The top-five songs Drake had on his iPod in 2006
Thinking of a world-famous musician before they got famous is kind of like thinking about your parents as teenagers. Like, logically, you know they had to have had a life before we knew them in the status they currently hold. But it demands a particular stretch of the imagination to get there.
Indisputably one of the most famous musicians in history, Drake was, too, once just an ordinary guy who listened to music. OK, fine, by 2006, he was a celebrity in his own right through his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. But come on. He wasn’t yet Drizzy. Champagne Papi. Mr OVO. You get the gist.
In a recently discovered interview conducted with Drake by Leslie Woods, the then-rising star discussed a plethora of matters, from how he presents food upon the table, his transition from television to music, and even his relationship with Toronto.
One question asked was if Drake had to pick one song to be the soundtrack to his life, what would it be? To which he replied, “it would have to be Jay-Z ‘Lucky Me’ which would then fade into Marvin Gaye ‘T Plays it Cool’ which would progress into TI’s ‘I Can’t Quit’ and then end off with the melodic sounds of George Benson ‘Affirmatio’n…I can’t pick just one so that’s my medley.”
The interview also revealed the top five tracks Drake was listening to in 2006. When asked “Top 5 tracks in tape deck/iPod/music player?”, the soon to be five time Grammy winning musician responded without as much as a stutter.
“‘Nickelus’ F feat. Radio B – ‘Livin the Life’, Clipse feat. Pharrell – ‘Mr. Me Too’, Ryan Leslie – ‘Lay U Down’, Slum Village – ‘Call Me’, Colin Munroe – ‘Don’t Think Less of Me’” was listed.
These songs, all indicative of the mid-noughties time Drake was discussing them in, are sonically not dissimilar: they all dwell within the space between hip-hop and R&B, with a nod to soul in Slum Village’s ‘Call Me’ and bedroom-worthy vibes in Ryan Leslie’s “Lay U Down”. A fascinating precursor, obviously, to the music that Drake would later come to define on a global stage.
Let’s break this down, track by track.
Nickelus F feat. Radio B’s “Livin the Life” features introspective lyrics that discuss self-definition and Nickelus F’s perspective on success. It is an underground hip-hop track of the late noughties blog era scene, and was re-released a few years later on his 2011 mixtape, Unfinished Business Mixtape 2011 (Classics and Unreleased).
Clipse feat. Pharrell’s ‘Mr. Me Too’ came out in 2006. The lead single from Hell Hath No Fury, this track, produced by the Neptunes, critiques imitation and creative envy, while Pusha T and Malice deliver unflinching confidence in their performance.
Released in 2004, Slum Village’s ‘Call Me’ blends soul samples with Detroit style lyrics for a track that is sonically rich in warmth and groove.
Colin Munroe’s ‘Don’t Think Less of Me’ fuses pop, R&B, and electronic music with lyrics that centre around self-perception and self-worth, and sonically fits the noughties zeitgeist f smooth, alterative R&B.
Ryan Leslie’s ‘Lay U Down’ is a cut from Leslie’s self-titled debut album. This smooth R&B track highlights Leslie’s talents as both producer and vocalist, for a finished result that utilises minimalist instrumentation to maximise romantic vulnerability. Sound familiar?