For the entire second half of his career, Drake has had a borderline obsession with U.K. R&B and hip-hop. On Thursday (June 8), the love affair continued when Drake joined London emcee J Hus for “Who Told You,” a promotional single for the latter’s upcoming album Don’t Say Militancy.
Videos by American Songwriter
Over the groovy drums of the song’s dancehall beat, J Hus’ melodic Who told you gangsters don’t dance? hook sets the stage perfectly for Drake’s lone verse in the second half of the track. Adopting a British accent as he typically does for U.K. collaborations, Drizzy delivers sensual lyrics that steal the show.
Touch my forehead, chest, left shoulder
Then right side, pray my brothers are good outside
I know the vibes, I know the vibes
You’re the one, girl, stop rollin’ eyes
I find love and it slowly dies
Drake first acknowledged J Hus in February 2017, when his Apple Music radio station OVO Sound played Hus’ song “Samantha” with fellow U.K. rapper Dave. This came during the same year that Drake first made the British sound a staple in his catalog with his project More Life.
Along with including vocals from English R&B icons like Jorja Smith and Sampha, More Life contained appearances from Giggs and Skepta, two of the most prominent rappers from the U.K. who still maintain successful careers. More Life was also one of the first times Drake introduced his faux British accent, evident on songs like “KMT” and “No Long Talk.”
In the years following, he continued this trend of working with and mimicking U.K. rappers on songs like his 2018 “Behind Barz Freestyle,” “War” in late 2019, and “Only You Freestyle” with Headie One in 2020.
Although this fascination has led many in the hip-hop community to label Drake a “culture vulture,” Giggs emphasized in a 2021 interview with HipHopDX that these collaborations with emcees like him, Skepta, and Hus only uplift the music scene in Britain.
“I’m not saying he’s the only reason there’s attention but he played a part in it,” Giggs insisted. “Everyone’s looking in this direction because of who he is. Drake doing that has been one of the biggest looks for England. Let’s be honest, bruv, that’s one of the biggest rappers in the world. Let’s cut the crap.”
Check out “Who Told You” by J Hus and Drake below.
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
