For their 150th issue, XXL magazine profiled Drake in a cover story. The Toronto, Ontario actor/emcee helps the New York-based publication celebrate its 16th anniversary with an interview.
Asked about next month’s third studio album, Nothing Was The Same, Drake spoke of competing with #1 albums by Jay Z, Kanye West, Wale, A$AP Rocky and J. Cole.
“I remember coming into this year thinking, ‘How am I going to cut through all these people and shine?’ I’ve never been part of a year when so many legends are dropping projects,” said Drake. In 2011, with Take Care, Drake competed against #1 albums from Lil Wayne, Bad Meets Evil, Mac Miller, Lupe Fiasco, J. Cole and Kanye and Jay’s joint effort, Watch The Throne. “How am I going to be seen? I’m going to be like the kid waving in the background in the photo with all of his tall relatives. And, I guess, those were my initial thoughts, and not to say that I haven’t enjoyed some of the stuff that has come out this year, but it didn’t pan out the way I thought it was going to.”
To Drake, Nothing Was The Same is an important proving-ground. “I think I am going for it, to really establish what are murmurs or things being said quietly, ‘Um, I think that Drake might actually…’ On September 17, I want people to be like, ‘Oh, we were right.'”
Read the full preview of Drake’s XXL cover-story.
RELATED: Nothing Was The Same: Predictions On Drake’s Next Album
Jay Z & Cole have dominated. My next prediction is that Eminem will outsell everybody with his highly anticipated return to form and Drake will follow in 2nd place (if he delivers right). Otherwise, I can see Drake falling behind Jay Z.
I doubt em is actually droppin this year. shit would have already started.
I listened to the album drake submitted for me and it was the best album I have listened to this year. This one will go platinum 1st week and end up diamond.
Nobody believes your lies, dentalbitch. NWTS will be trash based on the singles and will never be the best album of the year. It’s not gonna sell as much as you wish it would. It’ll do 400k at the most and go platinum overall.
I like how you just admitted Drake will suceed with his latest album. This will gold diamond, at least 3x platinum. The singles are terrific and Drake will win another grammy for this. He had the best rap record of 2011 with a grammy win.
Wrong again. He’s not gonna sell as much as you wish. He’s not gonna win any Grammys, especially when Kendrick released an album. He had one of the worst albums of 2011.
Also, all of the singles suck.
Drake had the best album of 2011. The grammys know it and gave the award to him. Also, K Dot is not going to win any grammys based on the shit he gave us with his album.
His first single made it to the top 10 and ruled.
Wrong. He had one of the worst albums of 2011 and the Grammys are stupid. His first single sucked like the others and didn’t rule shit. Kendrick is gonna win at least one Grammy. He’s got one of the most critically acclaimed albums of recent years with GKMC, which got a Metacritic score if 91 and was on every year-end best albums of 2012 list, plus with three Top 40 singles (one platinum, one gold) and a platinum certification, he’s got the sales to back him up.
Drake won, Kendrick didn’t yet so drake will win again. GKMC isn’t impressing grammy voters and Kendrick paid the websites to praise him. He ain’t platinum and his singles bombed hard.
wow groupies chill, just because ur favourite artist dont gotta grammy doesnt mean you should PMS
Both dentalbitch and jimmy are fucking idiots who make up lies to dickride Drake more.
GAME CHANGER
NOT!!!
this guys face is so fake and wrong.
but u guys in here are buying his shit, which sounds so weak and mediocre.
drake = ugly prick and zero talent
Don’t be silly. They buy only great music which drake clearly belongs.
Wrong. They buy shitty generic music which Drake is.
If drake was terrible, he would be bombing.
do we go with the our own opinions to decide whats good music and wats not? or do we go with the hater whose only promoting drake… tbh I think hes going to drop an amazing album, and everybody is gunna have that shit on blast
Thanks for admitting drake is terrific. That’s why he’s selling well and nas isn’t.
