Drake’s Dad, Jimmy Iovine’s Son Launch ‘Bedroom R&B’ Career
Drake‘s father Dennis Graham is venturing into music with an upcoming R&B album. Producer Jamie Iovine, son of Apple’s Jimmy Iovine, has confirmed the project to Rolling Stone after a clip of Graham’s debut music video “Kinda Crazy” was leaked by TMZ.
Iovine and Graham initially met during BET Weekend at Epic Fest, with the producer wanting to meet the singer since his father has worked so closely with Drake.
“Dennis had always been sort of a legend around Los Angeles as one of the flyest, smoothest dudes in Hollywood, putting guys my age to shame on a nightly basis,” the younger Iovine tells Rolling Stone in an e-mail. “He told me about a project that he was working on that I might be interested in. A few weeks later, he sends me ‘Kinda Crazy,’ and I thought, ‘People need to hear this!’ I had no idea what to expect but this guy has a lot of soul and passion for music, and you can see where Drake gets it from.”
As heard in the clip posted on TMZ, Graham’s music is a brand of sultry, bedroom R&B that his son has often sampled in his own work. Though the project is still in the works, that sound is the main focus for the pair, though it may evolve. “Dennis doesn’t want to limit himself to a single genre,” Iovine explains. “Now that the word is out, people are hitting us up asking to be a part of this, and we are very excited about the potential this project now has.”
As previously reported, Drake has given his blessing to his father’s musical endeavor, having approved of the completed songs. It’s yet to be determined if the rapper will appear on his father’s album, with Iovine noting that even though the two are close, Graham “didn’t want to piggy back off of his son’s career.”
Graham’s musical interest is not new — the Tennessee native used to play drums for Jerry Lee Lewis and has performed R&B shows at Hollywood venues like Sayers Club. Meanwhile, the lusty lyrics and smooth sound of “Kinda Crazy” tap into the famous father’s social media presence and reputation, with both his own Instagram and his son’s serving as a prolific documentation of his hard-partying nights. “Dennis is the kind of guy that your date will leave you for and you won’t even be mad about it as much as you will respect his game,” Iovine says.
Graham’s debut album does not have a title or release date yet, and “Kinda Crazy” will be released as a single and video package at a later date. “We expect a lot of babies to be born nine months after this song comes out,” Iovine promises.