The price just went up for East Oakland’s stealthy producer and lyricist, Ovrkast.
Last Friday, the soft-spoken artist — who has carved out a niche lane for himself in the underground world of introverted lo-fi raps — coyly revealed in an Instagram post that he produced two songs for Drake’s latest release, For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition.
The new, six-track addendum to Drake’s For All The Dogs album (which came out last month and features heavy hitters like J. Cole, SZA and Lil Yachty) includes two beats — “Red Button” and “The Shoe Fits” — supplied by Ovrkast. Both songs highlight the artist’s signature rainy-daydream vibes, with choir loops, acoustic riffs and samples from Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa.”
The production style is a notable divergence from Drake’s party anthems of yesteryear, signaling a more thoughtful, reflective and intentional soundscape that the artist has been leaning into lately. The measured softness and minimalistic simplicity of Ovrkast.’s instrumentals provide a fresh canvas for Drake — now an established veteran in the youth-dominated rap genre — who goes on to confesses his maturity in “The Shoe Fits”: “To all the ladies wondering why / Drake can’t rap like that same old guy / It’s ’cause I don’t know how anymore / I don’t know how.”
The news of Ovrkast.’s collaboration with a superstar of Drake’s stature likely came as a major surprise for many of Ovrkast.’s fans, who are used to seeing him perform locally inside dimly lit, small venues around the Bay Area. Though Ovrkast. only played a small role in the massive OVO-backed project, it’s undoubtedly a major leap forward for the 25-year-old. As of this writing, Drake’s Spotify playlist that features his Ovrkast.-produced songs has over a million likes, which practically guarantees a Herculean boost in exposure.
It’s not the first time the 6 God has leveraged the Bay Area in his music. In 2011, he famously showed love to Vallejo’s Mac Dre in the Grammy-nominated song, “The Motto.” In the music video, cameos from E-40, Berner, Mistah F.A.B. and Mac Dre’s mother, Mac Wanda, appear alongside images of Thizz Nation, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island.
But Drake’s love for the Bay hasn’t always been well received. In 2014, San Francisco rapper Rappin’ 4-Tay attempted to charge Drake $100,000 for using his lyrics without permission in YG’s “Who Do You Love?” Though the case never went to court, the dispute marks a less celebrated moment of Bay Area influence in the Canadian mogul’s career.
Certainly, a Drake and Ovrkast. link-up tops them all. And it’s not something anyone could’ve predicted on their 2023 bingo card. But somehow, it makes sense. Drake is yet again proving himself to be among the genuine appreciators of Bay Area hip-hop artistry. And Ovrkast. is securing his place as one of his generation’s most sought-after sound makers.
