After Drake’s release of Certified Lover Boy, the song “Champagne Poetry” quickly became a fan favorite. However, what might not be known is that Drake sampled Masego’s song “Navajo.” This action of sampling within songs is an extremely common practice among artists. When a song includes a sample, it means “a portion of an existing song [is used] in a brand new recording, looping it and layering it with new music in a new context,” according to a MasterClass staff member. In “Navajo,” the opening of the song is sampled for “Champagne Poetry,” meaning that in this case, the voice, which is not Drake, is from “Navajo.” Most Drake listeners aren’t aware of this sampling, thinking instead that the song is Drake’s creation, resulting in Masego’s unfortunate loss of credit and recognition.
Masego has released three albums: Loose Thoughts in 2016, Lady Lady in 2018, and Studying Abroad: Extended Stay in 2020. His musical style has changed with time and experimentation; Loose Thoughts represents the hip-hop/rap genre, and Lady Lady marks a transition into R&B and Soul. Some highlights of this album include: “Too Much” and “I Do Everything!”Some standout tracks in Lady Lady include: “Lavish Lullaby,” title track “Lady Lady,” and of course, the song that blew up on TikTok, “Tadow” featuring FKJ. Studying Abroad: Extended Stay includes highlights of “Mystery Lady” featuring Don Toliver, “Sides of Me,” and “Bliss Abroad” featuring Sheléa.
Masego has mastered the art of creating calming songs that incorporate strong and rich beats. It is definitely not hard to listen to this incredible artist.
Additional Resources:
Music Sampling: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-sample-music#:~:text=Music%20sampling%20is%20the%20process,music%20in%20a%20new%20context