By now, we know the world basically stops whenever Drake drops a single, project, or remix, but the work of the architects behind his biggest hits are just as important.
Long-time collaborator and fellow Torontonian Matthew "Boi-1da" Samuels sat down with Genius for the latest installment of Deconstructed to break down how he made the beat for "Diplomatic Immunity," the single released alongside "God's Plan," which is currently the top song in the country. Sitting in a dimly-lit studio, the producer, who described Drake as his "favorite person to work with," ran through the steps that brought him to the final, orchestral beat.
"It all came from a sample that this producer named Nick Brongers had sent me," Samuels explains. "He has a very cinematic, old school, 60s kind of vibe to his sound." After playing the sample in the studio with Future The Prince, he zoned in to find a part of the sample to build from. "I ended up finding a bar I really liked," he explained, isolating and playing back the part of the sample he went with. "Once I heard that part, I was like yeah this sounds like magic to me. It sounds like you're on a yacht or something. Just sailing with a luxurious dinner."
For him, the production was one he made with hip-hop heads in mind, and he envisioned a song with pure, hit-the-ground-running energy bars. After finishing it up, he sent it over to Drake almost immediately. "He gave me the thumbs up and said he was going to do something crazy with it and he definitely delivered."
Watch the full Deconstructed episode above.
