GORDO on Producing Drake’s ‘MAID OF HONOUR’ Album & Why He Considers Him ‘The GOAT’

For over 15 years, Drake’s reign has been characterized by — and often maligned for — his versatility. Few rappers have ever ventured into so many genres and subgenres, pushing listeners past their boundaries and turning initial critics into those who have to spin back and say, “I didn’t get (insert song/album) at first, but I love it now.” 

What began as him baring his soul on R&B records, expressing emotions that many men would normally hide, turned into legitimate pop and house smash records as time went on. His 2020s have taken him further into new territory, starting with the full dance album Honestly, Nevermind, and continuing on collaborations with Spanish-language artists on records like “Gently” and “Meet Your Padre,” and, this past weekend, with his club-ready 14-track album MAID OF HONOUR. 

A key piece of these musical journeys has been one of his go-to producers this decade, GORDO, formerly known as Carnage. The Nicaraguan-American DJ has his hands all over the 6 God’s most exploratory (and often polarizing) songs of the last half-decade: “Sticky,” “Massive,” “Calling My Name,” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” just to name a few. 

Now, having placed nine tracks on MAID — plus “WNBA” from HABIBTI — the 35-year-old producer has over 20 songs with The Boy. With songs like “Hoe Phase,” “Outside Tweaking” and “New Bestie” on their collective resume, the producer could rightfully compare his collaborative relationship with Drake to any of the strongest dynamic duos of the 2020s. 

“I grew up as a Drake fan my entire life,” he told Billboard. “You have to give him so much props because he stayed relevant this long, during so many changes in pop culture. That’s the crazy part about it. We’re not talking about a niche rapper… he adapts, and he stays on the ball.”

Read Billboard‘s discussion with GORDO below about witnessing Drake continue to break barriers, why he worked so hard on every record they released together, and what is next for his career.

You told me two years ago that you didn’t think you could make a better album than DIAMANTE and I think you might have outdone yourself. Obviously, MAID isn’t your album in the same way DIAMANTE was, but you have nine out of 14 tracks. What’s your response to that?

Technically speaking, on DIAMANTE, I had a say on everything. On this album, I didn’t have a say on everything, but I was a small tool to this guy’s genius plan. And the best thing about all this was this was about him. It wasn’t about me. I worked so hard on this album because I was rooting so hard for him. I was like, “I want to do everything I can to help and send positive energy toward this legend.”

How do you define your collaborative relationship with him, on top of the fact that you’re such good friends as well?

Sometimes when I’m DJing, I wish I could go and watch myself, to understand it, and also learn. In the same way with music, I wish I could be you guys. I grew up as a Drake fan my entire life. When I was 14, 16 years old, I was listening to this guy. So 20 years later, this guy is over here – every single quarter, he does something that’s like, “Whoa, what is this?” Then, over the years, he keeps doing it, and now people are just like, “Oh no, I don’t like this,” or “This is weird.” 

That’s their new response, yet these songs continue to do great for years and years and years. They love to just talk. That’s the place we’re in. You have to give him so much props because he stayed relevant this long during so many changes in pop culture. That’s the crazy part about it. We’re not talking about a niche rapper. He stays and adapts. He always does something new and inventive. It’s like, “Yo, it’s mind-blowing.” So it’s just kind of insane that he can do that.

Were you able to be in the studio with him to record any of these? If so, what was it like seeing him put together a song like “Road Trips” or “Stuck”?

It’s mind-blowing that we’re getting Drake doing a song with an electro-EDM-trap drop on the second half of “BBW.” Like, what? What are we even talking about right now? He’s entered his “I don’t give a f–k what anyone thinks” era. And we’re talking about a guy that’s really good at making music. That’s the thing; he’s the GOAT because he’s always been able to stay relevant and do things that are culturally relevant. 

And he’s still young as f–k. He’s almost 10 years younger than Kanye. My boy said something yesterday. He was like, “Yo, Drake’s only like getting to the middle of his whole career.” It had me think, “Oh sh-t. That’s actually possible.” We already off rip know we have another 10 years of Drake. That’s kind of insane to think about.

I was listening to Popcast this weekend, and I agreed with their take that MAID OF HONOUR is going to have the most legs in terms of its experimentation. It said a lot that he promoted the album as “I had to make ICEMAN so I could make these other two projects.” 

I appreciate that… The thing is, I feel pride every day getting to work with Drake. He’s allowed me to push the barriers sonically and create music that we believe is timeless. I was shocked too when he was really f–king with this stuff. I think it’s a testament to the fact that there’s more GORDO and Drake to come, if he hopefully decides to keep making music with me. 

And, to be honest, there’s something I want to be super vocal about. A lot of this music couldn’t have been made without ZECCA, my brother from Argentina, and Johan and Richard. Literally, we would link up every couple of months or weeks in random locations, and just cook up. We’d make five to seven different versions of songs. I went to Colombia with Zeka a couple of months ago. Me and him cooked up for a couple of days. Literally, I would leave my computer on and go to sleep. When I would wake up, he’d have made like nine different versions of a song. 

A lot of the music came from these guys, too, so everyone had equal input. You know when you think of guys who are, like, super-geniuses on the computer? That’s them. That’s why the album sounds so good. We need some more light on the producers. 

Seeing all of the directions you’ve been able to go with him, combining your vast tastes in music, what’s next for you? What’s the next mountain for you, or some sounds that you want to explore musically? What’s the next milestone?

I’m working on the next album right now. It’s the new album, and I’m building on TARAKA, my party that I’m doing. I’m doing a crazy show in Chile on June 13. I built a metal coliseum to put inside this venue. Basically, there’s going to be different floors and people around this big circle. We’re going to hang stuff. It’s this crazy concept I’ve been working on for a couple of months. That’s going to be one of my favorite things of the year. 

And then, also my Ibiza residency. I finally got my residency in Ibiza. That’s really one of my most important things that I’m working on right now just because I’ve never had the position to be in a place where I’m “one of the ones” in Ibiza.” That’s very, very rare, especially at a high-level club. Pacha, that’s the best club in the world. 

Do you have your eye on any artists that you’d like to collaborate with in the future, especially with an album in the works?

I hate to say this, but my life has been so “GORDO and Drake, GORDO and Drake, GORDO and Drake,” that I haven’t even had time to think about any of that. I’ve just been so focused on that, on top of touring and DJing. 10-hour set here, 12-hour set there. I don’t even know how I’m functioning, to be honest with you. 

As you said, you’re constantly traveling, on the road, DJing, and partying. When do you get time to rest? What’s GORDO doing in his downtime to get away from all of the craziness?

I am in Thailand resting, recovering. I take health very seriously, so I do a lot of sauna and cold plunges. A lot of cardio. Basically, just getting my life in order and being relaxed. I’m not trying to overly push it. Staying focused. I just want to stay alive. I’m on the peptide swag. 

You were previously Carnage. When do you feel like GORDO really established himself as separate from Carnage and really made his stamp on the game? Or do you feel there’s more to do?

It’s taken time to prove that, but that’s just the journey that we’re on. It’s going really well. It’s a great time to be alive. There are so many blessings happening. So many good things are happening. The best part about it is that there’s so much good music happening.