In just the last few years, Canadian rapper/actor, Drake has supplanted himself as a Hip Hop artist to watch in 2009. With his latest mixtape, So Far Gone [click to listen], dropping last week, the Toronto transplant spoke to Complex.com about the new project, comparisons to Kanye West, and his work with Lil Wayne.
Describing So Far Gone as a story read through melody, Drake explained the concept of the album cover and title. “It’s this kid in pursuit of love and money…sometimes you just get so far gone, you get wrapped up in this shit.”Drake added, “The title has a lot of meanings—as the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress, the way people view us, not to sound cocky, it’s just that feeling that we’re just distanced in a good way.”
Along with his commendable lyricism, Drake has also proven himself to be exceptional crooner on So Far Gone. Commenting on the current trends recently set by T-Pain and Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak [click to read], Drake made it clear that as far as singing goes, he’s in his own lane.
“Kanye West has an amazing mind, but he always has the means that when he thinks something, he can make it happen right away. But I’ve been singing way before ‘808s and Heartbreak.’ I’ve been in the R&B world for a long time, writing for artists, writing for myself, playing with different sounds and stuff.”
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Expressing his dedication to R&B, Drake continued, “I love R&B music, man, that’s what you gotta understand, I listen to R&B music more than I listen to rap. That’s kinda my thing. I just want to make genuinely sexy music for women to listen to and for men to play for women.”
With a huge co-sign from Lil Wayne, and subsequently touring with the New Orleans native, Drake is more than on his way to Hip Hop stardom. When asked if he has ever ghostwritten for Weezy though, Drake made it clear that work in the booth is collaborative. “You know, we’re all great artists, great minds, and we all just contribute to each other; there’s been times when Wayne has helped me out, and I’m sure, I hope, I’ve influenced him to do or say things on tracks. We help each other out, that’s part of being two artists who respect each others’ creativity.”
You can check the full interview out here.
