TORONTO — On a school night last summer, Toronto producer Arham Paul was getting ready for bed when his phone rang.
One of his beatmaker friends was tapped to work on Drake’s new projects, and he needed help crafting an ’80s-style intro for a song.
“‘We are not sleeping tonight,’” the 16-year-old, who produces under ap.melodies, recalls saying.
So, instead of resting for class the next morning, the Markham, Ont.-raised teen spent hours building out the slow and sensual opening alongside Miami-based producer Sebas Lopez.
“I was shocked because I didn’t expect him to call me to work on a Drake track,” says Paul during an interview.
“But when Drake asked for the ’80s intro, (Lopez) called me because he knew I was on that sort of vibe.”
That session would eventually become “Classic,” one of two songs Paul helped craft for the Toronto rap star’s surprise album trilogy that dropped last week.
For the Bill Hogarth Secondary School student, the dizzying rise from basement producer to Drake collaborator is unfolding at a pace he still seems to be processing himself.
“Everyone’s all like, ‘How did you do this?’ The whole school is just hyped,” he says.
“My principal even asked me, ‘Are you on the Drake album?’ It was just crazy. All the teachers were talking about it.”
Paul contributed to “Classic” from “Habibti” and “Q&A” from “Maid of Honour,” two experimental projects Drake released alongside the rap-focused “Iceman.”
While Drake’s new albums feature longtime collaborators like Noah ’40’ Shebib and Boi-1da, a wave of younger, internet-bred producers also helped shape the projects’ eclectic sound. That includes ap.melodies alongside underground names including London’s b4u and Edmonton’s rl.
“I feel like he wants to target a new sound, because you can even hear it on ‘Iceman’ — he’s doing West Coast, he’s doing soul, he’s trying a bunch of new stuff but mixing it with his original rap stuff,” says Paul.
“Him trying to involve himself with new producers was a big turning point because it allows him to expand on his sound more.”
While official production credits have yet to update on streaming platforms, Paul’s name has circulated online among fans dissecting the sprawling release. His team shared a photo of legal documentation of his involvement in the records.
He says he first learned the songs would be released roughly two weeks before the albums dropped, triggering a frantic scramble to sort out contracts and legal paperwork.
Paul, who’s of Pakistani descent, grew up surrounded by music. His father, Rehan, played piano and kept instruments around the house. But Paul traces the real beginning of his production journey to a chance encounter with GarageBand on his sister’s laptop when he was eight years old.
“I just randomly opened it and started messing around with it and it just, like, clicked,” he says.
He began by remaking songs and experimenting with trap beats inspired by Drake and Future before gradually developing a style that blends soulful melodies, hard-hitting drums and experimental textures.
“The world inspires me. School inspires me,” he says.
Paul says posting beat snippets and production videos on Instagram helped him build connections in the industry. His first notable placement came through New Jersey streamer and rapper PlaqueBoyMax, on the track “Oasis,” after one of Paul’s loops spread through Discord communities.
That momentum eventually led him toward producers in Drake’s orbit.
For “Classic,” Paul says Lopez reached out because he knew the teen had been experimenting with retro sounds and synth-heavy textures.
To build the opening beat, he immersed himself in the feel of older R&B records, particularly songs by Jodeci, despite not growing up listening heavily to that era.
“I tried to put myself in that mindset of, like, ‘What sounds did they use during that era? And how would Drake sound over it?’” he says.
On “Q&A,” Paul says he helped shape a genre-blending beat that fused Brazilian funk and the rap sub-genre sexy drill after Drake contacted Dallas producer Stack!e requesting a song channelling “summer ratchet vibes.”
Paul took a MIDI file sent by Stack!e and altered the chords, layering additional textures and incorporating vocals from U.S. producer Dylan Hyde’s sample packs. He says he was stunned when Drake later mirrored parts of those melodies vocally on the finished song.
“Drake messaged my homie and was like, ‘This is a smash hit.’”
The payoff arrived at midnight on release night, when Paul gathered with his family to watch Drake’s livestream before the albums dropped.
His parents surprised him with cake as they waited.
“When I clicked on the song and heard Drake’s voice (on the beat), it felt like one of my biggest goals that I’ve accomplished,” he said.
“My parents, they’re so proud of me. It felt surreal.”
Now, the teen producer says he’s been awestruck by the big names reaching out following the placements, including producers RiotUSA and CuBeatz. He hopes to eventually work with artists such as Travis Scott, Don Toliver and SZA.
Despite the sudden attention, Paul says he still feels mostly like the same teenager — just one with a few more opportunities.
“I’m still the same as I was before,” he says. “It’s just that new doors are open.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2026.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
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