For the following few weeks (realistically, more like months) I’d play said album repeatedly. On my Christmas and birthday list, I’d ask for new CD. for many years.Growing up, I owned a CD player. This is another phrase with strong West Indian origins it’s been- often negatively-associated with black Caribbean men in the U.K. Drake ends his verse with these three words, which form the basis of the song title. “Kissing my teeth,” also abbreviated as “KMT,” is common text speak referring to the tutting sound people make with their tongues to express disappointment.Buss is also commonly used in Caribbean music, appearing on dancehall tracks like Vybz Kartel’s “Buss My Gun.” East London grime legends Ghetts and Devlin use the word repeatedly in their 2008 track “Buss 1,” taken from the classic mixtape, Freedom of Speech. On More Life, Skepta mentions “bussing” jokes and dance moves in a similar sense. The phrase “buss case” refers to avoiding court charges for a crime, to “buss shots” is to fire a gun, and the word “buss” alone can also refer to masturbation. “Buss” is a verb derived from the word “burst” that can be applied in a variety of contexts. The word “crud” is also frequently used in London to the same effect. “Greaze” is a recurring ad-lib throughout More Life, first heard on “Skepta Interlude.” An adaptation of “grease,” the word is used as a metaphor to describe how real gangsters “do dirt” and genuinely live the lifestyle they rap about in their lyrics. “Long” behavior or “longage” refers to a task being tedious or drawn-out.Genius focused on slang terms that are commonly found in grime music, and made note of their Caribbean roots: “No Long Talk” feat. The large immigrant communities from former British colonies like Barbados and Jamaica have heavily influenced U.K. acts like Section Boyz, Tinie Tempah, and Skepta. He handles the tracks “Passionfruit” and “Skepta’s Interlude.” Before working with Drake, Nana Rogues has laid down beats for U.K. Nana Rogues: Although Drake keeps his circle of producers tight, More Life features two songs with beats by London producer Nana Rogues. The pair haven’t collaborated since, until Sampha popped up once again on the More Life track “4422.” singer’s appearance on Drake’s 2013 Nothing Was the Same track “Too Much” first helped him gain popularity. Sampha: More Life isn’t the first time that Drake has worked with Sampha. He then recruited her for two tracks on More Life, “Jorja Interlude” and “Get It Together.” Jorja Smith: Singer-songwriter Jorja Smith broke out last year with her debut EP Project 11, and she got an early cosign from Drake. presence on the album is Giggs, who appears on the tracks “KMT” and “No Long Talk.” Although Giggs has been releasing music since 2005, his fourth album Landlord became the biggest success of his career last year after hitting No. The playlist includes appearances from U.K. influences on Drake’s More Life below:ĭrake’s recent tour of Europe has deepened his connections with the grime scene and the larger world of British music.
Together, these artists, producers, and studios leave a strong British imprint on the playlist, coming through in the lyrics, beats, and overall feel of the project. Young Thug even recorded his vocals for “Sacrifices” at Metropolis Studios in London during the Boy Meets World tour, where the beat for “Do Not Disturb” was also created. rappers-as well as a handful of British singers and producers-including Skepta, Giggs, Sampha, Jorja Smith, Dave, and Nana Rogues. More Life features several prominent grime MCs and U.K. connection hardly ends with the rhymes, though. Drake adopts the British slang terms commonly used by grime MCs, dropping words like “yutes,” “greaze,” and “spun.” Brits, in turn, typically derive much of this lingo from the patois of Caribbean countries like Jamaica and Barbados, which have large immigrant communities in the U.K. culture permeates the album is through slang. One of the most noticeable ways that U.K. It seems that Drake’s close association with one of grime’s leading names has lead to musical influences from across the pond finding their way into many aspects of More Life. The OVO boss has a long-standing friendship with Skepta, who popped up a few times in 2017 on Drake’s Boy Meets World tour in Europe. Drake’s new playlist, More Life, draws heavily from the sounds of the U.K.