Drake Turned Down Collaborating on an A$AP Rocky Song With Kendrick Lamar
New York-bred rapper A$AP Rocky rose to prominence in the early 2010s. At the time, Drake was one of the hottest rappers in the game, collaborating with artists including Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. Rocky and Drake developed a friendship, and Rocky approached Drake to appear as a guest on one of his songs. The former Degrassi: The Next Generation star, however, turned down the opportunity.
Drake and A$AP Rocky broke out at the turn of the last decade
A$AP Rocky first emerged on the hip-hop scene in 2011 with his debut mixtape Live. Love. A$AP. With songs like “Peso” and the ScHoolboy Q collab “Brand New Guy,” Rocky showed that he was undeniable talent. The following year, Drake brought Rocky on tour as the opening act on his Club Paradise Tour.
In 2013, Rocky released his debut studio album, Long. Live. A$AP Drake appeared as a featured guest alongside 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar on the hit single “F***in’ Problems,” which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Drake passed on appearing on A$AP Rocky’s song ‘1 Train’
Long. Live. A$AP celebrated its tenth anniversary in January 2023. While looking back on the record, Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy shared information on Twitter about “1 Train” from the album, which featured Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T. According to Hit-Boy, the song was originally meant for Drake.
“First person I sent this beat to was Drake,” Hit-Boy tweeted. “He said he already had a joint on his album with a similar sound so at the end of my session with Rocky for ‘Goldie’ I played the ‘1 Train’ instrumental and he took it and made it what it is.”
According to Hit-Boy, Drake passed on the song because it resembled “Light Up” from his 2010 debut studio album Thank Me Later, which featured a guest appearance from Jay-Z.
Drake helped A$AP Rocky’s career
Drake’s support for Rocky dates back before he brought him on tour. Rocky reflected on Drake’s support for him early on in his career in a 2013 interview on Hot 107.9.
“The only person that put on for me when I ain’t have nobody was Drake,” Rocky said honestly. “Drake was the first person to put [me] on before anybody. He didn’t want to sign me. It was just like, ‘Yo, that’s raw talent, yo. You gotta shine. I’ma see to it.’ So I’ll forever, forever owe Drake.”
“I remember being on tour with Drake and us going to the club, and I had my own money, I had my deal and everything, and him not knowing my situation, he didn’t want to assume or presume nothing. He automatically was like, ‘Yo, listen: we all going to the club.’ He just put an envelope on my desk and he just gave us [cash],” he remembered.
“I open up the envelope and it’s thousands in there,” he continued. “And I didn’t throw a dollar.”
