Under Ground Kings

"Under Ground Kings" is Take Care's clearest tribute to the Houston rap lineage that shaped Drake's cadence and chopped-and-screwed sensibility, its title nodding to the legendary duo UGK. Over a slow, syrupy 40 production, Drake toggles between rapped braggadocio and sung melancholy, celebrating success while acknowledging the people and influences that got him there. The song is widely read as Drake situating himself within a Southern tradition - the codeine-slow tempos, the regional reverence - even as a Toronto artist, and as part of the album's broader project of mapping his influences openly. Less of a single and more of an album-deep mood piece, it has long been a fan-cited cut for capturing the record's late-night, narcotic atmosphere and for the way it lets the production breathe between verses.