Music

Nai Palm on Contributing to Drake's New Album 'Scorpion'

Nai Palm, who previously linked with Drake for the 'More Life' intro "Free Smoke," is back in 6 territory on 'Scorpion' Side A closer "Is There More."

nai palm
Image via Getty/Josh Brasted/FilmMagic

At the end of Side A of Drake's new double-album Scorpion, Nai Palm slides in to re-harmonize the Aaliyah classic "More Than a Woman" on "Is There More," providing the proper segue into the mood shift found on Side B's 13 tracks.

The Hiatus Kaiyote co-founder previously linked with the 6 God for "Free Smoke," the introductory cut to his 2016 playlist More Life, which pitches up a bit from the 2015 Kaiyote song "Building a Ladder."

Shortly after the album's heavily tweeted and lyrically dissected release, Complex reached out to Nai Palm for some intel on how her latest OVO assist took place.

"It just happened naturally," Palm said of singing Aaliyah's lyrics. "It was actually an additional afterthought. He sent me a variety of different things to write to and I threw that in the mix last minute. I also felt it was good to school the next generation on the classics just in case they missed the timelessness of Aaliyah (Missy Elliott, Timbaland), all that good shit I was blessed to be raised on as a '90s baby."

Palm added she and Drake "have been sending each other different shit we have been working on respectfully" since March, and that she "recorded maybe five songs all up" during that time period.

"I actually heard it well after the rest of the world as I'm up in the rainforest recording a new album with Hiatus Kaiyote and the reception is basically nonexistent. So yeah, I’d get random notifications about it, but didn't have strong enough reception to play it until way later," she explained. "As a result of being in the rainforest I've only heard bits and pieces. He sent me 'Finesse' a couple of months back which I never wrote to because it was perfect as it was. I'm glad that made the final cut."

Check out the excellent Needle Paw if you haven't already.

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