Both of you are fucking idiots and are wrong. Drake sucks.
The only person capable of beating out Drake for album of the year is RIFF RAFF a.k.a. Rap Game Malcolm X. Can’t wait for Neon Icon!
Remember, Em’s album could be coming out this year. And I think it might be his last tbh.
Please ain’t nobody checking for Em anymore.
Em can drop his shit next week monday and people will know it without promotion and he will still go 700k-1m by the end of the week
New album on the way huh? I guess we should expect 10 Drake articles a day like the Jay Z or any other circus you force on people with the same 5 rappers Jay, Ye, Rozay, Wayne, and Drake like there aren’t any other rappers with upcoming albums.
“Please ain’t nobody checking for Em anymore.”
Dude you’re retarded! all them Eminem stans coming after you
Its simple: wash your hands well and you will eat with your elders. Game and 50 would have enjoyed the game like drake but they started with this beef and diss of a thing thinking its Hiphop. Violent rappers don’t get to see the long lasting light.
50 Cent is way wealthier than Drake by a good $200 MILLION bitch!!
@50 cent dicker. When last did he eat from the rap table of Men?
This dude did a song ” girls love Bey” trying to ride Hov dick for his new album.. Dem!
sound like drake about to come out the closet on this new album
sound like you wanna be the first to give him a BJ
STRANGE MUSIC ALL DAY! DONT YOU KNOW ITS THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE AND THE BAT!
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/JCGNTO0qaVc/mqdefault.jpg
this guys face is so fake and wrong.
but u guys in here are buying his shit, which sounds so weak and mediocre.
drake = ugly prick and zero talent
his music is horrible, that guy is just sad
Download this song for free @
bigblogtalk.com/songsoftheweek
spread the word tho!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPBKtyE0X9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W1tG-m4NSU
besides girls love beyonce i haven’t vibed with anything i’ve heard from the album , didn’t love glb either.. to me he’s never been a great rapper but i like what he puts out, the new tracks sound like he isn’t trying for anything.
I bet Hov gat that TF thing on… People from distance can tell who is WHO.
The watch face so blue like it’s holdin it’s breath
Can’t see me skill for skill or check for check
It’s the bow tie flow dog, I bring it to your neck
A lot of speculation
On the monies I’ve made, honeys I’ve slayed
How is he for real? Is that nigga really paid?
Hustlers I’ve met or, dealt with direct
Is it true he slay the beef and slept with a tech?
What’s the position you hold? Can you really match
A triple platinum artist buck by buck by only a single goin gold?
Roc-A-Fella ship fold, and you’re left out in the cold
BRING ROYCE BACK
FUCK DRAKE , FUCKIN FRUIT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo2EswS8o08
Niggas is ill but yall come check out a real nigga right now man.
Then click on rest of my shit to see im the real deal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E4G8LnpbGA
Iflowsick@yahoo.com
I dont really care for Drake but I hope he comes out with a good album. That take care shit was horrible. thank me later was cool. I believe his mixtape was on point.
1)Drake has the most number 1 hits at the age of 26
2) No other artist from the new wave of rappers goes double platinum like drake does
3) Drake is breaking a lot of records and he hasn’t even reached 30 yet
4) Drake is the face of rap everyone listens to rap for drake
5)Drake is the only 1 capable to go platinum first weak these days and drake will go down as the greatest of all time when its all said and done
6)Drakes tours are the highest selling out of all rappers drake runs rap its a fact stop denying.
This is the TRUTH !
