Drake Says So Far Gone Honor ‘Means The World To Me’

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by Danny M.

“So Far Gone being named the Mixtape of the Year means a lot to me,” Drake said in Toronto. “It was a risk we all took as a team to put out a mixtape that I’m exploring so many different genres of music — from the Santigolds to the Lykke Lis to Peter Bjorn and Johns, to even myself going from rapping to doing records that sound like old Jodeci songs. It was a mix of all the things that make up my character, and for people to embrace it the way they did and for MTV to name it the top mixtape of 2009 means the world to me.”

For the first time ever, Drake goes in-depth about some of his and everyone else’s favorite tracks on the tape.

Joints He Checked For

» “Uptown” (featuring Lil Wayne and Bun B). “It was one of the later records,” Drake explained. “That was when I felt like the mixtape was moving a little too slow and it needed some energy. It gave me another chance to really just rap. I love to rap and say witty, clever things that people can say in the club. I like to give people that opportunity. When I heard the beat, I came up with this saying, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK, it’s OK.’ And at the time I wasn’t home, so I was like, ‘You can run and tell my city I’m on.’ It became this chant. Initially that wasn’t even the hook. Wayne had the hook that was part of his verse. That’s why it’s called ‘Uptown.’ He was like, ‘I’m so uptown.’ Then we took that out and made the hook [heard on the mixtape]. Bun getting on there was exciting. Produced by Boi-1da — I thought it was the one. That record means a lot for me.”

» “Unstoppable” (featuring Lil Wayne and Santigold). “Me and Oliver were into the Santigold record. ‘Starstruck’ was one of my favorite records. And ‘Unstoppable,’ the beat, it needed to be rapped on by somebody. I always try to do something with Wayne. Everyone has heard Wayne spit, but when Wayne’s put in an awkward situation, he goes off and shines in that atmosphere. So I had given him the beat, and at first he probably heard it and was like, ‘This is weird.’ A month later, I got this verse in my e-mail back. I did my verse and we found a way to edit it together — 40 did his surgery. It became a record that moved. On the So Far Gone Tour it was my favorite record to perform.

» “A Night Off” (featuring Lloyd). ” ‘A Night Off’ is my favorite song on the mixtape. It came from just … the song right before it is ‘Ignant Sh–’ with Wayne. It was such an exhausting song, rap-wise. We rapped for so long, it was so much to digest. I was like, ‘Man, after you hear that song, it would be so ill to just go into a slow jam.’ At the time it was some girl probably had hit me up like, ‘You never have any time. All I need is for you to take a night off.’ I saw that written on my phone. I was like, ‘A night off. That’s a crazy concept.’ Especially for anybody that works. You could be doing [any job] — to take a night off for somebody means the world. It was sexy and it made women feel special. That’s what I like to do. Lloyd with his higher voice showcased two types of tones. I love that song and girls really like it, which is the best thing in the world.”

» “Bria’s Interlude” (featuring Omarion). “I was smitten over this girl from L.A. and I started writing a song about her. A lot of the R&B [I do] is really based off women that come into my life and inspire me to speak to them in song and say what I never would expose on just a talking level.”

Shouts to MTV

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Drake Hopes Fans Get ‘Lost With Emotion’ On Debut

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by Danny M.

Drake isn’t a singer-and he’s the first to admit it. When he released his highly touted 2009 mixtape “So Far Gone,” which finds the Toronto-raised artist singing and rapping, he thought he made a huge mistake. “People were like, ‘What is this? There’s way too much singing on here,’ ” he says. “We were really nervous about it and for like a week I was having a serious breakdown.”

But a month later, Drake, born Aubrey Graham, realized there was a method to the madness. “Within like four weeks I noticed I had a brand-new sound that takes a while to digest and understand. Things started to pick up and I started to learn the value of taking risks,” he says.

Now, the venture is paying off. Last month when the Grammy nominations were announced, Drake learned he was up for best rap solo performance and best rap song for “Best I Ever Had” off “So Far Gone.”

“I can’t say this is unexpected, because, I mean, it’s something that’s kept me up many nights,” the 23-year-old says. “I dreamed about this for a lot of years and have lost lots of sleep over it. This is like the highest honor and I am humbled by this. It’s one of the few awards that isn’t a popularity contest; you have to make great music to be honored, and this is completely surreal to me.”

It’s an honor, however, that has an unintended side effect. With the two nominations that stemmed from his mixtape, that puts Drake out of the running for best new artist in 2010, when his debut album is released.

Lady Gaga experienced a similar technicality in 2009, as she was ineligible for best new artist since her track “Just Dance” was nominated for best dance recording the previous year. The best new artist rules say the nominated performer is eligible for “the first recording which establishes public identity,” and a prior nomination indicates that this threshold has already been reached.

But that may be just a tiny regret for Drake, who is set up to receive tremendous exposure for his forthcoming set. Drake, who got signed to Universal Motown through mentor Lil Wayne’s Young Money label shortly after the release of “So Far Gone,” is prepping “Thank Me Later,” slated for a February release. “The best part about ‘So Far Gone’ was that I didn’t focus on structure. The only thing that was consistent was the story and the emotion. That’s what I want to do with this album,” Drake says. “I make music for people to get lost in it, so, as long as it takes you somewhere, then I’ve succeeded.”

