Andre 3000 Insinuated That Drake Doesn't Write His Own Lyrics

Move over Meek Mill, there are other rappers who want to shade Drake, and they probably have a better shot at it than you. If you’re interested in music at all, then you know we’ve all been living in desperate anticipation of Frank Ocean’s new album, Blond, and it’s finally, finally out.

Well, Andre 3000 did a verse with the lyrics:

"After 20 years in /

I’m so naive I was under the im-pression that everyone wrote they own verses /

It’s comin’ back different and yea that shyt hurts me /

I’m hummin’ and whistlin’ to those not deserving /

I’m stumbled and lift every word, was I working just way too hard?"

He could of course be talking about anybody, but since Meek Mill tried to start some sh*t by accusing Drake of not writing his own lyrics, all eyes will probably be turning Drizzy’s way. Does Drake write his own verses? The world will likely never know, but considering how basic they are on Views, it would be a little absurd to pay somebody for this:

“Yeah, okay, you like it

When I get, aggressive, tell you to

Go slower, go faster

Like controlla, controlla

Yeah, like controlla, controlla.”

These are known facts tho ……

And a Complex article:

The center of attention in the conspiracy of Drake's ghostwriting allegations, as fueled by Meek Mill and OG Maco, is an Atlanta rapper named Quentin Miller. But while Miller's name appears suspiciously in song credits for a lot of Drizzy's recent work, it would seem, especially from past interviews, that the Boy has a history of, at the very least, collaborating on his verses with other writers.

First there's Nickelus F, the rapper who helped usher Drake into the game and whom Drake himself cites as a huge influence and one of the reasons he seriously pursued rapping. Soon after Drake's rise, rumors swirled of Nickelus F providing more than inspiration, and during an interview back in 2010 Complex asked him about it straight up.

Complex: Oh, so it's like sometimes you might help write a hook, or if it's part of the verse you might help start off a verse, or write some of the verse?

Nickelus F: Yeah, I've done that. I know the rumor going around. I don't want anything I say to be misconstrued. I helped out, you know. [Laughs].

Complex: So anyone who says, "Nickelus F writes for Drake" would be mistaken?

Nickelus F: Yes. Have I done work here and there? Yes I have. Do I write for him on a regular basis? No. Have I written for him on a regular basis? No.

Complex: But you have written for him before?

Nickelus F: Verses?

Complex: Yeah.

Nickelus F: Yes, I have done a verse. Not a bunch of verses. I have helped out with hooks and one verse in particular. But I don't write no verses for him.

Complex: What was that one verse in particular?

Nickelus F: I don't want to say! [Laughs].

Complex: Was it well known?

Nickelus F: Yeah, it's well known. I don't know if I necessarily want to put that out there. That's my homie at the end of the day.

Complex: Could you say what project it was on?

Nickelus F: Yeah, but it would kind of give it away.

Complex: Wayne spit a Drake verse at the Grammys. People know Wayne writes his shit, just like people know Drake writes his shit. If there's a verse that he spit that's yours, or that you helped him with, it's not going to be like, "Oh my God! Drake doesn't write anything because Nickelus F wrote one verse for him."

Nickelus F: Well, it was on the So Far Gone retail version. I'll just say that much. I don't want to say what song.

Complex: Was it "Fear"?

Nickelus F: No, it wasn't "Fear." I ain't have nothing to do with "Fear." I ain't have nothing to do with anything new that he's working on.

Complex: Are you credited on the liner notes?

Nickelus F: No, I am not credited. Not credited yet. We're working it out though. We talked about it.

Complex: It wasn't anything on "Best I Ever Had" though?

Nickelus F: No, it wasn't anything on "Best I Ever Had."

Complex: "Successful"?

Nickelus F: Nah, I didn't do anything on "Successful."

Complex: "Houstonlantavegas"?

Nickelus F: Nothing on "Houstonlantavegas."

Complex: "The Calm"?

Nickelus F: Nothing on "The Calm?"

Complex: "Uptown?"

Nickelus F: Nothing on "Uptown."

Complex: It's got to be "I'm Goin' In" then?

Nickelus F: [Laughs]. I didn't say that.

Then in a VIBE cover story around the time Nothing Was the Same dropped, Drake spoke candidly about the writing process for "Connect" involving a "poet" named Kenza Samir.

Who helped me write on“Connect” [11] is this girl Kenza. She’s a great girl and a phenomenal poetry writer. We just sit together and come up with the best way to say things. [12] Actually, me and her did [the lyric] “love people and use things and not the other way around.” It’s cool to get another creative mind in there, just someone who’s thinking solely about the words and not the melodies and placement. It’s nice to read her poetry sometimes, I’ll take from that.

[11] “‘Connect’ was in the air at one point. Because the album is slow sometimes and we were trying to keep the tempo up—maybe we could replace that with something a little quicker. But I fought for ‘Connect’ because that was one of the most groundbreaking pieces, musically.” —Shebib
[12] “When I texted him, 'Isn't it amazing, how you talk all that shit and still we lack communication,' he was like, 'Are you talking to me about me right now or is that for the song?'” —Kenza Samir, poet

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