Welcome to the first installment of The Weekly Gash!

My goal for this feature is to highlight and comment on my top 10 obscure songs by famous musical artists. This week, I'm tackling tracks from Drake: rapper, actor, and self-described "topic of conversation". Like him or not, there is no denying the 6 God's relevance in popular culture; the internet nearly broke on July 21st when rapper Meek Mill accused Drake of not writing several of his own tracks/verses which prompted him to respond with a diss track titled "Charged Up". The song, as well as two others called "Hotline Bling" and "Right Hand", just debuted on the Toronto rapper's weekly Beats 1 Radio show on Apple Music. With these new drops and the controversial allegations made against him, I thought that this was the perfect time to dive into Drake's discography and dig for gold. Considering he has only been in the game for less than 10 years, Drake's back catalogue is extremely impressive, so for the sake of the article (and my sanity), I am only touching upon non-album cuts.

Without further ado, here are my Top 10 deep cuts by October's Very Own, Shopping Bag Drizzy:

10. "Give Ya" (feat. Trey Songz)
Produced by: Terral "T-Slack"
Year: 2007
Project: "Comeback Season"

This chilled-out track epitomizes what comes to mind when I think "OVO Sound": it's atmospheric, melodic, and ideal for nighttime driving. It boasts heavy synths, Drake rapping quickly and smoothly in a higher-pitched voice, and Trey Songz spitting a surprisingly adequate rap verse. Overall, it's a short and sweet track that remains one of my most played Drizzy songs in my library.

9. "A Night Off" (feat. Lloyd)
Produced by: 40
Year: 2009
Project: "So Far Gone (Mixtape)"

Drake and Lloyd aim to drop some panties on this slow burning jam that Drake himself called his "favorite song on [So Far Gone]." While most people that I know greatly prefer his hard-hitting rap tracks, I'm a huge sucker for the so-called "p*ssy Drake" songs like this one. It features quality vocals from both artists, and the smooth transition from the chorus to Lloyd's verse was even sampled by both Mac Miller on the song "Good Evening" (2010), and Eric Bellinger on the title track off his fantastic EP "Choose Up Season" (2014).

8. "Brand New"
Produced by: Phillip “D10″ Tennant, 40
Year: 2008-2009
Project: "So Far Gone (Mixtape)"

Recorded early in Drake's career, this bonus song off So Far Gone is noted by long-time producer, friend, and OVO co-founder Noah "40" Shebib as "one of the first times [Drake] ever sang". The brooding track has Drake in his feelings about a potentially doomed relationship as he fears that he pales in comparison to a previous boyfriend. It is a subject with which many can relate, and while it may be too slow and emotional for some, I eat stuff like that up (my favorite film is the angst-ridden "Adventureland", after all.)

7. "Let's Call It Off" (featuring Peter Bjorn and John)
Produced by: Peter Bjorn and John, 40
Year: 2009
Project: "So Far Gone (Mixtape)"

Using the beat/lyrics/chorus from Swedish indie pop band Peter Bjorn and John's song of the same name, this unofficial remix has Drake crooning about a relationship gone south. His sing-song flow and delivery sound great, and 40's reinterpretation of the beat has a lot of bounce and pop that contrasts the emotional subject matter of the lyrics.

6. "Do It Now"
Produced by: N/A
Year: 2009
Project: N/A

This cut never made an official mixtape and is an up-tempo song that has a happy and confident Drake rapping about getting with a beautiful girl (who may or may not be crazy.) His flows are on-point and the production is dominated by a series of airy and breezy synths. Instead of a chorus, the beat adds synths while Drake can be heard faintly mumble-singing. At first it sounds pretty weird and like an unfinished demo, but because the beat is what the editors at HotNewHipHop.com would call "VERY HOTTT", it makes for a very enjoyable listen.

5. "Don't You Have A Man" (featuring Little Brother and Dwele)
Produced by:Boi-1da and Phillip “D10″ Tennant
Year: 2007
Project: "Comeback Season"

I have a huge soft spot for this cut because, interestingly enough, this is the first Drake song I ever heard. It was 2008, and I was searching for Little Brother songs on Limewire (shout-out to the days when each search result came up with a link for "cute girl has shaking orgasm" and half the songs downloaded were really audio clips of Bill Clinton denying his Lewinsky affair.) It's a song about being the side-piece in another woman's relationship, but it has a lot going for it: a warm and soothing summertime vibe, three charismatic verses, and a smooth R&B chorus. It only took a few listens for me to fall in love with track.

4. "Think Good Thoughts" (featuring Phonte and Elzhi)
Produced by: 9th Wonder
Year: 2007
Project: "Comeback Season"

Here, Drake teams up with Detroit rapper Elzhi and two-thirds of Little Brother (producer 9th Wonder and rapper/singer Phonte) for a song about not judging a book by it's cover. It's a fantastic track with soulful production and one of my favorite Phonte verses. It's a shame that Drake and Phonte have only collaborated on two tracks—especially because Drake himself stated that Phonte "is probably one of the best rappers of all time" and, according to 9th, "without Phonte, there is no Drake". I was extremely let down in 2011 when a couple collaborations between the two fell through the cracks. Maybe they can join forces again in the future, but for now a boy can dream and "think good thoughts" (ha.)

3. "Take You Down"
Produced by: The Underdogs
Year: 2009
Project: N/A

This reinterpretation of Chris Brown's "Take You Down" is probably the most obscure song on the list. It's a ridiculous R&B bedroom banger that relies on a screeching sex-guitar solo as the chorus and features one of the most ludicrous outros in recent memory ("I ain't have sex in a long ass time/Baby, I ain't have sex in a long time/Are we havin' sex tonight?"). It was never released on an official tape and I'm not even quite sure where the song came from. While it (really) lacks in substance, the production, vocal quality, and over-the-top lyrics make it one of the most fun singing tracks that Drake has ever done.

2. "Dreams Money Can Buy"
Produced by: Jai Paul, 40
Year: 2011
Project: N/A

Using a sample from the track "BTSTU" by the enigmatic and critically adored Jai Paul, Drake addresses his detractors by spitting bars and sprinkling in melodic crooning within two verses. In this song, Drake reveals that he has finally embraced the fame/money that he had trouble adjusting to during the So Far Gone/Thank Me Later era. His honest lyrics and strong flow immensely compliment the dark and atmospheric production. While it never made Take Care, I believe it's one of the stronger songs in his entire discography.

1. "The Winner"
Produced by: Tha Bizness
Year: 2009
Project: N/A

Honorable Mentions (including album cuts): Closer, Sooner than Later, Ignant Sh*t Remix, Fear, Unforgettable, Shut it Down (bootleg), CeCe's Interlude, Show Me A Good Time, 9 a.m. in Dallas, Cameras/Good Ones Go, Practice, 5 a.m. in Toronto, Jodeci Freestyle, Days in the East, 2 On/Thotful, Star67

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of "The Weekly Gash" – feel free to leave a comment about what tracks you were vibing to and what songs I left out. Stay tuned for next week when I examine my Top 10 deep cuts by the Grown Simba himself, J. Cole!

[UPDATE: 7/29/15] This article was written before Drake spontaneously dropped another Meek Mill diss titled "Back to Back Freestyle" around 3:00 am CDT. In less than seven hours, the track has amassed about 1,700,000 plays (which is about a million more than each of the three tracks he debuted last week.) Check it out here. SIX!