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A few weeks ago, Drake told Funkmaster Flex backstage at Hot 97′s Summer Jam that he drew inspiration for his sophomore LP after listening to Yeezy’s new set. That’s powerful.
Drake has been spoiled by the mixtape game. With So Far Gone, he dropped the entire body of work and let the people pick their favorite records (Drake’s is ” A Night Off” with Lloyd, if you were wondering). His album Thank Me Later is still on tap for a March release and despite what you’ve heard about songs such as “Fireworks” and “Light Up,” the 23-year-old said he has yet to pick a single.
“A single? I haven’t really figured it out,” he said. “With So Far Gone it was the same thing — ‘Best I Ever Had’ was the second-to-last song I did. When I did it, I was like, ‘Cool, it adds a little bounce to [the mixtape],’ but I wasn’t crazy about it. And that song went #1. [Read more →]
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‘I just wanted to laugh,’ Drake says of clip featuring women’s basketball team.
Some fans liked it, some fans were scratching their heads after the debut of Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” video last month. Some in the blogosphere said the clip’s buxom female basketball team did nothing but cater to the male audience without matching the theme of the song; others just thought it wasn’t all that creative. And a couple of bloggers even went so far as to suggest that director Kanye West sabotaged Drake’s production.
In fact, Drake told MTV News that West offered to shoot another video for the song, and he declined. He noted that receiving mixed reviews of his clip was a great lesson. [Read more →]
The Blueprint 3 — out September 11th, eight years to the day the original Blueprint was released — will also feature production from Timbaland, No ID and Kanye West, who Jay-Z spoke glowingly about to Reuters. “Kanye is really the father to the next generation — he’s from the school of Q-Tip, and now Drake and Kid Cudi are from the school of ‘Ye,” Jay said. “And, when you look at Kanye, you have to look at Lil Wayne. I think they’re like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.”
Source: Rolling Stone
‘It allows people a break from just constant rapping, rapping, rapping,’ he says of crooning on his tracks.
While Drake works on his debut LP, Thank Me Later, the Toronto MC said there is no method to any of his madness. If he gets inspired to spit rhymes on a track, he’ll get to it. If he wants to croon to a beat, that’s what it will be.
“The balance of singing and rapping has been blurred ever since I did So Far Gone,” he said of his breakthrough mixtape. “I mean, I don’t really have a formula for that. I don’t say, like, ‘OK, I can only sing this hook or I want to rap this.’ I just really hear a beat, and it’s like, ‘If I can write to it on a hip-hop level, if I can pen some raps to it, then that will work.’ And then maybe after I do that, I’ll get in the booth and sing a little part of the verse.
“I like to do that,” he continued. “I like to incorporate singing into my verses. And then I feel like it allows people a break from just constant rapping, rapping, rapping, you know? I think it’s great to incorporate melodies into the songs that I write. And yeah, my goal is just really to make a song that after I listen to it, I’ll just be like, ‘Man, people are going to know the words to that.’ That’s the best thing. I think I’m doing it right, ’cause when I go to the shows, people know the words to the songs, and that’s good.”
Drake has the video for “Best I Ever Had” out right now and says he’ll probably be appearing in front of the cameras for more clips soon.
“There’s talk to do a ‘Successful’ video,” Drake said. “Also, you know, I’m shooting the video to ‘Digital Girl’ with Jamie Foxx and Kanye West and The-Dream. And then there is another song that we have that we might shoot a video for, for the album. So as far as videos go, there is some more potential chances to see [me].”
In just the past two weeks:
June 6: Drake’s managers say they plan to sue Canadian Money Entertainment for selling an unauthorized album, The Girls Love Drake, which features selections from So Far Gone.
June 7: His unscheduled cameo at Hot 97 FM’s annual summer concert at Giants Stadium is thunderously received. It’s considered an anointing by the Big Apple’s hip-hop cognoscenti.
June 10: At the Black Eyed Peas’ CD release party in NYC, Drake is photographed with singer Rihanna, fuelling rumours that they’re an item. He has said they are friends, collaborating on her next album.
June 14: Kanye West directs the video for Drake’s “Best I Ever Had.” Jay-Z and Common are spotted on the New York set.
June 15: It’s announced that Drake is going back on tour with Lil Wayne (the pair hit the Molson Amphitheatre Aug. 4), and will appear on the lead single for Jay-Z’s forthcoming album. The same day, he performs on The Tonight Show alongside Jamie Foxx.
June 16: Complex magazine nominates So Far Gone the third best album so far of 2009.
June 18: Drake is named as an MMVA presenter.
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“Drake is the new movement, man. You gotta think about what this kid has done, man. To have records on a mixtape, and then the next thing you know he’s on top of the charts. And every time you mention him, people go crazy,” Foxx told MTV News. “I’ve had the chance to meet Drake and listen to his music. The volumes of music he’s producing makes him a strong force that’ll be around for a very long time. Because usually, when you see an artist of today, they do one thing — maybe they perform a song or do a great hook — but you seldom see a guy who can walk a song, all from the R&B end, and then to be on a track with Bun B … and Bun B, he doesn’t get on tracks with people unless it’s really legit … so I’m actually honored to have him on a track called ‘Digital Girl,’ and we will be working with each other in the future.”
( source )