Thanks for the love, bro.
drake is a fucking cunt that only teenage girls should bump
drake is the highest selling rapper because whatever attracts little girls ages 12-18 will sell higher then anything out there (for instance justin bieber, backstreet boys, ncync, taylor swift)i could give 2 shits about a platinum artist if their music sucks, which drake falls under that category..not saying hes not talented cuz he that would be a lie, but cmon, this guy is not Hip Hop, he is a rapper that likes to sing like a bitch more times then not, why are you on a hip hop website talkin about drake, go to mtv.com and do tht
Fuck Drake. Dude is so overhyped is ridiculous.
all of these albums are fucking trash!
he just names all of the albums with the highest sales, he doesnt bring up anything about the music itself..if he was talkin about the the music, not sales, then he wouldnt stand a chance…guys like hierglyphics, mayday, tech n9ne, slum village, statik selektah..all these guys should be gettin the awards and shit, not drake and fake ass bitches like them
hes a mainstrame rapper what do youe xcept?
Does Wayne have the most most hip hop classics of all time?
i will try to be resonable, but damn he really had one of the greatest runs in hip hop of all time
unarguable classics:
tha carter 2
Tha carter 3
like father like son
no ceilings
da drought 3
dedication 2
the suffix
arguable classics:
the dedication
the prefix
blow
lilweezyana
tha carter
sq4
now thats 13 projects that have stood the test of time, which is essential for a project to be considered a classic. i mean the only artist/groups that i can think of right now is atcq, the roots, and yeezus but wayne still has more classics.
i challenge anyone to show me a hip hop artist with more classics then birdman jr.
Your usage of the word “classic” is appalling…
Mixtapes are not albums and cannot be considered classics.
Carter 3 was mostly trash.
Niggas forget Eminem album before memorial Day…
as long as he does not drop a classic-genre defining album, miss me with this drake is the best shit…..
Niggas tryin to one up the realest nigga gucci mane but that will never happen
Big Guwop aka gucci mane is the realest rapper and heres why.
1) all other rappers rap about being gangster shooting and killing but they havent done it.
2) Eminem raps about killing he hasnt.
3)Jay z raps in open letter about sending shots he hasnt.
4)Nas raps about how he is a queens thug but he wasn’t.
5)Most of the rappers rap about stuff they havent done yet you all support them and say its real rap.
6)When rick ross does it you all claim he is fake and say its fake rap.
This shows that hiphop fans are hypocritical and all these real hiphop fan wanna be’s are just some unjustified haters whose opinions are just as irrelevent as the swag fag rapper fans.
BIG GUWOP KILLED A MAN HE WAS A DRUG DEALER BEFORE RAPPER HE HAS STREET CREDENTIALS HE IS THE ONLY RAPPER THAT RAPS ABOUT FACTS THERE FORE BIG GUWOP IS THE REALEST RAPPER IN THE RAP GAME AND THATS A FACT!
Drake went from actor to rapper to singer to being a faggot. In the 90′ this was not acceptable but nowadays fans and rappers dont care, accept for the Trap Music Crew. WE DONT ACCEPT FAKENESS!
I usually fuck with drake but all me was whack, big sean killed it tho..
Fuck Gay Z. Wayne is where its at.
Quin:
Yo I don’t normally comment, but are you Out of your F?!$ING Mind!!!!!!! Wayne has the most classics! First of all when the hell did we start counting mix tapes as classic albums. There’s a difference between dropping hot verses on random beats then making songs and a complete body of work (albums)… I have been a jay z fan since before Nas change the flow of rapping with the great hip hop classic iLmatic! But I don’t count all Jays albums classics. You need to understand classic albums does something big when they drop, they impact the game in big ways changing the way everybody does there craft, or pushing the hip hop genre in a greater place, or introducing a new sound and classic albums puts you in a space when your no longer competing against rappers but your competing against your own body of work. Wayne is still being compared to other rappers he’ s not classic I give him one classic album at most.
