Drake is an interesting study. Although, obviously a big hip-hop crossover pop success, Drake also confidently strides in the EDM and house music spaces as evidenced on his ubiquitous 2016 dance-floor opus and FM radio hit “One Dance,” and most recently with 2017’s “Passionfruit” single. It's an interesting shift in Drake’s hip hop foundation, but one that is certainly working.
Produced by British songwriter Nana Rogues and written by him alongside Drake, “Passionfruit” exudes old school Chicago house. The track bobs suavely along boasting melodic dancehall-tinged EDM beats backed by Drake's idiosyncratic cool lyricist swag. “Passionfruit” paints the familiar picture of a relationship ‘falling apart” as he spits out lyrics like:“Hard at buildin' trust from a distance….I think we should rule out commitment for now.” To add more icing on the cake, Zoe Kravitz provides backing vocals on the Afrobeat-influenced track showing off Drake’s house music side.
Drake has certainly carved out his own big space in the hip-hop world yet importantly continues to push his own musical boundaries. It’s good decision and a great way to keep his legions of fans curious as what he could be up to next.