The first collaboration between Drake and Sampha, the song displayed the pair’s chemistry, which would be fully realized two months later when the UK crooner handled hook duties on NWTS stand-out “Too Much.” 22. Samphaĭrake took to Twitter in the early morning hours of Jto announce the release date for Nothing Was the Same, and whet his ravenous fans’ appetites by dropping a four-pack of songs: “The Motion,” “Jodeci Freestyle,” “Versace (Remix),” and the remix to PND’s “Over Here.” Out of all the songs, “The Motion” sounds the most like it was meant to appear on NWTS, if not be released as the album’s second single. Going toe-to-toe with the Best Rapper Alive, 22-year-old Drake holds his own, with an opening verse that remains one of the best of his young career. No hook, no bridge, and no crooning from Drake, “Ransom” is just bars. At the time, peak Wayne had the power to make or break careers his appearance on “Ransom,” then, did the former, as his co-sign of Drake single-handedly put the budding rookie on hip-hop’s radar. Recorded on a tour bus somewhere between Houston and Atlanta, just hours after Jas Prince flew Drake into Houston to meet Lil Wayne, “Ransom” is the first evidence of a partnership that would soon take over the rap game. Release: September 13, 2008, on Drake’s SoundCloud Backed by a grimy bassline courtesy of Frank Dukes and Vinylz, Drake weaves between rapping and singing, spitting petty bars to an unnamed woman that you can’t help but sing along to. Arriving alongside Drake’s first response to Meek Mill’s ghostwriting claims (“Charged Up”) and the then-biggest-single-of-his-career (“Hotline Bling”), on the second episode of OVO Sound Radio, “Right Hand” never had a chance to penetrate the culture.