So far, the album features Kanye West, Wayne, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z, and a collaboration with Sade is on Drake’s wish list. “Something happened last night too that might be great-it might serve as the legendary sprinkle for the album,” Drake says about another potential partnership on the set. “Shut It Down” and “Fireworks” are two tracks slated to make the album’s final cut.

“In 2010 I’m really hoping I can stay true to this new way of life I’ve committed myself to,” he says. “I have a special plan to keep the free flow of music going after the album is released. This is definitely a unique path I’m setting out on, and honestly, it’s great. I’m honored to be in this position.”

Via Billboard

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Drake’s So Far Gone Is Mixtape Daily’s Mixtape Of The Year + #8 On MTV News’ Men Of The Year Countdown

Posted on 14. Dec, 2009 by Danny M.

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.

2009 Highlights: In February, he made his So Far Gone mixtape available for free on his MySpace page, and it all went nuts from there. Drake jumped on Lil Wayne’s I Am Music Tour soon after, and was quickly named a “Fire Starter” by MTV News’ Hip-Hop Brain Trust. Then, riding a wave of hype, he headlined a Hot 97 “Who’s Next Live” show at New York club SOB’s, wowing a crowd that included the likes of Eminem, Kanye West and Talib Kweli.

With fame came certified sex-symbol status, which meant whispers that he and Rihanna were an item (which he denied), and he tried to downplay it all by proclaiming himself not to be a ladies man, but rather, “An honest man.” Of course, it was kind of difficult to hear him over the throngs of squealing ladies who followed his every move.

He joined up with Wayne again on his America’s Most Wanted Tour, and soon signed to Weezy’s Young Money Records. But his time on the tour would be short: three days in, he collapsed onstage, tearing three ligaments in his knee and forcing him to drop off the bill (though his knee would go on to launch a much-discussed Twitter account).

But really, 2009 was all about Drake’s music, and the tremendous in-roads it made for him. He was only the second artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to have two songs in the Top 10, with “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl,” and the So Far Gone mixtape was so successful that Young Money/Universal decided to re-release it as an EP. He collaborated with the likes of Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z and Trey Songz, and his “Forever” (featuring verses by Em, West and Weezy) was a posse cut for the ages. He landed at #3 on MTV News’s Hottest MCs list, and closed out ‘09 with a pair of Grammy nominations and much hype surrounding his Thank Me Later LP, which is tentatively due in March.

Also this year, Drake refused Kanye West’s invitation to re-make the “Best I Ever Had” video … Drank a bottle of Opus One wine, wrote a lengthy blog post detailing his prodigious healing abilities … Sorta feuded with Universal Motown head Sylvia Rhone and the ghost of Tupac Shakur … Remained unrepentantly Canadian.

Congratulations to Drake for making #8 on MTV News’ Men Of The Year Countdown, and hit the jump to see So Far Gone get Mixtape Daily’s Mixtape Of The Year award:

(more…)

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Queen Latifah Speaks On Nicki Minaj + So Far Gone EP Sells 72,104 1st Week

Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by Danny M.

Even though there was only 7 songs on Drake’s So Far Gone EP, he still managed to sell 72,104 units in the first week. Also, don’t forget that these songs (except for one) have been released for free earlier this year. Visit Hits Daily Double for the stats.

Check out Queen Latifah speaking on Nicki Minaj below:

One of the females that’s being hailed as the torchbearer for the next generation of hip-hop is Nicki Minaj, who’s making a huge splash in the rap world. What’s your opinion on her as an artist and what she’s doing with the genre?

I like everything I’ve heard from her so far. What I do like about her is number one, I got mad love for Lil Wayne. He’s bringing her up, he’s giving her an opportunity to come up through his camp. She’s showing and proving. Eve did the same thing. She spit with every dude in the Ruff Ryders camp, and that showed that she had the courage, gumption, talent and ability to be in this game. But then the records that she made were great records that talked about things that females wanted to talk about, and they were hit records. Her first album was platinum, so to me, when we do get on, we make a big splash because there aren’t that many of us. We stand out from the crowd. I’m hoping that there’s not just Nicki Minaj, but that there’s someone else out there, the next whoever, that’s waiting to have that same opportunity that she’s getting right now. But God bless her, I hope she blows up, because that’s what we need right now. We need that female energy in the game.

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Drake – Fear [Full/CDQ]

Posted on 05. Sep, 2009 by Danny M.

Here is the full version to Drake’s record “Fear” which will be on the re-release of So Far Gone that is in stores September 15th! You can listen and download the song below:

Download: Drake – Fear [Full/CDQ]

So what do you think

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Drake – Fear [Snippet]

Posted on 04. Sep, 2009 by Danny M.

Anyone remember Drake talking about that “Fear” track he has recorded for the re-release of his So Far Gone EP coming September 15? Well, it has now leaked as a snippet via Amazon and he also said that the very last line of this joint will be the very first line on his debut album, Thank Me Later. You can download the snippet below:

Download: Drake – Fear Snippet (zShare is down)

I hate snippets

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Drake’s Interview With DJ Drama On Gangsta Grillz Radio

Posted on 28. Aug, 2009 by Danny M.

Yesterday, Hip-Hop’s rookie of the year phoned in DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz Radio on Hot 107.9 where they spoke about “Forever”, the re-release of So Far Gone, his deal, and wanting to work with Sade and Andre 3000 for his album, Thank Me Later.

Enjoy

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