published a photo of the record producer and DJ as a young man with a scorpion emoji added on top.
Fans believe that this means that DJ Premier has been involved in the creation of the album in some capacity.
HipHopDX reports that this was not the first time that the two artists have hinted at a collaboration. Drake has been talking about making new music with DJ Premier as early as 2010.
"He said 'Yo next album I want to do some stuff [with you]' and that's pretty much the end of it," DJ Premier revealed. "He comes down and sits down next to us to watch the show and everybody in all the other suites next to us started bugging. He was just chilling there and not acting like he was too cool."
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, basketball player Trae Young, and DJ Khaled were also spotted sporting Scorpion jackets.
