Behind Barz

Album: Top Boy (A Selection of Music Inspired by the Series) (2018)
Charted: 49 75
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Drake dropped this freestyle on July 7, 2018 while in London. He performed the tune on the British rap platform Link Up TV during which he made a number of allusions to UK culture. They include:

    Referencing an affluent area of London ("we got ties in West End too").

    Using the name of a traditional English drink in a reference to a piece of sensitive information he knows about ("Got all the tea and I'm hottin' it up. I need a shade mansion, a room's not enough.").

    Shouting out UK grime rapper Giggs, who appeared on the More Life tracks "KMT" and "No Long Talk."
  • Drake criticizes in the second verse those rappers (Kanye, cough) who appear to be more focused on fashion than music.

    They wanna link when they got no chunes
    They too worried about sellin' out shoes
    I don't give a f--- about jeans or crep
    Or going to Milan or going to the Met


    Some have interpreted this as a jab at Kanye West's Yeezy line. Though the Chicago rapper wasn't present at the 2018 Met Gala, he was spotted in Milan in late 2017.
  • The freestyle was included on the soundtrack to season three of the Drake executive-produced Top Boy. A big fan of the London crime drama, Drake played an integral role in reviving Top Boy six years after the previous series and securing a Netflix deal for the show.

Comments: 1

  • Kelvin from Lagos,nigeriaTrying to understand it is hard
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.