Hear the Indianapolis-recorded interpretation of Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss

Who would have thought Indianapolis would have a role in a rap feud?

In the midst of shots being fired between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, a group of musicians based at an Airbnb property in Indianapolis grabbed Lamar’s haymaker “Meet the Grahams” and put a jazzy spin on it.

The resulting instrumental, “Meet the Grahams (Reimagined as Jazz),”  is part of a jazz fusion album being distributed by Fat Beats Records.

Jonathan Hay said the group initially had plans to record in Louisville during the week of the Kentucky Derby, but found themselves opting for Indianapolis at the last minute.

“Indianapolis was the perfect place for us to zone in and focus,” he said.

“As Derby Week is going on and The Weeknd-Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud was going on we thought, ‘We should do that as jazz,” he said. “Growing up, we’d seen Tupac and Biggie killed. They really need to stop with that and just focus on the music. We want to put out a positive narrative.”

Hay, 48, said they chose “Meet the Grahams,” because the track is piano heavy and more suitable for a jazz interpretation.

“Meet the Grahams,” released minutes after Drake’s later Friday night drop of “Family Matters” addresses Drake’s family members and alleges that the Canadian rapper is a neglectful parent with an 11-year-old daughter he hasn’t disclosed.

“The song is really piano-driven. It was just something about the song musically that spoke to us; whereas the other songs were more hip-hop,” Hay said. “It just seemed to work out the best musically.”

Hay is a publicist who has worked on projects for Nappy Roots, Wu-Tang Clan and Twista; and he’s had success in jazzifying hip-hop in the past.

He teamed with other musicians on 2019’s "Follow the Leader (Reimagined as Jazz)," an instrumental reworking of Eric B. & Rakim’s classic “Follow the Leader” album. The album topped Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.

The Louisville, Kentucky-raised Hay has another connection to Drake.

He was a publicist for Sophie Brussaux, the mother of Drake’s son during the time when  Pusha T revealed the child’s existence with the 2018 diss track "The Story of Adidon."

“Meet the Grahams (Reimagined as Jazz)” was the last song completed for the album “How a Dancer Saved My Life."

It’s also the most traditional of the 10 songs included on the album. Others are more contemporary, electro jazz and jazz fusion, he said.

The album, available in late May, was wrapped Tuesday after the musicians spent 10 days in the Delaware Trails neighborhood home.

Hear the jazz version of Kendrick Lamar's 'Meet the Grahams'

Listen to “Meet the Grahams (Reimagined as Jazz)" here.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Musicians in Indy responded to a rap diss with a jazz record