A Few examples of classic albums, People over 27 please feel free to add
Blueprint-jay z
Reasonable Doubt-jay z
Black Album -jay z
American G- jay z
illmatic- Nas
It was written- Nas
Still Matic- Nas (reemergence of the dominant Nas)
Criminal Minded- krs1
Paid in Full- Eric b Rakim
Straight out of Compton -NWA
AmeriKKKas Most Wanted -ice cube
Eminem Show- eminem
HarlemnWold Ma$e
Biggie – both albums classic took me years to give it to L.A.D but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t giving the death Nod…
All eyes on me Tupac and others I donte feel like typing…. But stop the loose use of the phrase “classic albums”
Shut up grand pa, take care is a classic
Fuck you for puuting Harlem World on there
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Take Care, the weed-plate R&B album, a classic? Good joke.
As an accountant for YMCMB I can confirm that the sales for Rich Gang were underaccounted. We had already received over 900k pre-orders for the album and they will be accounted for in next weeks sales. Kanye bombed cant even hit gold. Jay-Z bombed he got outsold by a pop singer! Kendrick lamar bombed cant even hit platinum his sales have declined each week.
Wayne still outselling niggas. YMCMB have 4 albums on the billboard 200! that is why we run the industry. which other label has that many albums charting this high? and selling multi platinum records. ONLY YMCMB
Fuck is you saying? Hov sold a Million before his album even came out. His tours sell out literally in seconds. Who the fuck is rich gang? and if you wanna be technical Roc affiliates have 4 records on the top 200. MCHG, Born Sinner, Yeezus, and even Gifted (Wale is managed by hov, making him a Roc affiliate)
legendary??
lol @ “Legendary Releases”
On September 17th, Common will kill himself.
Good joke.
“Hov sold a Million before his album even came out”
Samsung bought them as part of a deal. Those don’t count.
RIAA counts them though, so they count
Drake type of nigga to go to a jail and slam the soap on the shower floor.
Drake the type of nigga to wave at the police.
Drake the type of nigga to bring roses to a strip club.
Drake’s the type of nigga that reminds the teacher he has detention.
Drake is the type of nigga who sets his alarm to 11:11 to make a wish.
Drake the type of nigga that tell his girl before sex, “we dont have to do this.
Drake the type of nigga who struggles to decide which end of the burrito to eat.
Drake the type of nigga to spray cologne to air then shimmy into the mist.
Drake the type of nigga to test the water with his toes before he goes in to the pool.
Drake the type of nigga that plays grand theft auto without using cheat codes.
Drake the type of nigga who lets a fish go after catching it.
Drake is the type of nigga to fart when he’s home alone and say excuse me”
Drake the type of nigga to bring the teacher an apple to class.
Drake the type of nigga who keeps a diary.
drake the type of nigga who stops at traffic lights in GTA.
Drake the type of nigga that cries after watching Titanic.
Drake that type of nigga that drops the joint during a rotation.
Drake the type of nigga that sucks a dick and calls the other nigga gay.
Drake the type of nigga to get slapped by his girl and say, ” i deserved that.
Drake the type of nigga that’ll have his mom pick him up from work.
Drake the type of nigga to cuddle with prostitutes
Drake the type of nigga to end up in the cast of Glee
Drake the type of nigga to act hard with a lap dog
Drake the type of nigga to braid niggas hair on the stoop
Drake the type of nigga to rap using “spirit fingers”.
Drake the type of nigga to sleep sucking his thumb
Drake the type of nigga to get shitstains in the front of his drawers.
Drake the type of nigga to tonguekiss girls from ghettogaggers after filming.
Drake the type of nigga to make a twerk video
Drake the type of nigga to eat hotdogs with his eyes closed
Drake the type of nigga to cry over a pimple
Drake the type of nigga to watch tv laying on his stomach.
Drake the type of nigga to skip while meanmuggin
Drake the type of nigga to pillow fight dudes
Drake the type of nigga to tie up the bottom of his t shirts
Drake the type of nigga to get breastfed by his dad
Drake the type of nigga to use a shakeweight
you have way too much time on ur hands
wow shut the fuck up about drake it’s not that important
“RIAA counts them though, so they count”
Even if they update it they’ll be an asterisk next to that number.