Drake has opened up about his past as a songwriter for hip-hop legend Dr. Dre in one of his new songs from his latest album For All The Dogs.

The Canadian rapper revealed that working with the N.W.A icon was not easy and required a lot of patience.

The song, titled “Away From Home”, features Drake rapping about his early struggles in the music industry, including his stint as a ghostwriter for Dr. Dre. He says:

> My life like ‘The Matrix’ / Even got on 106 & Park with “Replacement”/ My mama was my manager, my uncle was my agent/ Dr. Dre’ll send a n-gga home, that took patience

This is not the first time that Drake has mentioned his songwriting experience with Dr. Dre. In 2016, he spoke to John Seabrook, the author of The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory, and shared some details about his time in Dre’s studio.

According to Drake, he was around 19 years old when he got the opportunity to write for Dre, who was working on his long-awaited album Detox at the time. However, he soon realized that it was a demanding and stressful job.

“It was some of the most strenuous militant shit I’ve ever done,” Drake told Seabrook. “But no useable songs came out of it. When I think of how he worked us, it’s no wonder he didn’t get anything out of it. It was just writers in a room churning out product all day long.”

Drake eventually left Dre’s camp and pursued his own solo career, which turned out to be a wise decision. He has since become one of the most successful and influential artists in the world, with multiple Grammy awards, chart-topping albums, and record-breaking hits.

His latest album For All The Dogs, which was released on October 6, 2023, is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with over 400,000 units sold in its first week. The album features collaborations with J. Cole, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, and more.

Drake is currently on his It’s All A Blur Tour, which will conclude in Houston on November 5.