By: Miki Hellerbach
There was once a time when rappers (especially those who claim to be the best in the world) were expected to pen lyrics solely by themselves. Times have changed, and rap music—which is now more closely associated with pop—has updated the way the creative process works. It has become more common for rappers, producers, and singers to adopt a more collaborative process. No one has signaled this change more than Drake, the most dominant rap artist of the decade.
Since 2011, when there were very loud whispers about The Weeknd’s contributions to Take Care, it has been commonly known that Drake uses collaborators to help with his songs and, seemingly, his verses. (When a reference track leaks, it’s not clear if the artist is getting help with their verses or flow.)
But on July 22, 2015, Meek Mill officially broke the dam when he tweeted, “Stop comparing drake to me too…. He don’t write his own raps! That’s why he ain’t tweet my album because we found out!” Later that day, it was revealed that Atlanta rapper Quentin Miller had allegedly written Drake’s verse on Meek’s 2015 single “R.I.C.O.” Soon after, Atlanta rapper OG Maco tweeted a screen grab of the credits for Drake’s latest project at the time, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, where Miller was credited as a writer on multiple songs, including “6 Man,” “10 Bands,” and “Know Yourself.” The next day, Funkmaster Flex premiered an alleged Quentin Miller reference track for “10 Bands” on Hot 97.
While Drake ended up dominating Meek Mill in the short-lived rap battle that followed, there would be a new question mark around Drake’s hip-hop legitimacy amongst purists. Since then, ten more alleged reference tracks have been exposed adding fuel to the initial questioning of Drake’s lyrical validity. Seeing a credit is one thing, but actually hearing another person lay down seemingly original lyrics for Drake to copy has some fans questioning how much they can trust Drake’s pen at all.
In response to all the recent leaks (there have been four this year thus far and two in the last week), we have decided to track the history of all of Drake’s alleged leaked reference tracks.
Released Song: “10 Bands” (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Quentin Miller (2015)
The reference track that started it all. Funk Flex dropped many bombs upon its premiere and it sent Drake fans and haters into a tizzy. Arguably the song’s best punchline “My ex asked me where ya moving I said on to better things,” is heard delivered clearly by Miller.
“10 Bands” has a quintessential Atlanta glitz to its tone which plays sweetly off the cold Toronto texture of the instrumental. There was even a section of the reference track that was, at one point, cut up and presented as another alleged reference for Drake’s 2013 hit “Started From The Bottom.”
Released Song: “Know Yourself” (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Quentin Miller (2015)
In a 2015 cover story for The Fader, Drake talked about being jealous of Wiz Khalifa for making “Black and Yellow,” which was an anthem for his hometown of Pittsburgh to sing along to. Drake then proclaimed: “I told myself, over the duration of my career, I would definitely have a song that strictly belonged to Toronto but that the world embraced. So, ‘Know Yourself’ was a big thing off my checklist.” Finding out Drake’s song for his city was partially created by someone not even from there is a wild revelation. Funkmaster Flex ended up leaking this a week after “10 Bands.”
Released Song: “R.I.C.O.” by Meek Mill ft. Drake (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Quentin Miller (2015)
While this leak didn’t lead in any way to a Meek Mill advantage in his battle with Drake, it did leave a lingering impression. It seems like Quentin Miller just handed Drake a full verse. Funkmaster Flex was responsible for this leak, as well, which caused many to wonder if Meek Mill was the one who gave him all of the reference tracks in the first place. Flex eventually claimed that Drake gave Meek Mill this specific reference track to prove he wasn’t sending shots his way on “R.I.C.O.”
Released Song: “Used To” ft. Lil Wayne (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Quentin Miller (2015)
While it didn’t catch quite as much attention as “10 Bands,” “Know Yourself,” or “R.I.C.O.” Funkmaster Flex also premiered Drake’s Quentin Miller reference track for his collaboration with Lil Wayne from If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. This one is a bit more interesting and funny to listen to because Miller is hilariously mumbling some of his flow ideas. One could deduce that this track was much more of a collaboration, but it still seems clear Miller had a lot to do with forming the track’s core elements.
Released Song: “Legend” (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Partynextdoor (2016)
“Legend” arguably contains one of Drake’s stickiest melodies. The song, which is the first on If You're Reading This It's Too Late, really set the tone for the most Toronto-sounding album he’s ever released. There is some irony that a monumental song about Drake’s legacy features such a heavy hand from another artist. Partynextdoor solely produced “Legend,” and there is also a writing credit from Miller.
Released Song: “Company” feat Travis Scott (2015)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Partynextdoor (2016) (Leaked version titled “647”)
One of the interesting things about “Company,” is that Partynextdoor has no song writing credit on the final version. (It’s only Drake and producers Travis Scott and Ebony Oshunrinde.) It’s wild to hear some of the core melodies Drake used being created by Party.
Released Song: “Greece” by DJ Khaled ft. Drake (2020)
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Leaked Reference Track: Written and Performed by Oz (2019)
“Greece” is probably Drake’s least successful DJ Khaled collaboration. But it made a pretty good reference track. The song’s producer, Oz, actually posted a snippet of his reference track for the song on Instagram in 2019. When Drake’s version was released, people on the internet found that reference and exposed it to the world. Oz’s croons on the reference are at times indecipherable lyrically, but the main melodies are clearly all his. Should also be noted that Oz has an official writing credit on the song.
Released Song: “Jumbotron Shit Poppin” (2022)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Lil Yachty (2024)
It has been no secret that Lil Yachty helped Drake with much of his 2022 album with 21 Savage, Her Loss. You can clearly hear his background vocals on many other tracks besides this one. This is, however, the only reference track leaked from the project. When you hear the Yachty version you can hear why Drake’s version worked so well when it dropped, but also how much it isn’t really his song idea. Yachty is officially credited as a writer and co-producer on the track.
Released Song: “Calling For You” ft. 21 Savage (2023)
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Leaked Reference Track: Allegedly Performed by Cash Cobain (2024)
This is the only reference track here that has flat-out been denied to be real. Bronx rapper/producer Cash Cobain has even claimed it was probably made by AI. Cobain's alleged reference track does sound incredibly believable though. Like many references before it, the song sounds more natural in his cadence than Drake’s. Cobain also produced the song so it would make complete sense—given Drake’s track record—that Cobain would send it to him with the melody and lyrics already intact. Cash Cobain is an officially credited lyricist on the song along with ten other writers.
Released Song: “Mob Ties” (2018)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Vory (2024)
Vory famously contributed to Bryson Tiller’s breakout 2015 hit “Don’t,” which was released three years before “Mob Ties.” Given Tiller’s early affiliation with Drake, who almost signed him, it would make sense that they would share writers. “Mob Ties” doesn’t really sound much like other Drake songs. It uses a southern trap flow that seems a bit outside of Drake’s natural range and its lyricism is not credible coming from Drake.
Released Song: “Ratchet Happy Birthday” (2018)
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Leaked Reference Track: Performed by Partynextdoor (2024)
This is the most recent leaked reference and potentially the least surprising. When you hear Party singing it you realize how much the melodies are in his natural pocket.
