Drake is one of the most decorated artists in hip-hop. Exploding onto the scene in 2009 alongside Nicki Minaj and Tyga as part of Young Money, Drake has gone on to achieve incredible things in his career and ascend dizzying heights.
During the 2010s, Drake was unstoppable. With four Grammy awards, 13 BET awards and a whopping 34 Billboard awards, the Young Money artist broke all kinds of musical records and was even awarded the accolade ‘Billboard Artist of the Decade’.
With such esteem, it’s often fascinating to find out how artists we admire piece small things together to create these fantastic works like a mosaic. In this article, we’re going behind the mic to find out all the facts about how Drake made his 2018 hit ‘Diplomatic Immunity’.
Recorded in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ was released in 2018 as the second single for Drake’s Scary Hours EP. Alongside the EP’s lead single ‘God’s Plan’ (which also featured on the rapper’s album Scorpion), ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ debuted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
Upon its debut in the top ten with ‘God’s Plan’, Drake became the first artist in Billboard history to have two tracks simultaneously in the top ten at the same time. Produced by renowned Canadian producer Boi-1da, this track samples the intro to the Wu-Tang Clan’s 1997 track ‘Triumph’.
In an interview with Billboard, Boi-1da disclosed that ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ was recorded straight after ‘God’s Plan’. The producer told the interviewer, “I was really inspired and ended up playing it for him. And when Drake hears something he likes, he gets on it, and it’s actually what he did.”
In another interview with Genius, Boi-1da even showcased how he produced the beat for the website’s YouTube video series, Genius: Deconstructed. Below you can watch Boi-1da explain how he produced the beat as well as hear the final track.
