Over the weekend, Drake shared “Chicago Freestyle” as part of a surprise two-track drop. Upon first listen, many fans speculated that the guest vocals on the song belonged to Sampha, who previously collaborated with Drake on “The Motion” and “4422.”
Drake’s frequent collaborator Sevn Thomas made sure to set the record straight, revealing that the featured artist on the Noel Cadastre-produced track is actually rising California singer Giveon:
On the chorus, the R&B artist references a Chicago landmark as he sings:
Two-thirty, baby, won’t you meet me by The Bean?
Too early, maybe later you can show me things
You know what it is, whenever I visit
Windy city, she blowin' me kisses, no
Thirty degrees, way too cold, so hold me tight
Will I see you at the show tonight?
Will I see you at the show tonight?
Giveon himself also took notice of the confusion:
Raised in Long Beach, Calif., the Epic Records signee credits his mother for instilling a passion for music at a young age and encouraging his talent. After she noticed his singing abilities, the baritone singer was forced to perform at family events to work on his craft.
Prior to that, Giveon thought having a different vocal range than R&B stars like Frank Ocean and Miguel would prevent him from being a singer.
“I thought that that’s how people were supposed to sound, and if you didn’t sound like them, you probably sounded weird,” he told DJBooth in a recent interview. “I wasn’t aware people would find my voice flattering until my mom pointed it out. Before that, I was just writing. But then I started to think I could make my own songs.”
The next step in finding confidence in his voice took place at the Grammy Museum in LA, where he took a music education program in high school. An instructor there pushed him to perform Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” which led to an important breakthrough.
“I had an epiphany after initially hearing Sinatra,” he said to Okayplayer in February. “It was the very first time I heard a baritone singer. I got into Billy Caldwell and Barry White from there. I realized my tone at this point.”
Giveon revealed to DJBooth that he took time to refine his baritone delivery after scrapping a 2013 EP made when he was 18 or 19 years old. In 2018, he shared a pair of singles titled “Garden Kisses” and “Fields” before linking up with Sevn Thomas, who has worked with an impressive list of artists including Rihanna, Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, and Travis Scott.
Their working relationship spawned Giveon’s biggest song to date, “LIKE I WANT YOU.” The track has racked up more than 1.5 million Spotify streams since late November, thanks in part to exposure as an opening act for Snoh Aalegra and a co-sign from TDE singer SZA:
The buzzing singer’s latest single, “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY,” continues with Giveon’s smooth, downtempo sound, but he intends to show off his versatility with an upcoming EP.
“There’s more uptempo music and more heavy-hitting drums,” he explained in the DJBooth interview. “And the melodies are more staccato instead of smooth. It’ll be interesting to see how people will receive [the music] when it’s not just a smooth record.”
With a major Drake collaboration under his belt, Giveon has the opportunity to find out how a whole new audience takes to his new material.
Check out Giveon’s interviews at DJBooth and Okayplayer. Read all the lyrics to Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle” on Genius now.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Noel Cadastre actually produced “Chicago Freestyle,” not Sevn Thomas.
