One Dance

"One Dance" is a masterclass in minimalist harmony serving a rhythmic purpose. The single four-chord loop (i-III-VII-IV) never changes throughout the entire song, yet the track never feels stagnant thanks to its layered production, syncopated dancehall rhythms, and the interplay between Drake's melodic vocal lines and Wizkid's afrobeats-inflected ad-libs. The harmonic simplicity is intentional — it mirrors dancehall and afrobeats traditions where groove and rhythm take precedence over chord complexity.

Drake's production team contacted British UK funky artist Kyla about sampling her 2008 song "Do You Mind" in its Crazy Cousinz remix form. Drake had been a fan of the track for years and convinced his producer Nineteen85 to incorporate it as a bridge. South African DJ Maphorisa then slowed down the tempo of the sample before Nigerian artist Wizkid added background vocals. Drake had met Wizkid a year earlier through British grime artist Skepta, when they collaborated on a remix of Wizkid's "Ojuelegba."

Released in 2016 from Drake's fourth studio album Views, "One Dance" fused Caribbean dancehall rhythms with Nigerian afrobeats, featuring Wizkid and sampling Kyla's UK funky track "Do You Mind." The song broke streaming records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, and helped propel afrobeats into the global mainstream.