Montreal producer Nicholas Craven just dropped his own album Craven N 3, but he’s already back for more. This time, he pairs up with prolific New York rapper Your Old Droog for the 7-track album YOD Wave.
Throughout the LP’s brief 19 minutes, it’s evident how made for each other this producer-rapper combo is. Craven’s elegant production is filled with lovely piano keys, heavenly strings and stunning samples that allow Droog to soar sky-high on the album. Droog’s pen game remains impeccable as he raps about coming up in the rap game while battling his demons on the standout track “.500” and his back and forth with Tha God Fahim on the mellow “Black N Red Huaraches” sounds like it was made in the same sessions as their The Wolf on Wall Street series. The always welcomed Mach-Hommy even appears and even though he may not spit a verse on “Scooby Snacks,” his singing is a perfectly placed moment on the uplifting track.
Droog and Craven previously shared the tracklist and the first single off the project “Purple Rain Freestyle (Game Blouses)” earlier in the week. The single cover art and the title are a reference to the classic Chappelle Show skit where Charlie Murphy recounts a time when he lost a basketball game to the legend Prince. Droog quotes lines directly from the famed moment throughout the track whether it be serving pancakes after a basketball game or using the quote “Game Blouses” on the hook. It all pairs beautifully with Craven’s light, airy production.
Craven most recently worked with Droog on “YOD Body” off Craven’s newly released album. On the song, Droog’s mid-tempo flow skates over Craven’s lavish, soul-sampled production. He name drops rapper Lil Yachty, pop star Olivia Rodrigo, and new-wave band Talking Heads all while the sampled female singer longingly sings in the background. In retrospect, the track was a short teaser of the pairing’s full potential on this new outing.
YOD Wave is Craven’s second drop in nearly two weeks. For Droog, it’s the Ukrainian rapper’s second project of the year following the sequel tape Wolf Of Wall Street 2: American Dream. If this year is anything like his spotless 2021, fans can expect tons of more records to spin from Your Old Droog with Craven behind the boards for a number of them.
Listen to ‘YOD Wave’ by Your Old Droog and Nicholas Craven below!
