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Drake Rapped From The Heart On “The Calm”
Following 40’s epic reveal of the emotionally-charged backstory surrounding “The Calm,” a track he still considers his favorite Drake song, it feels appropriate to highlight the So Far Gone classic on this Throwback Thursday. For those curious, the producer recently spoke to Kevin Durant about his experience making the song, which took place following a heated fight between Drizzy and his uncle. With tension running high, Drake proceeded to queue the beat and “body the record,” by 40’s own telling.
Upon revisiting “The Calm,” the emotion brimming beneath Drake’s voice is evident in the opening lines. “Dedicated to my mom and I swear my word is bond,” he raps, bringing his first verse to a close. “Everything will be okay and it won’t even take that long / you can see it in my face or even read it on my palm.” As the song continues, Drake reflects on his then-strained relationship with his father, sharing a few poignant bars about the complicated dynamic. “My dad called and got me feeling guilty and ashamed / like, how I had a Rolls and I went and got a Range,” reflects Drizzy. “And he paying for his cigarettes with dollars and some change.”
A powerful indication of Drake’s lyrical capabilities, and one that arrived rather early into his career — seeing how everything has since played it, one has to wonder whether or not “The Calm” played a major role in shaping his trajectory. It clearly left one hell of an impression on 40. What about you?
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Hoping Western Union doing currency exchange
Cause my dad called and got me feeling guilty and ashamed
Like, how I had a Rolls and I went and got a Range
And he paying for his cigarettes with dollars and some change
Damn, and I can only feel his pain
Cause in Memphis, Tennessee there’s only so much to attain
So I’m filling out the form at the counter once again
He say he love me, I just hope he doesn’t say that shit in vain
Artist Spotlight
PLAN-A-EMCEE unveils a call to see clearly with latest release “Lyrically Reclaim Your Brain”
PLAN-A-EMCEE‘s latest release, “Lyrically Reclaim Your Brain,” is a lo-fi hip hop and cloud rap album with a waking-up theme. This one is for those stuck in an NPC-like life, moving toward awakening and ready to challenge their environment. The infectious hook is hard to miss, and delivers the song’s main message, “unmask the blindfold, that you might see!”
The track concept is simple and focused, produced by and rapped by Emcee PLAN-A-EMCEE, aka Anwar. The combination creates a direct relationship between the beat and the vocals, keeping the message front and center. The busy musical approach lets the words do the heavy lifting over the cold lo-fi base.
“Lyrically Reclaim Your Brain” is a musical reminder to pause, look closer, and be more aware of your surroundings. PLAN-A-EMCEE turns that idea into a memorable hip-hop statement, with an infectious refrain and an undeniably purposeful edge.
Connect with PLAN-A-EMCEE on Spotify || Soundcloud || Facebook || Youtube
Entertainment
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Just Swept The Emmys
Bad Bunny is officially an Emmy winner — and not just once. At Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys, his Super Bowl LX Halftime Show swept every single category it was nominated in, all seven of them, making it the most-decorated nominee of the night.
The headline win was Outstanding Variety Special (Live), a category the show became only the third halftime show ever to claim. From there it just kept going: music direction, choreography, sound mixing, lighting design, technical direction and camerawork, and directing all went home with the Puerto Rican star’s team. There’s technically an eighth trophy with his name attached, too, though it won’t land in his hands — the “Saturday Night Live” episode he hosted last season separately won Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program.
The sweep is good news for Jay-Z as well. As an executive producer on the halftime show, he now has two Emmys to his name, having previously won for producing Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX performance in 2025 — the show that, until Saturday, held the record for most Emmys won by a Super Bowl performance.
Bad Bunny wasn’t the only one having a night. Sabrina Carpenter picked up her first Emmy as a performer and executive producer on “The Muppet Show,” edging out Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour | The Final Show” for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). The Billy Joel HBO miniseries “And So It Goes” won for sound mixing on a nonfiction program, and 50 Cent’s Diddy documentary “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” took home picture editing honors. A big weekend for live spectacle, all around.
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