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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

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Kyle Ashen’s sun-drenched recollection with new release “That Local Girl”

Kyle Ashen’s latest release, “That Local Girl,” is a gorgeous trip down memory lane, a country single that explores that golden glow of memory, like flipping through old photographs touched by salt air and summer sunlight. It’s warm, cinematic, and deeply relatable, a song about the kind of love story that never quite goes away, even as time moves on.

“That Local Girl” is filled with imagery that quickly takes the listener into a world they can walk right into. You got a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl on a boardwalk street by the ocean, a souped-up truck driving through town, neon lights reflecting off the ocean breeze, and the electric innocence of young love burning in the background.

But under all that cutesy trapping is something more than that, longing. Some people, some places that leave permanent marks on Kyle Ashen and us know that. What’s so brilliant about this song is that it marries those two ideas, making love and hometown memory feel beautifully inseparable. Sometimes you miss a person. And with that person, you miss an entire version of life. “That Local Girl” is more than a country love song from Kyle Ashen. He is a living postcard from the past, sun-faded, bittersweet, and glowing with feeling. A reminder that summers pass by, but some memories stay with us forever.

Connect with Kyle Ashen on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube

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Artist Spotlight

ECHOFLIP inspires faith and fire with triumphant anthem on “Kingdom Rise”

ECHOFLIP marches forward with commanding purpose on “Kingdom Rise,” a single that not only demands attention but also commands it. Driven by pounding drums, soaring melodic textures, and full-conviction lyricism, the song arrives like a battle cry with the heart of worship. Bold and energized and spiritually charged from beginning to end.

“Kingdom Rise” is street realism meets kingdom vision at its heart. It’s got grit in its pulse but grace in its message as well. Each bar rings with resilience with ECHOFLIP, a record that embodies struggle, perseverance, and steadfast faith in the face of adversity. The result is music that is rooted in reality while reaching for something much larger.

What makes the single particularly compelling is how seamlessly it combines high-energy Christian trap with uplifting spiritual themes. The hard-hitting production has edge and urgency, and its faith-centered focus gives it soul. It’s motivational without being pushy. Worshipful without momentum loss, without losing authenticity. Ideal for trap gospel, inspirational rap, and urban playlists that aim to uplift as much as energize, “Kingdom Rise” delivers on all fronts. It moves the body, it sharpens the mind, it stirs the soul.

Connect with ECHOFLIP on Spotify