GORDO on Producing Drake’s ‘MAID OF HONOUR’ Album & Why He Considers Him ‘The GOAT’
Categoria: Musica
The producer/DJ chats with Billboard about collaborating with Drake on his new album MAID OF HONOUR and the rapper's legendary status in music.
Por Billboard | 19/05/2026
For over 15 years, Drake’s reign has been characterized by — and often maligned for — his versatility. Few rappers have ever ventured into so many genres and subgenres, pushing listeners past their boundaries and turning initial critics into those who have to spin back and say, “I didn’t get (insert song/album) at first, but I love it now.” What began as him baring his soul on R&B records, expressing emotions that many men would normally hide, turned into legitimate pop and house smash records as time went on. His 2020s have taken him further into new territory, starting with the full dance album Honestly, Nevermind , and continuing on collaborations with Spanish-language artists on records like “Gently” and “Meet Your Padre,” and, this past weekend, with his club-ready 14-track album MAID OF HONOUR . A key piece of these musical journeys has been one of his go-to producers this decade, GORDO, formerly known as Carnage. The Nicaraguan-American DJ has his hands all over the 6 God’s most exploratory (and often polarizing) songs of the last half-decade: “Sticky,” “Massive,” “Calling My Name,” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” just to name a few. Now, having placed nine tracks on MAID — plus “WNBA” from HABIBTI — the 35-year-old producer has over 20 songs with The Boy. With songs like “Hoe Phase,” “Outside Tweaking” and “New Bestie” on their collective resume, the producer could rightfully compare his collaborative relationship with Drake to any of the strongest dynamic duos of the 2020s. “I grew up as a Drake fan my entire life,” he told Billboard . “You have to give him so much props because he stayed relevant this long, during so many changes in pop culture. That’s the crazy part about it. We’re not talking about a niche rapper… he adapts, and he stays on the ball.” Read Billboard ‘s discussion with GORDO below about witnessing Drake continue to break barriers, why he worked so hard on every record they released together, and what is next for his career. You told me two years ago that you didn’t think you could make a better album than DIAMANTE and I think you might have outdone yourself. Obviously, MAID isn’t your album in the same way DIAMANTE was, but you have nine out of 14 tracks. What’s your response to that? Technically speaking, on DIAMANTE , I had a say on everything . On this album, I didn’t have a say on everything, but I was a small tool to this guy’s genius plan. And the best thing about all this was this was about him. It wasn’t about me. I worked so hard on this album because I was rooting so hard for him. I was like, “I want to do everything I can to help and send positive energy toward this legend.” How do you define your collaborative relationship with him, on top of the fact that you’re such good friends as well? Sometimes when I’m DJing, I wish I could go and watch myself, to understand it, and also learn. In the same way with music, I wish I could be you guys. I grew up as a Drake fan my entire life. Whe