<\/p>\n
Connor Price just dropped a video for \u201cMore Mentors\u201d featuring Idris Elba, and the internet can\u2019t stop asking the same question: How did a 26-year-old Canadian rapper end up collaborating with Luther himself?<\/p>\n
Turns out, this isn\u2019t new. Price and Elba have been making music together for five years \u2014 and their origin story is wilder than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n
It all started in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elba, who was among the first celebrities to publicly announce his positive COVID diagnosis, released a freestyle about his experience and left the third verse open for anyone who wanted to collaborate. Price, then a relatively unknown artist transitioning from his childhood acting career, saw the opportunity and seized it.<\/p>\n
Working quickly, Price recorded his response verse in a single night, mixed it himself, filmed it, and posted it to Instagram \u2014 tagging Elba\u2019s account. The next morning, he woke up to notifications that would change his career trajectory: Elba had followed him, commented, and sent a direct message.<\/p>\n
What impressed Elba wasn\u2019t just Price\u2019s lyrical skill, but his drive. As someone who had navigated the challenging waters of being an actor pursuing music himself, Elba recognized a kindred spirit. The two bonded over their shared experiences and the skepticism actors often face when crossing into music.<\/p>\n
Their first official collaboration came with \u201cCourteney Cox\u201d in 2021 \u2014 a catchy tribute to the \u201cFriends\u201d star that even featured Cox herself in the music video, spitting bars at the end. Both artists brought their filmmaking backgrounds to the project, shooting creative visuals on iPhones during lockdown and editing the video themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe speed at which my music exploded was insane,\u201d Price told us in our winter 2025 issue<\/a>. \u201cIt was the opposite of my acting career, which was a slow climb. Social media just works differently.\u201d<\/p>\n