On the tenth anniversary of the mixtape that pushed Drake out of his Wheelchair Jimmy shadow, he’s announced that 2009’s So Far Gone will hit streaming services on Thursday for the first time. The release has been held up all these years by the muddled process of copyright laws made even more complicated by streaming that’s prevented most traditional mixtapes that flip or sample other artists’ songs from ever seeing an official release (you won’t find most of Lil Wayne’s tapes or Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra on streaming for that reason).
Last December, Kanye West reignited his war with Drake by revealing that Drake had sent him a request for permission to clear a sample of Kanye’s “Say You Will” on the So Far Gone track “Say What’s Real,” spilling the beans about the streaming rerelease. Naturally, Kanye used the opportunity to air all of their other dirty laundry in full tweetstorm style and, though he got his apology phone call from Drake, ultimately denied the request.
How Drake intends to include the sample without Kanye’s approval remains to be seen (perhaps Kanye changed his mind or Drake is welcome to a lawsuit?), but Drake’s latest words for his nemesis probably won’t help his cause. In an Instagram post, Drake thanked everyone involved with the mixtape — even, begrudgingly, Kanye. Addressed to Kanye’s Instagram handle (which Kanye deactivated months ago anyway), he wrote: “A decade ago I rapped over your beat cause you just made the best shit and even though you stay wildin on twitter these days I will never forget what you contributed to the game and my career.” Children will be children!
