Studio Sessions | Doe Boy discusses collaborating with Drake and Roddy Ricch, and evolving on ‘Oh Really’ album
In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” the Cleveland star explains how he connected with Roddy Ricch for their upcoming track, what new sides of himself he’s showing on his upcoming album, and when we can expect that Drake collaboration to come out.
Doe Boy never stopped recording for his upcoming Oh Really album since his last effort, Demons R Us, his 2020 collaboration project with Southside.
“It was about seven in the morning, and I was watching Drake’s story on Instagram and was about to text him, ‘It’s about that time.’ I went and checked my messages, and he had already texted me,” Doe Boy told REVOLT about collaborating with stars on Oh Really.
In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” the Cleveland star explains how he connected with Roddy Ricch for their upcoming track, what new sides of himself he’s showing on his upcoming album, and when we can expect that Drake collaboration to come out. Read below!
Oh Really is your first album since you and Southside dropped Demons R Us in 2020. How long have you been working on it?
I’ve been working since [we dropped Demons R Us]. I even got songs on Oh Really I think I recorded before then. The way I work on my projects is I never stop recording. When I’m getting close to the end, I start picking songs.
What’s the oldest song on the project in terms of when you recorded it?
I think “Life Goes On.” I recorded that two or three years ago. There was a lot of stuff going on at that time. The way I make my music is I don’t write. I just go off of how I’m feeling at the time. There was a lot of shit going on, and I was thinking about how I needed to get shit together.
Do you feel like the studio is therapeutic?
Most definitely. That’s how I express myself. That’s my comfort space.
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You have a collaboration with Roddy Ricch on this album. How’d that song come about?
Roddy has always fucked with me. He’s one of them niggas who is very selective with who he likes. One day I saw he was following me, and I thought, “Damn, this nigga fuck with me for real? That’s hard.” I tapped in with him. We talked like regular people. It wasn’t about music at first. At some point, I was like, “Bruh, we got to work. I’m working on an album. I want to do some shit with you.” He doesn’t like doing stuff through emails. He wants to be there with you. He was like, “Hit me the next time you’re in L.A., or we’ll figure it out whenever I’m around you.”
A few months later, he was actually in Atlanta, so he hit me like, “I’m in town.” He had me pull up to his room, where he had a studio set up. We cooked up a couple of tracks. We went to the strip club after that. He didn’t even send me the song or anything. He’s picky about his music (laughs). I was just waiting on when he was ready. Months go past, and I was in L.A. I think I was out there when I went to see Drake. My manager and I were talking about trying to get the record from Roddy. I go to text him, check my phone, and he already sent me to song. I was like, “What the fuck?” That shit also happened with Drake. It was about seven in the morning, and I was watching Drake’s story on Instagram and was about to text him, “It’s about that time.” I went and checked my messages, and he had already texted me. That shit was crazy.
What was the creative chemistry with Roddy?
It was natural. The song we got is on one of those classical Roddy vibes. I stepped over into his lane. For the next song we did, I hit Southside like, “Yo, send us some beats.” He sent us some beats, and Roddy came over here to do a song in my lane. We did those two songs within 20 minutes.
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You linked up in the studio with Drake in May 2021. How did that session come about? What’s up with that song?
You never know. Any day now, it might surface (laughs). Drake has been fucking with me for years. It wasn’t rushed or forced. I could’ve been asked him for a song. He wanted me to hop on a specific song like, “I got this for you.” I came out there, went to his house, and laid down a verse.
When you collaborate with other artists, do you ever make sure you step your game up?
I do that regardless. I’m one of them niggas that when I rap, I just rap. I’m hard like that. I’m coming in there confident off rip. I’m coming in there being me with my energy. If you look at one of Drake’s captions [on Instagram], it says, “Doe Boy visits always turn the room to 100.” That’s because I come in that motherfucker acting just like me.
What does Doe Boy need in the studio to make his best music?
Liquor. If liquor is there, it’s up. That’s all I need. I also need…some other shit (laughs). I also like being by myself. I like being with myself, my engineer, and maybe one other person. That way I don’t have to think about anybody’s opinion, and I can focus on what I want to say. That’s when I be doing my deep songs and tapping into what I’m feeling. When I have a lot of niggas in the studio, that’s when I come up with some of my hardest music. I’ll look at someone and think of some shit we did or some shit that just happened. I feed off the energy. If a nigga just said some shit, I may have a whole concept off of what he said.
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How were you making music before the fame?
Back then, studio time used to be $25/hour, so a nigga would get studio time and come in there with songs already written. My nigga and I went in on the session. He got $15 on it, and I got $10, so we’re about to do two songs together. It’s crazy now that I think about it. Now my sessions are as high as $225/hour, and I’m staying in that bitch for at least eight hours.
How does Oh Really show the evolution of Doe Boy?
The way the music sound is because I’m tapping into every type of sound a nigga thinks I’m not going to do. I got songs with a nigga like Ty Dolla $ign that you wouldn’t expect from Doe Boy. I got songs on there about girls. I’m in my feelings opening up about a girl. I got songs with me in my feelings opening up about my niggas. That’s shit I normally don’t be opening up about, but people need to see that side of me. People need to realize I’m a real person. This is the type of shit the world is into nowadays. Everyone is sad and shit. That’s what they want to hear. This is my real story.
Which of your biggest songs have your favorite sessions?
The “Bussin” studio session was lit. Lil Uzi Vert and I were in there going crazy. Uzi was like, “Damn, you so aggressive the way you come off, a nigga gotta really rap this shit.” Also, the “I’m Scared” session with [Young] Thug was lit. On this album, I also got a song with Rowdy Rebel and 42 Dugg called “Ain’t My Fault.” For that, I was kicking it with Rowdy all day in his hood and Pop Smoke hood because Pop Smoke just had his candlelight. Then, we went to a house party. We were living ratchet as fuck the whole day. I felt like I was back in the day. We were feeding off the energy. Then, we went to the studio right afterward, and there were a whole bunch of niggas in there as well. Rowdy and I were in there turnt. We click well. That was one of my favorite sessions.
I got a song on the album called “3 A.M. In L.A.” I did that song after I left Drake’s house. I went to the studio after I left there. If you listen to the song, I say, “Catch me hanging with the Bloods out in L.A. who shot Ricky.” My Blood niggas were in the studio with me and gave me that bar. Then I said, “I’m in Cleveland with my [Heartless] Felons, terrorize the city.” That’s the most dangerous gang in the state of Ohio. That’s why I have the news clips detailing who the Heartless Felons are. I’m explaining the story of the Heartless Felons. How the Crips are to L.A. is how Heartless Felons are to Cleveland. I want to tell that story because people need to know about this and how I’m repping Cleveland.