Jamaican Producer J.L.L. Celebrates After Beat Made In His Bedroom Finds Its Way Onto Drake’s ‘CLB’
Jamaican producer J.L.L., whose real name is Jean-Andre Lowell Lawrence, is celebrating after a beat he made in his bedroom back in 2014 appeared on Drake’s new album, Certified Lover Boy (CLB).
J.L.L.’s mid-tempo composition was inspired by Singers Unlimited’s Emily and was first used by Royal Blu on the track How Can I. It was later used by American singer Masego on the track Navajo, which was then sampled by Drake on CLB’s opener, Champagne Poetry.
In J.L.L.’s short career, he’s seen success working with a diverse group of both upcoming and established acts, everyone from Chi Ching Ching (Breadfruit) to Jaz Elise (Fresh and Clean) and Sevana (Nobody Man). The Drake feature is his biggest achievement to date, and many are predicting more barrier-breaking greatness based on the youngster’s musical style.
Drake dropped his CLB suite on Friday to much fanfare, with its long guest list, even longer tracklist, and many lyrical subliminals. The J.L.L. produced opener has already made quite an impression on social media and the producer tweeted his gratitude for the nod and “crazy” circumstances that led to the sample track, Navajo.
“Crazy how a beat I made from 2014 in my bedroom, went from being “Navajo” with @UncleSego to “Champagne Poetry” on @Drake ‘s album. I give thanksss,” he tweeted with many prayer emojis.
https://twitter.com/JLLprod/status/1433661694459490351
The sparse arrangement heard on Drake’s album combines retro elements with old-school hip-hop drums and an interpolation of The Beatles’ Michelle lyrics. The pulse almost seems tailored for Drake’s introspection and “effortless flows”, and it’s hardly a surprise Drake would be intrigued, especially with his well-documented antics when it comes to the Fab Four.
On Meek Mill’s 2018 song Goin’ Bad, Drake famously rhymed, “Back home smokin’ legal/ I got more slaps than The Beatles.” Since then, the hitmaker commemorated surpassing the iconic quartet’s record for the most charted Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 by getting an Abbey Road-inspired tattoo of himself ahead of them, waving back at the group. Drake faced plenty of backlash online for the bold move, even from his own fans, and a Beatles sample may just be Drizzy’s way of making amends. Either way, Paul McCartney, John Lennon as well as Jamaica’s own J.L.L. are listed as co-writers on CLB.
Now listed among legends, J.L.L. told the Jamacia Observer that he is very pleased.
“It is a clear sample. Same tempo and key, and the beauty is that you can hear it as he [Drake] allows the music to play for a few seconds well before he comes in. So, it is such a joy to hear it,” he said.
“Sampling shows such an appreciation of your work. It is the same way I felt about Singers Unlimited — when I heard it, it was just a beautiful moment in time when a part of the track just speaks to you and you just have to loop it and do whatever it takes to emphasise that part which means so much to you. I guess this part was impactful enough for Drake to choose to use it in this way. Whatever the reason, I am pleased.”
J.L.L. has been lauded by fellow producer Stephen ‘Di Genius McGregor’, Royal Blu and countless others on Twitter for the major move, with his celebratory tweeting receiving over 5K likes. J.L.L.’s other popular productions include In the City by Govana and Ghetto by Mavado.
Press play on Champagne Poetry above.