Rich Paul Convinced Drake To Make "Best I Ever Had" As 1st Single Off "So Far Gone"

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Drake wanted "Uptown" as the single to "So Far Gone."

This week, RapRadar released their two-hour conversation with the 6ix God himself, Drake. Now, you should know that Drake very rarely does any press, and whenever he does, he has something in the pipeline. Over the course of the two-hour conversation, B Dot and Elliot Wilson got Drake opening up about everything from being a father to his beef with Pusha T to the early days of his career before he was the Drake the we know and love today.

Rich Paul Convinced Drake To Make "Best I Ever Had" As 1st Single Off "So Far Gone"

During the conversation, Drake revealed an interesting fact about the rollout for So Far Gone. While "Uptown" is still a fan favorite, it was the song that Drake intended to launch as the project's first single. However, Rich Paul, Lebron James' close friend and agent, convinced Drake otherwise. 

"I was like, 'Yo 'Uptown' is the one, this is what we should go with,'" Drake recounted telling Rich Paul who sternly told Drake that "Best I Ever Had" was the clear pick for a first single. "He was like, 'Yo, nah. What are you talking about? This other one is the one.'" 

LeBron James' connection to So Far Gone is deeper than just his agent's suggestion. On the 10-year anniversary of the album's release, Drake penned a lengthy open letter thanking everyone who contributed to So Far Gone. ""A decade ago you came to my release party at 6 Degrees and made me the biggest artist in the city off your presence alone," he wrote. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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