7 Takeaways From DJ Khaled and Drake’s New Songs

In case you missed DJ Khaled’s Instagram posts, he released two new songs with Drake today. One is called “Popstar,” produced by OZ, David & Eli, and Khaled. The other is “Greece,” produced by OZ and Tiggi. Both songs will appear on Khaled’s 12th studio album, Khaled Khaled.

It’s nearly August, and Drake’s next album, which he promised would arrive this summer, still doesn’t have a release date. So for the time being, if you’re looking for new Drake singles to soundtrack your summer, “Popstar” and “Greece” are the ones.

Did Drake and Khaled recreate the magic of “I’m On One”? Or will we forget about these by the time Drake’s album drops? Before heading into the weekend, the Complex Music team put together a short list of takeaways and first impressions of “Popstar” and “Greece.”

Drake loves OZ

Drake has been working with Swiss producer OZ since Views, and the two have built a close relationship in the years to follow. OZ produced multiple tracks on Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes, including the No. 1 hit “Life Is Good,” “Toosie Slide,” “Losses,” and “Time Flies.” He also produced Drake’s Grammy-nominated collaborations with Rick Ross (“Gold Roses”) and Travis Scott (“Sicko Mode”). Although OZ hasn’t always spoken in depth about his relationship with Drake, he suggested in a recent interview that they have a shared interest in experimenting with new sounds. “I think he knows I’m not just making one type,” he said. “I can make anything from R&B to hard rap beats and for the club. I’m always doing what I feel could be the next wave. The chemistry’s just perfect. He knows I work hard and he appreciates that.” Earning production credits on both “Popstar” and “Greece,” it’s becoming clear that OZ is Drake’s new go-to producer. If the trend continues, it looks like we’ll see his name all over the sixth studio album. —Jessica McKinney

He also loves Turks and Caicos

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that part of Drake’s Rap Radar interview where he says, “I’m one of the few people who really lives this rap life. I really live this rap life, for real. I’m really out here partying. You see the house. I’m out here. I’m in the streets. I’m really out here.” That begs the question: What does “this rap life,” really look like for Drake? Judging by his lyrics, it means a lot of island vacationing in Turks and Caicos. On “Greece,” he raps, “Gone out to Caicos, she can stay in my room.” And on “Popstar,” he brags, “Shit don’t even usually get this big without a Bieber face/Naw, naw, piece of cake, naw, naw, Turks and Caic’.” These lines follows other recent references of the tropical vacation spot on songs like “Omertá” and “Pain 1993.” There have been rumors circulating for years that Drake likes to rent lavish homes in Turks and Caicos and invite lots of women to join him, but it sounds like he’s made more permanent real estate investments lately: “I just got a mansion out in Turks and it’s a beachfront.” Honestly? Good for Drake (and Nav, who has also taken a liking to Turks). You see the house. He’s really out here. For real. —Eric Skelton

These are songs for a lost summer

When Drake and DJ Khaled announced a plan to drop two songs in mid-July, most of us expected to hear summer anthems. And you can tell “Popstar” and “Greece” are trying to live up to those expectations. Both of these songs will sound fine playing out of bluetooth speakers at the pool, but they’re each missing the spark that made true summer hits like “I’m On One,” “One Dance” and “In My Feelings” so inescapable when the weather got warm. “Popstar” has a lot of funny lines and a hard beat, but it isn’t catchy enough to become an immediate Song of the Summer candidate. And Drake’s relaxed, high-pitched flow on “Greece” will sound good playing through your headphones when you take your dog on a walk through the park, but you won’t feel compelled to scream it in a room full of people. During a lost summer when we can’t gather in large crowds anyway, these are songs for the times, intentionally or not. —Eric Skelton

This was a group effort

It takes as many heads to make a Drake song as there are people tattooed on his back. “Greece” has half-a-dozen writers: Drake, Khaled, credited producers OZ and Tiggi, Elijah “Dax” Maynard, and Nashville-based producer, composer, and performer Peter Eddins. While the latter two aren’t credited as producers, it seems clear that their contributions were to the music and not the lyrics: Eddins makes beats, and Maynard mentioned his “placement” on social media. “Popstar” brings back Drake, OZ, and Khaled to the writer’s split (the latter two also have production credits), and adds co-producers David & Eli. It should be noted that none of this is abnormal. As detailed in our cover story about the making of Pop Smoke’s new posthumous album, songs that have a large number of producers and writers from all over the world, most of whom never meet face to face, is quickly becoming the norm in hip-hop. —Shawn Setaro

Drake’s a sponge

If you’ve ever spend time on Twitter in the immediate aftermath of a Drake release, you’ll see lots of people playing the same game: Guess Which Artist Drake Is Biting This Time. Today, people were quick to point out that “Greece” shares similarities to some of the Weeknd’s work, and his flow on “Popstar” may have drawn inspiration from rappers like Valee and Baby Keem. It’s a fun game to play if you’re bored in the house, but the comparisons are a little overblown this time. Drake is a sponge, who pays close attention to the rest of the music world and constantly picks up on new influences, funneling it all into his own sound. It’s a big reason why he’s been able to stay so successful for so long. It’s worth noting that there have certainly been times in his career where he replicated sounds too closely, to the point it felt like biting, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Stylistic choices by the Weeknd, Valee, and Keem may have very well been sucked into the Drake vortex this time, but the similarities aren’t close enough to call either of these songs the work of a copycat. The music might be uninspired, but please let the “biting” talk rest this time. —Eric Skelton

Khaled is all over the credits

Khaled may have started his life in hip-hop as a pirate radio DJ, but a quarter-century later, he’s become a true jack-of-all-trades. On this latest batch of songs, Khaled is billed as an artist, a writer, and even, on “Popstar,” as a producer. Not bad for someone whose sole audible contribution is shouting three catchphrases in a row at the beginning of each song (although we’ll admit to not having the full details of his behind-the-scenes involvement bringing either of these songs to life). —Shawn Setaro

These are fine, but we’re still holding out for the Drake album

Despite what you may have read on Twitter, “Popstar” and “Greece” aren’t trash. But they aren’t classics, either. They’re fine. They do the job. That’s how we’ve felt about a lot of Drake’s work lately. He’s put out a lot of good-but-not-great material, and lowered expectations by calling them “mixtapes” and “loosies.” And now we have two more songs that aren’t being presented as Drake singles. These are DJ Khaled records. They’re acceptable, and they’ll likely rack up ungodly amounts of streams, but they really just make us want to hear Drake’s best material. What has he been saving for the album? Where’s the real single? He’s given us a lot of music, but none of it has been presented as his best work. We’ve heard enough of the B-material. It’s time for the A-sides. —Eric Skelton