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First Listen: Drake’s All-Star Collabo with Eminem, Kanye, Lil Wayne

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Hyped by some Kool-Aid-gulping outlets as “one of the greatest collaborations in hip-hop history,” the four-MC weave of Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem on a remixed version of the track “Forever,” available Aug. 29 via iTunes (but available for streaming in a leaked version below), may be somewhat historic — Weezy and Em have never rhymed on the same song — but it’s more notable for the airhorn-blowing, naggingly infectious production than the MCs’ contributions.

“Forever” — concocted by Toronto up-and-comer Matthew Samuels, a.k.a., Boi 1da (Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” and “Uptown”) — will be included on a compilation of songs supposedly inspired by the documentary More Than a Game, which follows LeBron James’ high-school hoops odyssey in Akron, Ohio. Originally leaked as a version featuring Drake and Weezy, the song later evolved into a Drake and Kanye collaboration, and it sounds like it, since those two appear first (with Drake also singing the hook), and drop the most energetic, focused verses. Unlike, say, Weezy’s Kobe Bryant tribute, there are few basketball- or LeBron-related lyrics on “Forever.” The connection to the film remains vague.

Kanye makes the most concerted effort to shine, though some may cringe at a certain metaphor: “I used to have hood dreams / Big fame, big chains / I stuck my dick inside this life until that bitch came.” Weezy, as usual for the majority of his guest appearances, sounds like he has no idea what song he’s rhyming on (save a Space Jam reference) — his only notable simile is that he’s like “Nevada in the middle of the summer” (What, sweaty and uncomfortable, like the mob of tourists clamoring to see Bette Midler at Caesars Palace?). Of course, his raspy flow is totally hypnotic, regardless. An overly agitated Eminem goes nuts like “macadamia” and mentions overdosing again.

The More Than a Game soundtrack — also featuring tracks from T.I., Young Jeezy, and Mary J. Blige, will be released September 29 on Interscope, with Polow Da Don serving as executive producer. The film will be in theaters in October.

LISTEN: Drake, “Forever” (Ft. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem)