Drake and Carti’s relationship has (seemingly) been neutral for a while now, with the vamp rapper appearing on the track “Pain 1993” from Drizzy’s 2020 Dark Lane Demos Tapes. Four years later, the Toronto native would drop the track “No Face” with Carti as part of his 100 GIGS releases (his adlibs didn’t make the streaming version of the track, unfortunately). There’ve been whispers of more songs hiding in the vault, including the long-rumored “One Day,” but we finally got something real — thanks to DJ Swamp Izzo randomly deciding to bless us during an afterparty.
Carti & Drake get soulful
On June 25, Playboi Carti kicked off his After Hours Til Dawn Tour run at SoFi Stadium in L.A. and brought the full circus with him. Ken Carson showed up (taking a break from side-eyeing Don Toliver), and Travis Scott appeared to rage through “FE!N” as the two sprinted across the stage in designer fits that probably cost more than your rent.
The real chaos happened after the show. Carti hosted the official afterparty at Zouk Los Angeles, where ATL legend DJ Swamp Izzo decided to casually preview a new Drake x Carti collab. The track, which still doesn’t have an official title, flips Luther Vandross’ “A House Is Not a Home.” If there’s one thing Drake loves more than heartbreak, it’s sampling a soul record because what else goes better with a room full of bottle girls?
The petty backstory that might kill the release
Here’s where it gets messy. Back in March, DJ Akademiks (certified Drake fanboy and drama magnet) said this track was originally intended for For All The Dogs, but got bumped over to Carti’s MUSIC. Allegedly, Kendrick Lamar (who supposedly had a director role on MUSIC) cut the song entirely and then ran with the concept himself, giving us “luther,” his own Vandross-sampling hit.
Naturally, Carti’s go-to producer F1THY was not having it and hopped online to deny the claims — and threaten to fight Akademiks. So the rumor was born months ago, and it just sat there, marinating in internet conspiracy.
Now, the track is back in circulation. However, whether it will actually be released is anyone’s guess. With Carti spending time touring and collaborating with Drake’s current enemies (see: The Weeknd, Kendrick), it wouldn’t be a shock if Drake decides to shelve the track out of sheer pettiness. If we’ve learned one thing from recent events: Drizzy doesn’t forget. He just delays.
