Kendrick Lamar, Boi-1da and T-Minus spoke with MTV on the making of Drake's "Take Care," check out some of what they had to say about it below.
Kendrick Lamar on "Buried Alive":
“Drake called me and said he had a beat that 40 did and wanted me on it, told me to do what I feel on the record. The first thing that came to mind was my first time meeting dude,” Kendrick says. “Me being a fan and following his music, I kind of had an idea of where he was at in his career. He's in a space where vanity can be a definite crutch if you’re in denial."
“But [Drake’s] honest, he acknowledges his vices and faults. I wanted to speak from a standpoint of being a new artist watching everything that's killing him and wanting to die. We all want a taste of vanity. I seen a taste of it the night I met homie; black Maybach, white waitress, private dinner with crew, 40 pulling up, jeep with no doors. All he needed was Aaliyah [laughs]. All of this was in the homie’s possession that night, and in that moment I wanted it. The conversation that night was real. ‘Am I ready to accept this lifestyle…’ is where I end the verse. I sent it back and drake called me back with a simple "thank you…" and "Everything is subject to change..."
Boi-1da on "Headlines":
“To be honest, the creative process for “Headlines” actually came from me goofing off. I wasn't really in the mood to make a beat, but I forced myself to,” he says. “It was very simple melody wise and I just put some nasty drums on it and sent it over to Drake, as I do with all the beats that I make. I had no idea he would like it, even for a first single. The beat knocks yes--but it was definitely made in a very carefree atmosphere.”
T-Minus on "Underground Kings," "We’ll Be Fine," "Make Me Proud," "HYFR" :
“Drake hit me up asking for a record for him and Nicki. He had a certain energy in mind, so I tried my best to emulate the idea he had,” says T-Minus of creating, ‘Make Me Proud.’ It might have taken me an hour to come up with the beat. He let me know it was a single days after he recorded it. I've been constantly contributing to the album since late last year, so I was going in with the intent of producing more than one record. I sent him beats like “I’m On One” and “She Will” with the intent of it being on Take Care, so we had plenty of records in the works.”
T-Minus also described the way he felt knowing that Drake’s in-house producer Noah “40” Shebib would be adding his own touch to all of the productions. “When Drake would ask me to send files for 40 to mess with, I [was] anxiously waiting on the other end to hear the crazy shit he comes up with. He’s a beast! Over the course of the album he taught me a lot about other aspects of production.”