Made Men

Album: single release only (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This single was premiered on January 4, 2011 on New York station Power 105.1's morning show, The Breakfast Club. The Miami MC explained during his interview on the show that the tune was originally earmarked for his 2010 mixtape, Ashes To Ashes, but he decided to leave it out to "put final touches" on it.
  • Drake features on the track swapping bragging rhymes with Ross about fast cars and beautiful women. The Canadian rapper previously contributed to "Aston Martin Music," Ross's third single from Teflon Don.
  • Drake references Barbadian singer Rihanna in one of his rhymes: He spits: "Off the rack just ain't my style, I call a designer/ One of my baddest women ever, I call her Rihanna/ But that's because her name is Rihanna." The Canadian MC and the Bajun beauty had a short-lived fling a year or so before this was recorded. Drake addressed their affair on his track "Fireworks" and the two stars later collaborated on Rihanna's hit single, "What's My Name?."
  • The title is a Mafia reference - a "made man" is someone who has been officially inducted into a Mafia family, which offers certain status and protections. Ross named his 2010 album "Teflon Don," which was the nickname of the famous Mafioso John Gotti.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Grammar In Lyrics

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

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