Since Drake‘s meteoric rise from teenage Degrassi star to best-selling rapper and label head, one thing has been very constant in his life and music: Noah “40” Shebib. Shebib, a 32-year-old Canadian born producer and engineer, is responsible for large chunks of Drake’s discography, including prominent records on his breakthrough So Far Gone mixtape, each of his 3 studio albums, and even found himself on Drake’s surprise If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late mixtape, which was largely produced by Boi-1da, Vinylz and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Shebib, known as 40 in the music world, is also known for being one of the more recluse members of Drake’s OVO team, opting not to appear on social media or in the press very often, and even being cryptic with the things he does post on Instagram, like this screenshot of a computer folder titled “VIEWS” that sent the rap internet into a tailspin a couple months back. However, it appears his passion for producing and the studio has trumped his will to stay away from interviews, as Native Instruments, a leading manufacturer of production software and hardware, liberated a video interview they did with the Toronto-based producer about his production styles, preferences and insights.
During the interview, with Drake’s “Jungle” serving as the backdrop, 40 touches on his relationship with Drake, why they’ve been able to be so prolific over the last 7 years, and how they arrived at their distinguished sound, which 40 refers to as a “lo-fi, underwater” sound.
