Part of the reason Drake became Drake was that even his throwaways demanded all ears, and any new song could bring the world to a stop. Run through Care Package, Drake’s compilation mixtape of old loosies, and it’s hard to believe any of those songs didn’t make the final cut for an album. But lately Drake’s extras haven’t been too hot. On Dark Lane Demo Tapes, he waters down styles that are better without him (see: “Demons” and “From Florida With Love”). The Toosie Slide didn’t quite become the dance phenomenon it was made in a Toronto lab to be, and his two new singles with DJ Khaled are forgettable. But one verse can make the bad times an afterthought; “Only You Freestyle” is that verse.

Of all the styles Drake adopts, his ventures into UK culture have been the most seamless—his pair of Giggs collaborations on More Life come to mind. Like his Behind Barz freestyle and his Christmas Eve single “War,” “Only You Freestyle” finds Drake, with the help of scene staple Headie One, taking another swing at UK drill, and it’s best thing he’s made all year. It’s the rare Drake song, of late, not made to appeal to everyone. Instead of making a popular-music version of the scene, Drake completely immerses himself in it. You can tell how passionate Drake is about UK drill and the cultures that revolve around it. His references are specific, and his flow goes to territory where I’ve yet to hear Drake (he raps ahead of the beat on the song’s back half). And most importantly, Drake talks mean with the type of easy confidence that made If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late special. “Yo, Chubbs might jam this yute for a chain/And give it to a sweet one, called that Maya Jama,” he raps on an opening line that hasn’t stopped spinning in my head since I heard it. Drake’s got my attention.