Words by Natalie Weiner—
Kanye, Kendrick, and now Drake. What’s a hip-hop tune these days without an uncredited feature from a dancehall deejay? Blink, and you might miss the brief patois ad-libs on “Know Yourself,” one of the most quotable tracks (“Running through the 6 with my woes”) from Drake’s latest, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. It turns out the audio comes from a new short documentary by OVO’s Niko featuring none other than Popcaan and the Unruly Gang (all of whom get shoutouts in the album notes). OVO and the Unruly Boss have been working together for a minute now, first collaborating on 2013’s “Unruly Rave” video and then a line of t-shirts. Musically, they’ve remained separate entities though, for now at least.
The 20-minute video shows a day in the life of Popcaan and his crew as they show some OVO affiliates around Kingston and St. Thomas, all set to tracks from Where We Come From. Fueled by Henny and fried fish from Hellshire Beach, and featuring an impromptu cipher with Chi Ching Ching, Popcaan, and Aidonia (at the 13:00 mark), it’s a low-key look at the Unruly life in Jamaica. There are plenty of OVO shoutouts (and t-shirts), and even a phone call with Drizzy himself towards the end. For the audio from “Know Yourself,” skip to 3:40 and 21:50.
Watch the video, and listen to “Know Yourself” below (and check our own “A Day in the Life of Popcaan” webisode from back in ’13, for another unruly slice of life)—who knows, maybe Drake and Popcaan might finally hit the studio together for a proper collaboration.