t’s that time of the year; all the year-end awards are declared by Billboard. Drake won two awards, Hot Rap Song of the year for “Best I Ever Had” and Top New HipHop/R&B Artist of the Year. He is also listed in some other charts that you can peep below (but they don’t make any top 10s). Billboard Charts are calculated using custom formulas collecting sales, streaming and radio play. Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers don’t.

1. DRAKE “So Far Gone” (mixtape; octobersveryown.net) It’s not interesting because it’s a self-released mixtape, or because he’s a former Canadian child actor, though knowing those things makes the achievement of this record that much more impressive and unlikely. It’s that Drake is an architecturally precise rapper and a plaintive singer all in one, a combination others have tried and failed at. More important, it’s that this collection of songs about fame and love, and how the two don’t play well together, is cocksure but still poignant.

Drake’s rise to superstardom was one of the biggest stories of 2009. From his humble beginnings as Jimmy Brooks on “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” Drizzy (born Aubrey Graham) took the hip-hop world by storm, thanks to the success of his So Far Gone mixtape and subsequent partnership with Lil Wayne’s Young Money label. Drake collaborated with the biggest names in the game, was co-signed by everyone from Bun B to Kanye, and didn’t let a little thing like tearing the ligaments in his knee stop his climb. Grammy nominated, often-imitated, Drake came out of nowhere to lay the blueprint for success in ‘09. Now he knows G4 pilots on a first-name basis. • Read full story

Love ‘em or hate ‘em. Listen to ‘em frequently or never dare to include ‘em on a playlist. Through strategy or sheer coincidence, Young Money are the 2009 Rolling Stones. With their debut compilation, We Are Young Money, set to hit stores in weeks (and the internet even sooner), the posse’s go-to-acts, Lil’ Wayne and Drake, stand at the forefront of the movement. Using a similar format as the Jay-Z/Kanye West installment from months earlier, the extensive lyrical history between these two is examined.

NOTE: Only records containing verses from both Drake and Wayne were used. Then again, that was still 17 records. Be prepared, this is long-winded.

1) Drake Feat. Lil’ Wayne – “Brand New” (Remix)

Drake: “Is this going to last?/Are we up on a pedestal?/ Are we moving too fast?/I feel like I’m in crazy competition with the past…”

Wayne: “This here is on some remix shit/It seems like everything I do they’re leakin’ it…”

Synopsis: Granted, Wayne used Drizzy’s flow (and recorded his verse after the original), BUT he used it damn near perfectly.

Drake: 0
Wayne: 1 • Read full story

Drake speaks about his collaboration with Jay-Z before it even happens. The track, titled “Light Up” was recorded for his 2010 debut album “Thank Me Later“. Do you guys think it’ll happen? Let’s wait & see.

Drake dishes on details from his highly anticipated upcoming album, “Thank Me Later“, his dream collaboration with Sade and the success of his friend x YM labelmate, Nicki Minaj.

Drake sits down with RollingOut TV to talk about his So Far Gone mixtape, the new album, Thank Me Later, and his loyalty to Lil’ Wayne. Keep reading for part two of the interview where Drake speaks about the “Best I Ever Had” music video. • Read full story

Drake’s ‘Best I Ever Had,’ actually garnered two Grammy nominations — but the streets love it too.

If Drake is not a household name for everyone just yet, the 23-year-old is on the front porch, ringing the bell. That he’s done it without even putting out an official album shows just how far he’s come in 12 months. What a journey it’s been for the Toronto native in 2009. • Read full story

Lil Wayne, Drake, and the Young Money crew talking with Mo’Nique and performing there hit single “Bed Rock” Appearance on the “The Mo’Nique Show”