Drake’s recent interview with Myspace Music

January 4th, 2010

Grant Trimboli

In a recent interview with Myspace Music:

Man, what a weird year it was for Drake. On the one hand he had a dedicated group of fans who were pulling for him as an up-and-coming MC, after releasing a free mixtape that quickly turned him into a star. But on the other hand, there were many who couldn’t help but think that Drake’s success was coming too quickly. After all, just a year earlier, he was a mere twenty something actor playing a handicapped teenager on Degrassi: The Next Generation. That was about as far from the upper echelons of rap’s elite as you could get. But then, seemingly overnight, Drake was rolling in limos with Jay-Z, guesting on tracks with Kanye West and Eminem, and racking up Grammy nominations for a group of songs that virtually no one expected to get this big.

No one, that is, except for those who worked closely with him: Talk to the many friends who were there for the creation of Drake’s breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone, and they will tell you that it was the work of an artist who was determined to evolve hip-hop in order to expose its vulnerable core. Though there was plenty of old fashioned showboating on the album, it was songs like “Successful” with Trey Songz that really shined a light on what made Drake so special: He was sentimental and smart, sure, but he was also strong enough to mix genres as seemingly disparate as backpack rap and romance driven R&B.

So, considering all the accolades that he has racked up in the past twelve months, did we still decide to name Drake our Best New Artist of 2009? Abso-freakin-lutely. But, as even he seems to realize, it’s the music, and not the hype, that truly got him here.

Not that we’re going to offer it to someone else, but if you were asked to name your Best New Artist of 2009 who would it be?
You know, I always get this question and when I answer people always tell me, “That person isn’t new.” [Laughs.] That’s because there are people I just discovered this year that I think are phenomenal, like Kings Of Leon. I know their album came out before 2009, but I probably would have chose Kings Of Leon. Or Kid Cudi. He had a good year.

Looking back, did you expect to have the year you had? When you think back to when all of this started in January—
—well, it doesn’t really start in January. It all starts on February 14th, or the morning of February 15th, I guess. We were in Los Angeles, ironically, and it was right around Grammy time. [Drake’s mentor Lil] Wayne was going to the Grammys and we didn’t have any tickets. So we had plenty of free time on our hands and we released [So Far Gone] online. And I had, like, this nervous breakdown about it. [Laughs.] “Did we make a mistake? Did we do the wrong thing?” I was mixing real R&B singing with rap, you know? So it was a very interesting time.

At that point, you obviously used the Internet and MySpace to get So Far Gone out to people. Why do you think it was so important for you to put your music out there in that way?
I think the tools I used—which, like you said, were MySpace and my blog—created a sense of loyalty. I knew what my story was going to look like in the media. It was going to be, “New kid from Degrassi releases a CD.” So instead I thought, “Let me give it to you for free and you decide if you like it or not.” If you like Drake, then songs will go to Number One and awards will be given. And if not, then I gotta go back to the drawing board.

But [once So Far Gone was out there] people started embracing it and I started hearing my songs on the radio—which was the most amazing thing in the world. When “Best I Ever Had” started climbing up the charts I realized that something was happening. It was, like, that moment. They say sometimes when you get shot it takes you a moment to realize it. I guess that’s what it was. I had been hit with the success bullet. It took a minute to realize it.

I am sure that there were plenty of moments from this past year where things felt surreal—where you couldn’t believe that this had become your life. Right now, when you look back, what sticks out?
There’s so many. But coming out in Toronto with Jay-Z was probably the highlight of my life. Coming from a city that’s never been recognized for rap—and then for them to all be in attendance and see me come out with the greatest rapper alive—that was definitely a moment to remember.

How would you describe your relationship with Jay-Z?
We have a great rapport. We laugh at a lot of the same things. I think Jay realized that, even though I’m 23, I have an old soul. Like, I can hang out with Jay and I can work with Jay. But Jay can also give me advice and I never take it for granted. He is a very wise man. It’s kind of like an uncle and nephew relationship. He really looks out for me. And, obviously, I idolize the man. I study him. It’s an interesting relationship.

So now that the year is winding down, what is the plan for Thank Me Later? When are people going to hear it?
Ummm, I guess when it releases.

[Laughs.] Okay, that’s fair. Does it feel like you are getting any closer?
A lot of it has to do with me going to go sit with Kanye. I just haven’t had those days. Me and Kanye are supposed to go to Hawaii and sit. So that, in my eyes, will take care of three or four songs on the album. I plan to do three or four joints [with him] and, from there, I’ll almost be done. I already got a couple of great songs that I love.

What has been the biggest challenge in making this album so far?
[Long pause.] I want people to be able to relate to it. I don’t want to be braggadocios. I am not trying to make an album about how I am rich now. So the hardest part is keeping it relatable at this point in my life. I could go off and make a bunch of songs that are just great songs to move to. But I have this thing with myself that I can’t do that. I need to do something that is more like—

—more like “Successful” than like “Every Girl”?
Yeah, that’s the perfect way to look at it. “Every Girl” is a perfect, amazing song. But it’s just a generic message. It’s, “I want to fuck every girl in this world.” Well, that’s great. [Laughs.] That is part of the story for a 23-year-old kid who just became famous. But you can’t make a full album of those songs. So now I have songs like “Fireworks.” I have songs like “Shut It Down.” I probably shouldn’t be saying those song titles.

With all that’s happened this year—whether it’s the magazine covers or the Grammy nominations—are you ever afraid that people might get burnt out on Drake before Thank Me Later even comes out?
I was. But I feel like somebody watching over me really wants me to have longevity in this game. The media and the magazines, that’s starting to pick up again, sure. But that’s a good thing. My album is coming out. My single is coming soon. It’s never a bad thing to be in the media. There is a lot of Drake out there. But I’m still me. I’m still the kid from Toronto who can’t believe he is even here and I think that will take me a long way.