“Lemon Pepper Freestyle” by Drake (ft. Rick Ross)

“Lemon Pepper Freestyle” does indeed read like a freestyle, especially as far as Drake is concerned, as he is able to flow for a relatively-lengthy amount of time. In fact he goes on for so long that breaking down everything he spits would take forever.  But in summation, Drizzy’s verse is for the most part braggadocious. 

Indeed whether or not he is actually bragging isn’t even the matter at hand anymore. Rather it’s more like what metaphors he utilizes to allude to such, and who does he give a shoutout to along the way?

Lil Wayne

For instance, he shows love to Lil Wayne, aka “Weezy”. Those who know the history of Young Money Records know it was actually Wayne who put Drizzy on. In more recent years Wayne has sort of fallen off, largely due to contractual beef he was in. But of course fans will always love Lil Wayne. 

However, Drake is letting the world know that ‘no one is more grateful for Weezy’ than he is. And considering that he also gives Tunechi a shoutout on “What’s Next” (another song from “Scary Hours 2”), then it seems as if the vocalist at hand is specifically trying to shine a light on Wayne during shall we say trying times for the latter.

Mahomes and DeRozan

Drake also notably gives a shoutout to professional athletes Patrick Mahomes and DeMar DeRozan. In 2019 Mahomes, an NFL quarterback, signed the richest contract in sports’ history. And whereas it’s not abundantly clear in what manner Drizzy is referencing him, on the surface it appears to be an allusion to both of them being extremely wealthy.

Meanwhile DeMar DeRozan is an NBA guard who became an all-star playing for the Toronto Raptors. And of course Toronto is Drake’s hometown, a locality he loves very much (in addition to loving basketball and by extension the Raptors also). The two celebrities are known to be genuine friends of each other. 

And the rapper is saying that Torontonians love him just as much as DeRozan. And all things considered (such as the fact that DeMar no longer plays for Toronto), this ultimately serves as praise towards the athlete.

Maddox

Drake also bigs up one Matthew Maddox.  Matthew isn’t any sort of an entertainer but rather the Chief Executive Office of Wynn Resorts, a high-end hotel/casino chain. And once again referencing “What’s Next”, Drake has revealed that he enjoys spending time in said establishments.

Adonis Graham

Drizzy’s verse is also notable for marking one of the few times he refers to his son, Adonis Graham, in song, who is three years old at the time. Actually he doesn’t namedrop the lad. Rather Drake takes time to basically point out that in the middle of making millions of dollars, he always takes time out to perform the everyday parenting duties concerning his son.

Additionally Drizzy raps about his come up, asserts that he “never did one crime”, gives a shoutout to Rick Ross – so on and so forth.  And at the end of the day he sounds more like classic Drake – braggadocious, yes, but also extremely versatile and enthralling in delivery.

Rick Ross

And no, we haven’t forgotten about Rozay. He is also given his time to shine, even before Drake. His verse is more of your standard boastful fare. He actually never deviates from the idea that he is in fact the man. That is to say that the Boss presents himself as being rich, tough and not really giving a f**k. 

He also namedrops a few celebrities himself, though more from the days of old, such as the following:

• Teddy Pendergrass (1950-2010)
• Lionel Richie
• The late Tupac Shakur (aka “Makaveli”, 1971-1996)

What is “Lemon Pepper Freestyle”?

Meanwhile concerning the name of the track, lemon pepper is actually a popular flavor of chicken wings (just ask NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo). And we all know that Rick Ross especially has a thing for chicken wings. 

But the phrase “lemon pepper” is only used once in the lyrics, as uttered by Drake, with the flavor apparently being a favorite of his. And it doesn’t seem to have anything specific to do with the matter at hand but perhaps was just used by the artist primarily because it sounds cool and unique (or as a roundabout shoutout to Ross).

Facts about “Lemon Pepper Freestyle”

Drake and Rick Ross have been featured on a number of tracks together, dating back to 2009’s “Fed Up” by DJ Khaled. The first time one of them appeared on a song that the other headlined was Rick Ross’s 2010 outing Aston Marton Music.

The writers of this song, in addition to Drake and Ross, are Robin Hannibal, Coco O. and Boi-1da. Boi-1da is also one of the producers of the track, as are Keanu Beatz, FnZ (Finatik and Zac) and Austin Powerz.

The instrumental to this song samples a 2010 track entitled “Pressure” by a musical duo known as Quadron. The pair consists of the aforementioned Robin Hannibal and Coco O. And said sample would be the reason why they’re credited as co-writers of Lemon Pepper.

This track is one of three songs on the playlist of “Scary Hours 2”, an EP Drake dropped on 5 March 2021. And he did so via his own label, OVO Sound, working alongside Republic Records.

At the time of the release of the aforementioned EP, fans of Drizzy were actually anticipating him dropping his sixth album, “Certified Lover Boy”. In fact said project was originally slated for release back in January of 2021 but was delayed.  And as of the release of “Lemon Pepper”, etc., its new release date is up in the air (though expected to drop in April).

“Scary Hours 2” Tracklisting

These are the tracks that appear on Drake’s “Scary Hours 2”: