Fantasy K-Pop Collab: After School Nana + Drake

This week's installment of Fantasy K-Pop Collab is indeed a special one. The mashup was suggested by none other than Billboard's very own K-Pop expert, Jeff Benjamin.

When asked which K-Pop star he would like to see do a song with an international act, paused for a moment to consider the idea carefully. Suddenly the collaboration hit him and he walked me through the idea.

Jeff said that when he was first exploring the wonders of K-Pop, it was After School that got him hooked. Naturally then, he wanted to feature one of the members in his ideal collab. He chose Nana because, let's face it - she's adorable. Well, maybe adorable isn't an accurate word. Nana is stunning - and she is talented to boot.

But who could create a successful tune with the gifted singer? How about Canada's own rapper-songwriter, Drake? Drake is an accomplished singer, rapper, and songwriter (in addition to a successful acting career) who has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the biz.

He cites the late singer Aaliyah as his biggest musical influence and both his singing and songwriting reflects that. His collaborative tracks with Rihanna and Alicia Keys are reminiscent of the kind of urban pop popularized by Aaliyah and form the basis for this week's fantasy collaboration.

Drake has done two very successful singles with Rihanna, "Take Care" and "What's My Name?" as and has written for and sung along with talented vocalist Alicia Keys. He has the experience, this collaboration is in the bag.

Nana may be young, but she's already done a lot in her short career. Since joining with idol group After School in late 2009, Nana has not only been included in two sub-units (A.S. Red and Orange Caramel), but has also released a handful of solo singles and joined efforts with some of K-Pop's elite to form Dazzling Red, a super group that released a charity single "This Person."

Nana's popular singles "Close Your Eyes" and "Eyeline" show her versatility as a singer - moving from romantic-sounding ballads to a dance-pop with all points in between.

Particularly with "Eyeline" it is easy to imagine how the inclusion of a rap-break would fit nicely into her style of singing.

For, if Nana and Drake were indeed to collaborate with one another, it would likely be a song that mixes her sweet singing voice with his thought-provoking rapping style.

Per Jeff Benjamin's suggestion, the collaboration would be a song that features Nana as Drake's cute love interest. It would be playful with a good rhythm and and even better lyrics.

Perhaps a call and response style tune a'la Rihanna's "What's My Name?" with Drake trying his hardest to court her, but Nana standing her ground as the sensual object of his affection.

Some cutesy lyrics mixed with a little bit of sass and you are well on your way to a hit song. How's about it, Drake?

It is definitely cool to collab, after all this week's Fantasy Kpop Collab is one.  Thanks to Jeff Benjamin for pitching the idea.