Drake wanted “Uptown” as the single to “So Far Gone.”
This week, RapRadar released their two-hour conversation with the 6ix God himself, Drake. Now, you should know that Drake very rarely does any press, and whenever he does, he has something in the pipeline. Over the course the two-hour conversation, B Dot and Elliot Wilson got Drake opening up about everything from being a father to his beef with Pusha T to the early days his career before he was the Drake the we know and love today.
During the conversation, Drake revealed an interesting fact about the rollout for So Far Gone. While “Uptown” is still a fan favorite, it was the song that Drake intended to launch as the project’s first single. However, Rich Paul, Lebron James‘ close friend and agent, convinced Drake otherwise.
“I was like, ‘Yo ‘Uptown’ is the one, this is what we should go with,'” Drake recounted telling Rich Paul who sternly told Drake that “Best I Ever Had” was the clear pick for a first single. “He was like, ‘Yo, nah. What are you talking about? This other one is the one.'”
LeBron James’ connection to So Far Gone is deeper than just his agent’s suggestion. On the 10-year anniversary the album’s release, Drake penned a lengthy open letter thanking everyone who contributed to So Far Gone. “”A decade ago you came to my release party at 6 Degrees and made me the biggest artist in the city f your presence alone,” he wrote.