Video will appear as you scroll through the story
Drake · S7 E2
One Dance
Wizkid, Kyla, and an afrobeats-infused track that hits number one in 15 countries
April 2016. A song built on a UK garage vocal from London and a melody from Lagos, Nigeria reaches number one in fifteen countries, and the rest of the music industry is still trying to figure out what afrobeats even is.
Wizkid, Ojuelegba (2014). This is the song that changed everything. Drake heard this track from a Lagos singer most of the Western world had never encountered, jumped on the remix with Skepta, and started a creative partnership that led directly to "One Dance." Watch it and you'll hear exactly what Drake heard: a voice and a groove that didn't sound like anything coming out of North America.
Ojuelegba, Wizkid (2014)
Named after the busy Lagos intersection where Wizkid used to hustle as a teenager, "Ojuelegba" is built on a mid-tempo afrobeats production by Legendury Beatz. Wizkid sings in a mix of English and Yoruba, his voice riding the beat with an ease that makes the whole thing sound effortless. Listen for how the melody moves: it's that same floating, sing-song quality Drake would borrow for "One Dance" and "Controlla," filtered through Toronto's cold night air.
The Wizkid Connection
In 2015, Drake heard "Ojuelegba" and jumped on the remix alongside Skepta, introducing Wizkid to millions of new listeners overnight. That collaboration sparked a creative friendship, and when Nineteen85 built the instrumental for "One Dance," Drake knew exactly who to call for the melody. Wizkid flew to Toronto, laid down his part, and gave the biggest song of 2016 the ingredient no one in North America could have provided.
“Through Skepta, to be honest. He played my music to Drake, and he was like 'yeah.'”
— Wizkid on how he connected with Drake, Pulse Nigeria
TAP TO REVEAL: Where did the vocal hook on "One Dance" actually come from?
Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
The neighborhood where Wizkid grew up. Before Drake found him, Wizkid was already the biggest pop star in West Africa, selling out shows across the continent. The sound that was born on these streets ended up on the most-streamed song of 2016.
Feel No Ways, Drake (2016)
The other side of Views. Where "One Dance" is outward-facing and global, "Feel No Ways" is introspective and cold: Drake alone in Toronto, processing a relationship over 40's glacial synths and a chopped vocal sample. It's one of the best deep cuts on the album and proof that for all his pop experiments, Drake's emotional core never moved. This is what Views sounds like at 2 AM when nobody's dancing.
Feel No Ways, Drake (2016)
Read the lyrics while you listen. "I think I've been on one since '08, that's a long time." Drake doing the math on his own career and realizing the cost.
One Dance: The Numbers
What was the first song to reach one billion streams on Spotify?
Drake has the biggest song on the planet, but he's been building toward something larger. Next: Views drops from the top of the CN Tower, 20 tracks that tell the story of Toronto through every season, and the album that divides fans and critics while selling millions.
0 XP earned this session