One of Drake’s Jamaica-inspired songs off his 2017 mixtape More Life is now certified Gold in the United Kingdom.
“Gyalchester,” the 9th song on More Life, surpassed the 400,000 equivalent-units sold milestone in the UK, securing Gold status by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on March 31, 2023.
The song was a hot favorite among Drake’s Jamaican and UK fans not just because of his clever wordplay but also because of the title.
‘Gyal’ is the Jamaican patois word for ‘gal’ or ‘girl’ while ‘chester’ is derived from the parish in Jamaica, Manchester. Hence the title “Gyalchester” is a common word for Jamaicans to refer to the parish of Manchester.
Some UK fans also attribute it to the English city of Manchester.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of Jamaican wordplays and homages littered all over the album.
Drake spent a lot of time in the UK during the recording process of the album and even included some UK artists on the project, including Jorja Smith, who appeared on “Get It Together,” Skepta on the Interlude, and Giggs, who appeared on two tracks “No Long Talk” and “KMT.” Other artists featured on the project were Young Thug, PartyNextDoor, Kanye West, Black Coffee, Quavo, and 2 Chainz.
