Drake didn't end up on BFB Da Packman's 'Olympic Shit Talkin' – but it's still gold

A few weeks back, Flint rapper BFB Packman dropped Do not forget me, his first album in three years. Ahead of the release, he heightened fan anticipation when he revealed a Drake collaboration on “Olympic Shit Talkin,” a song that also features a verse from currently incarcerated Rio Da Yung OG. But just before Do not forget me dropped, Kendrick Lamar took shots at Drake on Future and Metro-Boomin's “Like That,” reshaping fan expectations for the Toronto rapper's next verse. He chose not to clear his appearance on Packman's song, which cost the “Free Joe Exotic” rapper his biggest appearance to date.

While grabbing lunch in Houston, Packman says Rolling rock over the phone that she's staying mum about Drake's upcoming “Olympic Shit Talkin'” feature for now. “I feel bad talking about it,” he says. “I want to talk about it, but I can't.” She says she first connected with Drake through a mutual friend of the two, noting, “It was a grace. Drake fucked the Michigan boys, man.” But cashing in on that favor will have to wait. “Whenever bro says it's cool,” the song will be released with Drake's verse.

Even without Drake, “Olympic Shit Talkin'” is still a track that stands out from the aptly titled Do not forget me. Packman, who started rapping after a stint in the US Postal Service, is known for the outrageous bars featured on the “OST” featuring Rio. His 2020 hit “Free Joe Exotic” drew attention with sidebars such as: “If my bitch says, 'Bless you,' when you sneeze, you can have her” and “Said she can stomach it her, stop sweeping / All layin' bitch, my dick ain't that big Since then, on projects like 2021 Fat niggas need love toohas become an indelible, hilarious figure in the Michigan rap scene.

Packman's appeal is evident on “Olympic Shit Talkin,” where he and Rio trade predictably raw Michigan bars over a sinister piano melody crafted by producers Caasi & Dxntemadeit. “Took the life out of the bird, then I fell in love / broke up with my broken bitch, then I leveled up,” Rio begins. Packman follows with a rhyme, “I got eight Actavis from my aunt Ginger,” then “Fuck me a bitch till I get the sticky 'cause I don't quit,” the two go back and forth throughout the song, which he says it came from feature swapping.

“He was like, 'Bro, I'm making an album, send me something,' so I sent him something,” he says. I'm like, 'I need you for my album,' and he sent me something.” He says he wrote the song, then cut the verse, leaving gaps for Rio to jump through – including the four bars. Fans who criticize the vocal quality of Rio's verse may not realize that it was recorded from a prison phone.

While “Olympic Shit Talkin'” is Packman's core experience, he says he chose to be more sparse with these songs, offering more variety throughout the project to overcome the “Michigan rapper” label and take it to court. “For some reason, this Michigan shit doesn't make you top. Yes, we have a buzz. Yeah, we got a wave, but this shit never happens like that,” he surmises. “The only song that charted like that that was in Michigan at one point is Tee Grizzley [“First Day Out”].”

Packman says Do not forget me was created out of his motivation to be counted on by fans who accused him of “falling away” after his release schedule slowed down. He dropped a single project from 2021 Fat niggas need love too, but not an actual album. When asked what's behind the hiatus in full-length releases, he's blunt: “The laziness is real. That crap like crack, actually.' But Packman says he finally snapped out of his creative malaise after realizing it was “now or never” for his career. “It was, bitch, rap your ass or go back to the post office,” he says. “Which one?”

He chose the first option, and the result is a powerful project that he says is the start of more regular drops. “I ain't got far, nigga. I'm just down the road,” she says, adding, “I just have to keep smiling.” Drake's verse may have sent him speeding down the freeway, but there's still time for that. When I asked him what he would do if Drake sent him a new verse filled with Kendrick Lamar rants, he said he “fucks Kendrick” but “I'd take that bitch out faster than a mom, man.”