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40 Explains Why “The Calm” Is His Favorite Drake Song

Noah “40” Shebib recently took a break from cooking up with Drake for Certified Lover Boy to chop it up with Kevin Durant and co-host Eddie Gonzalez on The ETCs podcast. While the conversation is wide-ranging, one of the most interesting moments arrives near the end, when Kevin Durant asks what he deems to be an “unanswerable question” — what is 40’s favorite Drake song of all time?
40 Shebib

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After a bit of encouragement from the host, 40 declares that “Resistance” is “up there.” “‘The Calm’ is one of them for me, because of those bars,” continues 40. “Those bars in ‘The Calm’ about his mom, and fighting with his mom, and his uncle on the phone. You guys gotta understand, when we made that song, I was living on Fort York, which was a big condo in downtown Toronto they had just built…That’s where me and Drake first linked up and started making So Far Gone.”

“Drake was coming to the apartment all the time to work on records with me outta my bedroom where I had my little set-up,” he continues. “That’s where we formed October’s Very Own, and that’s where everything began, out of that apartment. That night, Drake came over to the crib, and he shows up with a couple bottles of liquor, a bottle of champagne. He just got there, and his phone is ringing, some shit is going down. He goes out on the balcony and starts cussing. He’s out there for like, half an hour. And it’s getting heated. He’s talking to his uncle, in a big fight with his uncle.”

“There’s screaming and yelling, and he comes back in and he’s just rattled,” reflects 40. “He’s livid, he’s steaming mad. And he’s like yo, put that beat on. And he walks up to the mic and bodies that record. And like, that experience of seeing him be so triggered by that conversation and then spit those bars, and then seeing the way people react to that song — how heart-wrenching that was, how much you felt what he was saying, that was so real. That really happened in that moment. So for me listening to that song is pretty important to me. It also defined me as a producer, as far as that sparseness and being very different and very emotional in a time where motherfuckers were making big booming, slapping records.”

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Kanye West Joins Chicago Ceremony Honoring His Mother With Dr. Donda West Way

Kanye West was in Chicago for a street naming ceremony honoring his late mother, Dr. Donda West, and celebrating her lasting contributions to the city, her impact on education and the arts, and her influence on her son’s life.

A portion of 78th Street bears the official designation of Dr. Donda West Way, an appropriate tribute to a woman whose legacy remains deeply entangled with Chicago. Local news covered the ceremony, attended by community leaders, and Ye could be seen clapping in the background, wearing shades, as the new street sign was unveiled.

The event celebrated Donda West’s accomplishments and her impact on the people in her life. It was also a moment of profound personal significance for Kanye. His mother played a large part in building his confidence and supporting his musical ambitions, leading him down the path that would ultimately make him one of the most recognizable artists in music.

West had already paid tribute to his mother in his 2021 album Donda. The project took 10 years to complete, the amount of time it took Ye to process her tragic passing. Donda’s voice is present throughout the album, adding another personal element to a project centered on her memory and legacy.

The Chicago ceremony falls during a busy time for West. The artist is on a world tour and played a couple of shows in Chicago just a few weeks ago. Despite the ongoing controversy about his recent past and public reception, his repeated returns to the stage have underscored the enduring size of his audience.

Currently, the unveiling of Dr. Donda West Way is not about music but about celebrating Donda West’s life and accomplishments and the impact she continues to have through the legacy she left behind.

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DJ Akademiks Opens the Door to Pusha T Amidst Drake Controversy

DJ Akademiks seems to be changing his tune on Pusha T after the leak of the rapper’s alleged album with Pharrell, though the project reportedly includes several direct shots at Drake.

The reaction is notable as Akademiks and Pusha T have been on completely unique sides of the long-running Drake-Pusha T divide. Pusha T’s infamous beef with Drake reached a major milestone in 2018 with the release of “The Story of Adidon.” Akademiks has an OVO chain and has been a big supporter of Drake, which makes his latest comments about Pusha T even more shocking.

The two have had their differences, though they have never gone back and forth publicly over the years. Akademiks, however, responded to the leaked project with a more sympathetic view of Pusha T’s position. Akademiks didn’t just point out the rapper’s continued Drake references; he also recognized that Drake has been beefing with Pusha T and Pharrell over the last few years.

Things got spicy when Akademiks reminded him that Pusha T has liked a couple of his posts before. That detail apparently has Akademiks considering reaching out directly to talk with Pusha T.

Does Pusha T even want that kind of conversation? Still, Akademiks’ comments imply that he believes there’s room for a more productive discourse between two personalities who have historically been on opposite sides of the Drake-Pusha T feud.

For now, the leaked album has provided an unexpected opening for dialogue. Akademiks’ openness to Pusha T’s side, even with his clear ties to Drake, shifts the conversation away from taking sides and toward whether a direct conversation could actually happen.

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