TORONTO — Hollywood heavyweight Jamie Foxx says he’s taking Toronto actor-turned-rapper Drake under his wing to help ease his way through superstardom.

“I’m going to be watching that young man and helping him every step of the way because I think he can really be a superstar,” the acclaimed singer-actor said Tuesday, in an interview before a concert in the city.

“I think for women out there, for the young girls coming up, he provides a little bit of integrity and so I applaud him.”

That integrity, said Foxx, comes from the 22-year-old’s roots as an actor on CTV’s “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

Shock to the heart. No Main Pick today. We decided to fall back in order to make our grand announcement that we start rolling out picks for the 2009 Hottest MCs in the Game on Monday, August 17. Get on point, get your arguments ready — we look forward to hearing from you about our picks.

Mixtape Daily still goes, though. Today, Lil Wayne’s gorgeous It girl, Nicki Minaj, makes her return to these parts. She has a few stories to share about her and the crew getting down onstage and off and what they’ve been cooking up in the studio.

Nicki Minaj and Drake roll like brothers and sisters. So it was no surprise when Nicki told us about a playful spat they had on tour at the Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival.

“Actually I think Drake is wack and I don’t think he deserves [his accolades],” she joked. “I’m sorry. We just had a fight in the back. I was about to punch him dead in his face. [One of his mangers] Cortez intervened.”

Minaj got a little more serious, clarifying that she and Drake do not have any gripes with one another. They are thick as thieves.

Lil Wayne protege/ ‘Down’ singer won’t confirm or deny rumors.

In the past two weeks, British pop-R&B singer Jay Sean’s debut single “Down” (featuring Lil Wayne), has rocketed from #63 to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On the iTunes Top 10 songs chart, “Down” is now nestled in between the Black Eyed Peas and Kings of Leon at #2. Yes, to say life is moving exceptionally fast for the newcomer (to most Americans, anyway) would be an understatement.

“It’s absolutely crazy,” Sean told MTV News on the phone from England Thursday. “I’ve been out there in the States for a good six or seven months, and with my song coming in at #2 on iTunes, all my best friends came up to London to be with me for a little holiday. And we were all sitting in my car and I opened up my e-mail and it said ‘Jay Sean in at #6 on Billboard.’ I just literally screamed and all my boys rolled down the windows and screamed, ‘My boy is in at #6!’ ”

In the wake of that success, rumors are now swirling that Wayne protégé/ labelmate Drake will be making a guest appearance on the second single from Sean’s forthcoming album, which is due in October.

When asked, Sean said, “I’m keeping my mouth shut. I love Drake. I think Drake’s an unbelievably gifted lyricist and young and fresh. I think it’s pretty safe to say that since he’s part of the family now, you’re gonna see all of us working together: Me, Drake, Wayne, Baby and Kevin Rudolph.”

A rep for Drake had not responded to MTV News’ request for comment at press time.

Jay Sean’s album, My Own Way, is scheduled for an October Stateside release

Source: MTV

Complex: How do you choose your outfit for the show?

Drake: “Me and Oliver will sit down together and figure out what’s a good look for tonight. But I like this outfit, I like this sweater, it’s Robert Geller, I wear a lot of Robert Geller.”

Complex: I’m guessing you’re outfit is influenced by the venue and the part of the country you’re in?

Drake: “The other night it was raining in Saratoga and the crowd was screaming and I could hear them from the bus, screaming. So I just threw on some black jeans, a black raincoat, a bunch of black diamonds—that’s just how I felt, wanted to come out super evil. Tonight is just… it’ll be fresh.”

Drake re-joined Lil Wayne’s “America’s Most Wanted” tour last night (August 4) in Canada to show fans how he has been holding up since collapsing on-stage last week.

Speaking to fans and later walking off with a cane, Drake also paid homage to the energy Lil Wayne brings out for his shows.

“Look, I wanna say one thing,” Drizzy told the crowd. “Before every show I’ve ever seen this man do, the greatest entertainer I’ll ever witness. Make some noise for Lil Wayne. Now listen up, before every show he does, he tells the crowd to make some noise for what they’ve created. My man, I just wanna shake your hand for what you do…” (YouTube)