Pop Style

Album: Views (2016)
Charted: 33 16
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This trap-inflected banger was one of two Drake singles released on April 5, 2016, alongside "One Dance." The song title is a Jamaican term meaning "ballin'" or "showing off." The phrase was famously used on reggae duo Althea and Donna's 1978 UK #1 hit "Uptown Top Ranking." ("Nah pop no style, a strictly roots.")
  • Drake enlists Kanye West and Jay-Z under their The Throne moniker here to deliver rhymes about money, women, popular culture and their critics. Yeezy and Hova's 2011 collaborative project was titled Watch The Throne but this was the first time the superstars have actually performed under the name "The Throne."
  • Some have speculated that the collaboration may be in response to Drake throwing down the gauntlet to the famous pair on the If You're Reading This It's Too Late bonus track, "6PM in New York," when he spat: "You rappin' like the throne should be the three of y'all."
  • Drake delivers the first verse and then passes the baton to Jay-Z who spits just two lines before West's contribution. Yeezy's verse stirred up an old controversy, as he references his infamous interruption of Taylor Swift's speech at the 2009 VMAs, which started the (ahem) bad blood between them. ("I'mma let you finish but…I just I just I just wanna rock your body.")
  • The version on Views is different. It features only Drake with a new verse, removing Kanye West's and Jay Z's contributions. Asked by Zane Lowe why he cut The Throne's rhymes, Drake replied: "I just ended up going with my version of the song... Jay didn't really do a verse. I was just trying to get 'Ye on it first. Jay kinda just did my first few lines for me and that's how we flexed it... It didn't play out how I wanted it to go. Sometimes [Jay Z and I] just fall on opposite sides of the spectrum. It's always mutual respect but sometimes it has to be from afar."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.