Drake – Killer (ft. Nipsey Hussle).

Oh look. Drake and Nipsey. Huh.

Sometimes tracks leak sporadically or on an artist’s whim. I don’t think that’s the case with “Killer.”

Major labels exercise the utmost scrutiny when it comes to a new artist’s image. Especially rappers. When Asher Roth joked about nappy-headed hoes, his people sent a sweeping apology to eskay. When Charles Hamilton’s credibility was nose-diving, his camp leaked a half-assed track with Crooked I (it didn’t help).

While Drake’s knee is getting national attention, his people are going to subtly remind the core audience that he’s still Jenny from the block. It’s a very calculated balancing act. Yes, he’s canoodling robo-wenches with Jamie Foxx and Kanye, but he’s also leaking a hot joint with Nipsey on his own blog. I imagine his people are also trying to distract some Internetters from his repackaging of 7 songs from his free mixtape as an EP. The EP is for the mass market who need something substantial on store shelves or on iTunes; the Nipsey track is for us.

Or maybe someone just got the thumbs up to let the track go and I’m just talking out of my ass.

I do like “Killer.” It’s like “Successful” without the whimpering pop stylings of Trey Songz.