When Drake’s“Draft Day” comes on, you should get amped, unless you’re ignorant to classic hip hop, because of the Lauryn Hill sample, (“Doo Wop”).
Regardless of what one thinks about Drake’s alleged aim at Jay Z, the nostalgic beats puts one in the succor of quality lyrics, like the year 1998, when “Doo Wop” was released. That was the same year we received classic such as Big Pun’s Capital Punishment; Outkast’s Aquemini; Black Star’s Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star; Jay Z’s Vol. 2: Hark Knock Life; Juvenile’s 400 Degreez, and DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot.
Ironically, SkySense decided to sample Hill because he remembers a time in his life when things were, well, perfect. Duck McFli, SykSense, and Boi-1da, collectively known as The Fam, spoke with Noisey.com about their infectious beat.
“That was just a time in my life when everything was perfect. The late 90s, you know? That was the moment. I remember my mom taking me to school, and it was on the radio all the time. That record meant a lot to me. The part I sampled, that the one point in the breakdown where it always said something to me. It spoke to me.”
“He played it to me, and I was like, ‘What the fuck? Why hasn’t anyone done this?’” Ducko added. “It’s that ‘perfect age sample’.” As for how the song made its way to Drake, the credit lies with Boi-1da, Syk explained, describing Boi-1da as “a major part in this.” Syk’s been friends with Boi-1da since 2010, and the Toronto producer has taken Syk and Ducko under his wing like family, helping them improve.
“Boi-1da just makes us better,” Ducko said. “He can take what we do, and put it onto the next level.”
“We made that beat on the 18th of March, and it was a big surprise when Boi-1da really loved it and said it was great,” Syk explained. “He sent it back to us after he did a lot of the drums. The next thing we know, it’s 4 or 5 AM, and we heard a clip with Drake rapping on it.”
During the interview, The Fam talked about what they were doing when they heard Drake rapping over their beat. Ducko described having the same feeling as he had when his son was born.
“We made that beat on the 18th of March, and it was a big surprise when Boi-1da really loved it and said it was great,” Syk explained. “He sent it back to us after he did a lot of the drums. The next thing we know, it’s 4 or 5 AM, and we heard a clip with Drake rapping on it.”
Ducko was asleep when the song dropped, and Syk woke him up to share it. He described the sensation of finding out about it, explaining, “Drake rapping on the beat was literally what I woke up to. He shoved a phone in my face. I thought it was a double dream. It didn’t feel real. I thought I woke up from a dream in another dream, like some Inception shit. It was a double dream. I can’t explain how it feels to hear something like that. Shane, I mean, you know my son. This is the only thing that has ever had a similar feeling to having a son. That joy. That feeling of accomplishment. Feeling proud. All those thoughts go into my head.”
“When I heard it, I had to catch up with myself,” Syk added. “I was microwaving burgers in the kitchen, and I literally dropped my food down on the floor. I felt like a big weight lifted off my chest. I felt like we did it. It’s always been a goal to work with someone like Drake, and that’s why we started working with Boi-1da.”
During the interview, The Fam also talked about moving forward and not wanting to duplicate anything that they’ve already done.
“The goal right now is just to continue making good music, and show consistency with the music we create together,”Ducko said.
Check out the rest of the Noisey interview here.
Darryl Robertson (@darryl_robertson)
