Who is Elkan? Producer of $$$4U track "Nokia" pens a tribute to Drake after album release

Elkan, the producer behind Drake's track Nokia from his latest album titled $ome $exy $ongs 4 U aka $$$4U, wrote a tribute to the Toronto rapper after the album was released on February 14, 2025. Drizzy collaborated with PartyNextDoor for the album, marking his first release since his feud with Kendrick Lamar.

The same day, Elkan took to Instagram to share his feelings after Nokia was released as a part of Drizzy's latest album. He wrote:

"I don't even know where to start. This record means a lot to me in the midst of a mental breakdown I channeled all the pain, trauma, and joy into music not letting a f**ked up mental state stop me from expressing myself."

The caption further read:

"Nokia came from people I love ringing my line asking if I was okay inviting me out to karaoke, clubbing, going to crazy food spots and just enjoying the finer things in life! When Drake puts pen to pad onna Elkan ting you know it’s a speeeecial one!"

Elkan's post about Drizzy (Image via Instagram/@elkan.exe)

Elkan is a United Kingdom-based music producer, songwriter, and composer. He is best known for his style of music molded around children's nursery rhymes. He also contributed to Laacre's album Church Clothes 4, which won a Grammy Award in 2024 in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category.

Apart from Drake, Elkan has worked with multiple other renowned artists, including Metro Boomin and Young Thug. He has also composed the background score for EA's Madden 24 game.

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"It’s all about making music together"—When Music producer Elkan who produced Drake's Nokia track from $$$4U reflected on his journey

In a February 2023 interview on the podcast Spill Your Sauce, music producer Elkan reflected on his journey in the industry. The London-based composer spoke about the art of collaborations and his beginnings with music.

“The first time I saw FL Studio was when I was around like eight to ten… I remember one of my uncles… he came to England and lived in our house… and I remember him just opening up like – yo this is FL Studio, I make songs in this thing," he said.

Elkan ended up taking a class with Eli Brown, a renowned figure in the music industry. He shared in the interview that the latter posted a sample on X, which "blew away" his mind and piqued his interest in sample-making. Talking about Brown's class, the producer revealed that it "changed his perspective" on what samples could achieve in music.

Drake's producer also stressed the power of collaborations. In his interview, he shared a quote from Mike Will Made It, which said one does not get "an extra Grammy" for doing it alone.

“Collaboration is so important. I remember Mike Will Made It saying that you don’t get an extra Grammy for doing it by yourself. That really resonated with me. People often shy away from collaboration, but it’s all about making music together," Elkan said.

He further explained how he began his journey with music explained that he began with "simple chords" before adding vocals to the mix. To bring back the nostalgia associated with an original sample, he went for a layered composition. He believed he came up with "a richly textured sample" he is proud of.

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Drake seemingly addressed his beef with Kendrick Lamar in his latest album $$$4U

Rapper Drake in Toronto, Canada. (Image via Getty)

In his latest album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, Drake seemingly alluded to his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar. The two artists have been involved in a feud since March 2024. Until May last year, they took multiple shots at each other through diss tracks.

In one of his songs, Gimme A Hug, Drake notably referred to a "rap beef", which many alleged to be a reference to his feud with Lamar. The lyrics said:

"Damn/They be droppin' s**t, but we be droppin' harder s**t (Droppin' harder s**t) F**k a rap beef, I'm tryna get the party lit."

According to Billboard, Drake's music sales have been down by 50% in the first few weeks of this year, if compared to his music sales in 2024. However, his rival Kendrick Lamar has seen a massive boost in sales, marking thrice the numbers he was making last year.

The publication also reported that Kendrick Lamar is ahead of Drake in terms of album sales and streams by 7% and 4%, respectively.