Batman and Robin. Tango and Cash. Meth and Red. LeBron and D Wade. History has given us our fair share of dynamic duos but one duo might stand head and shoulders above the rest. While they might not be superheroes or athletes, to Hip Hop music Drake and Lil Wayne might be the closest things to them. What started off as a mentor and pupil relationship has morphed into one of the most formidable music duos over the last 13-plus years. What appeared to be an odd pairing on the surface (Wayne a walking piece of art from New Orleans and Drake clean cut guy from the 6) proved it ain’t what it looks like it’s what it sounds like. And what a sound it is. In celebration of Drake’s birthday, we’re going to run the top 6 Drake and Wayne collaborations.
HYFR
A more subdued party track if there ever was one, HYFR finds Drake trying a different rhyming pattern on his sophomore album Take Care. Wayne catches the beat in a myriad of ways, spitting an introspective verse on track designed to start parties. The hook is smooth, melodic and somewhat chill. This song has many layers making this one of their most creative and effective efforts.
Miss Me
From Drake’s debut studio album Thank Me Later, if winning had theme music Miss Me would have been the soundtrack of it. Here, Drake takes a victory lap of sorts understanding where he would end up after the massive success of Best I Ever Had. He shoots his shot at 2 of the baddest in the game at the time (Maliah and Nicki Minaj) and “counts him money to the perfect height”. For the game winner, Lil Wayne comes in with a lethal verse that shows off his wit. It was the co-sign of the year and one of the first songs that proved how dynamic Wayne and Drake would be.
The Motto
Off the 2011 Drake album Take Care, this Drizzy and Wayne collabo had dance floors around the world near capacity when it dropped. This song is also responsible for the pop culture phenomenon of YOLO. One of the songs that you had to be there to understand and one of their most-played collaborations.
Family Feud
Appearing on Dedication 6 Reloaded Drake kicks off paying homage to Weezy while claiming he wants to literally pay him what “Universal Owes”’. Lil Wayne ends the Jay-Z cover with one of his best rhymes of his career with a not so thinly veiled diss to Birdman. This is one of the rare covers that might be miles better than the original.
Believe Me
The supposed first single off Lil Wayne’s Carter V (I guess the song was a little too Drake heavy) is a groove. Drake is in his comfort zone on this one and holds his own against his mentor. In fact this might be the first time Drake outshines Wayne which is no small feat as Tune comes in with a verse that’s so fire that it leaves the listener feeling it ended too soon.
I’m Goin In
Drake. Wayne. Jeezy. They went in on this one. We went in on this one. From the So Far Gone mixtape this is one of the earlier Drake and Wayne pairings which gave the former street cred. The addition of Jeezy helped Drake capture some of the energy going on in the south at the moment. Wayne keeps it together with the hook and this early was a great precursor of what was to come.
