While Drake’s songwriting abilities have been questioned in the past, we continue to see more proof that he is an extremely skilled lyricist.
It seems a reference track written by Drake and intended for Dr. Dre’s unreleased album, Detox, has leaked. The location of the leaked track is unclear, but reports have surfaced claiming that the song is floating around the web along with the reference track for PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Don’t Run”.
The timeline of Dr. Dre’s Detox suggests that the track written by Drake was likely created in the early 2000s. Dre enjoyed incredible success in those years after establishing Aftermath Entertainment and debuting Eminem’s first album, The Slim Shady LP. Dre’s second solo album, 2001, brought us some of the most memorable songs of the time period, including, “Still D.R.E.”, “The Next Episode”, and “Xxxplosive”. Shorty after all this recognition, Dre announced his third studio album, which he often referred to as his intended final album.
According to reports, Dre spent the next decade working on tracks with more than twenty rappers, singers, and producers including Eminem, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, T.I., Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Mary J. Blige. Dre seemed to go back and forth on whether to release the album before deciding that the project would never see the light of day.
The concept of Dre hiring writers for his expertly produced tracks is nothing new, considering the hip-hop legend has always described himself as more of a producer than a rapper. Despite claims that Drake hired a ghostwriter for several of his tracks on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake has actually been credited with several songwriting accolades, even recently being recognized by Snoop Dogg for his songwriting on an old Alicia Keys track.
Fans aren’t sure what to make of this new information regarding Detox, but we can only hope talks of releasing the album will be ignited once again.
