Classic

Album: Habibti (2026)
Charted: 28
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Songfacts®:

  • "Classic" is a slow-burning R&B track from Drake's album Habibti. He spends the song trying to persuade a woman already in a relationship to abandon her partner (and pretty much everyone else) for him. It's a familiar Drake scenario: late-night longing, questionable romantic judgment, and the hope that a persuasive chorus might rearrange somebody else's love life.
  • The track samples "Don't Beat Around the Bush" by Jus' Cauze, an R&B duo featuring Ricky McNeal and Darin Smith who released the song in 1991. The sample gives "Classic" an old-school R&B flavor, a sound Drake has revisited throughout his career.
  • Drake previewed a second version, "Classic PT2," on September 15, 2026, during his Fear of Missing Out livestream. It was released on October 2 as part of the deluxe edition of Habibti, alongside other tracks previewed during the broadcast. The sequel drops the halftime beat switch from the original and adds a fresh verse along with another repetition of the chorus.
  • "Classic" debuted at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 30, 2026, during a week when a record 42 Drake songs appeared on the chart. "Classic PT2" re-entered the Hot 100 in October, reaching a new peak of #28 following the deluxe album's release.
  • Both versions revisit a theme Drake has been exploring since the early 2010s. On his 2011 track "Marvin's Room," a drunken Drake calls an old flame and tries to convince her to leave her new boyfriend. "Classic" returns to that same territory with a woozy, retro R&B sound, showing that a decade and a half of romantic disappointment hasn't discouraged him.

    The track also continues Drake's penchant for reworking older R&B and hip-hop material. On "Practice," from 2011's Take Care, he turns Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up" into a slow R&B number featuring a hook written by The Weeknd. His 2018 Scorpion track "Jaded" explores similarly bruised romantic territory. Noel Cadastre, who produced "Jaded," also contributed to the production on both "Classic" and "Classic PT2."

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