Long before Drake became Drizzy and the 6 God, he was an up-and-coming rapper from Toronto who was trying to shed his acting background in order to be taken seriously in the rap industry. But Kanye West saw talent, and produced a track “You Know, You Know” intended for Drake’s 2010 album Thank Me Later.
“You Know, You Know” never made the album’s final cut, but today (August 24) it finally saw the light of day. Drake shared an audio-only version on his YouTube channel.
Beginning with hyper synths that remain sped up throughout the track’s length, “You Know, You Know” doesn’t have many bells and whistles about it. And really with Drake’s tight rhymes coming fast, it’s a reminder about the kind of anti-production he favored when he first burst on the scene, allowing his rap and his voice to remain front and center. West does him a major service by laying down a strong beat and loop against which Drake can shine.
“You know, you know/ How the story go/ You done shot my style/ You done stole my flow,” Drake raps in the opening line of the first verse. Even though he was a relative newcomer, Drake still knew he was bound for big things. “I’m here feeling like 50 back ’02/ And e’erybody saying I’m the man/ So true!” he raps.
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