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10 Acts Drake Should Add To His New Label

Drake has had a great run these past couple years – two critically acclaimed number one albums, countless successful singles, unforgettable features, and headlining one of 2012’s most successful hip-hop tours, the Club Paradise Tour. No matter your opinion on the music or the man, you have to admit Drake has made an impact. Utilizing this momentum, the Take Care rapper has made one of the biggest power moves as of yet in his career, recently inking a deal with Warner Bros. Records to start his very own label October’s Very Own (OVO).

Since news officially broke, there seems only one question on everyone’s mind – who will be signed to the OVO label? There’s a lot of pressure on Drake, as there would be for any new label head, especially having to compete with fellow rapper-music executives. How will his label hold up against the ranks of labels like Maybach Music Group (MMG), GOOD Music, and even the label he is currently signed to Young Money? One answer to that question lies in the aforementioned question of who Drake will sign to OVO. The stronger his artists the stronger his label. Taking a stab at who would best fit, Singersroom has compiled a list of 10 acts that would make a perfect fit for OVO.

Method Man – I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By

Released in 1995, this Method Man/Mary J collaboration encompasses so much of what 90s hip-hop was all about. The grimy drums, smooth melodies, and a classic New York flow. While diehard Pac and Dre fans might disagree with the latter, bottom line this track showcases Mary J. Blige as a featured performer in its most supremely executed form.

Ghostface Killah ??? All That I Got Is You

It doesn’t get much rawer than this. Ghostface tells the story of a life weighed down by the struggles of poverty, sculpting a narrative drenched in bone chilling imagery. When Mary J.’s voice shines through, it feels like a comforting lullaby, told to a child who’s seen far more of than their fair share of evils. Simply put, “All That I Got Is You” is utterly beautiful.

Jay-Z – Can’t Knock the Hustle (Live)

Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige on a track together ??? that’s a lethal combination. Now add The Roots into the mix ??? that’s just unfair. Well that’s exactly what you get with the live rendition of “Can’t Knock the Hustle”, originally off the debut classic Reasonable Doubt. While the studio version is already great, the live instrumentation simply takes this track to the next level.

Common – Come Close

A well-done duet has the ability to create a realism often lost in sole perspective narratives. And while there is a tendency to overlook hip-hop when discussing duets, Common and Mary J. deliver a very honest back-and-forth dialogue on “Come Close”, showcasing the power that a love story told by two can have.

Dr. Dre – The Message

Often overlooked on Dre’s classic 2001, “The Message” epitomizes West-Coast hip-hop. First and foremost drums hit so fucking hard. Add the staccato keys, upper-octave strings, and Blige’s soulful croon, and you’ve got a track with the perfect pocket for Dre and Rell to surgically attack. Let’s hope that there’s another collaboration like this on Detox??? Shit let’s just hope for Detox to even be real at this point.

Lauryn Hill – I Used To Love Him

The story of Lauryn Hill is one of the most compelling in all of hip-hop and R&B. As one of the most multi-talented artists out there, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill seemed like only the first chapter of a prolific and successful solo career for the former Fugees member. And while clearly things didn’t pan out quite like that, we still have Miseducation and the standout “I Used to Love Him”, a song that showcases two of the most respected voices in R&B. The interplay between Hill and Blige is just phenomenal.

Talib Kweli – I Try

Before Ye was Ye he was the man behind the instrumentals for some of the most deadly lyricists in hip-hop, most notably Jay-Z and Talib Kweli. The latter might not have the most recognizable name in the mainstream world, but he has been consistently pushing out great records. So when he and Kanye teamed up with Mary J. Blige on 2004’s “I Try”, the hip-hop community paid close attention. The resultant collaboration is a Kweli classic, as well as one of Ye’s most underrated productions.

Wyclef Jean – 911

In the aftermath of the Fugees’ fallout, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill pushed forward with respective solo careers. While Hill has been the more critically acclaimed of the two, namely for her classic The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Jean has released a steady flow of powerful tracks ??? deftly demonstrated on “911” as he and Blige display a chemistry often lacking in hip-hop/R&B collaborations.

Ludacris – Runaway Love

If you had told me that the man behind “Blueberry Yum Yum” and “Move Bitch” was going to essentially create the “Brenda’s Got a Baby” of the new millennium, I would have probably called you crazy. Yet in 2006 Ludacris did just that with “Runaway Love”, featuring a haunting hook sung by Mary herself. The contrast between the disturbing imagery of the verses and the serene optimism of the chorus is what makes this a truly compelling collaboration.

Grand Puba – Check It Out

It might be a song about pretty much nothing, but there is something so satisfying about the simplicity of “Check It Out”. With Blige delivering some impressive vocal runs, this 1992 Grand Puba track is one of her earliest and best hip-hop collaborations.

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