ShockHound

Interview by Rick Florino

There's no one quite like Drake. The Toronto native and Degrassi star-turned-hip-hop-savior  — real name: Aubrey Drake Graham — has got a soulful voice that makes females melt, and a propulsive flow that's snatched the attention of backpackers and club rats alike. He’s also more likely to be jamming Silversun Pickups than Lil’ Jon — and instead of rolling 35-deep through America's hottest clubs, he'd rather stay at home and cook.
     Drake’s independent single, "Best I Ever Had," from the breakthrough mixtape, So Far Gone, shot him to superstardom earlier this year, and now his single "Forever” (which features guest appearances by Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem) is the hottest posse cut of the year. The retail EP of So Far Gone just dropped last month, and Drake’s got the world by the balls…yet he's still about as humble as it gets.
     While in the midst of working on his upcoming full-length debut, Thank Me Later, Drake talked to ShockHound about his kinship with Jean Claude Van Damme, the love story behind So Far Gone, and why you can’t just be a rapper these days.
 
SHOCKHOUND: "Fear" was a solid new addition to the retail version of So Far Gone. What's the story behind the song?
 
DRAKE: "Fear" actually started before I did the So Far Gone mixtape even. I basically began with this record produced by DJ Khalil, and the beat and the way the strings cry tugged at me emotionally. I knew I needed to live a lot more before I could do the music justice. With that being said, I did one-and-a-half verses and quit. I had stopped after I said this line, "I never cried when Pac died, but I probably will when Hov does." I took a break after that because I didn't know where to go from there, and my story wasn't complete yet. I didn't have the song title. I didn't have the hook. I didn't know where I was going with it. I just knew I had a place to start, so I let it sit for six to eight months. It was my choice to put new material on the So Far Gone EP. I thought I could finally finish "Fear" then…I felt like I was ready to finish off those thoughts. I continued the second verse and finished the third verse, which is kind of dedicated to the people around me and what we've been going through as of late. Then I came up with this hook that was like, "Please don't be scared of me." That song is very reflective of where I'm at right now.
 
SHOCKHOUND: Is "Fear" the best indication of what Thank Me Later will sound like?
 
DRAKE:  Yeah, I think so. Lyrically, I want to keep the album as genuine and honest as "Fear" is, but musically there will be a little more energy. There will be more moments of triumph, because my life is the best it's ever been in my 22 years of existence. I want my music to reflect that, but I still want to be able to relate and connect with people. It's a good indication. There will obviously be some variation — not every track is going to sound like that. I was actually going to save "Fear" for the album, but I wanted to give people another reason to buy the EP. In addition to having an official hard copy of So Far Gone, I wanted to give people something new, so that was my sacrifice.
 
SHOCKHOUND: Do you feel like you dig a little bit deeper than most mainstream rappers do? Your lyrics are extremely personal, but the music possesses a pop sensibility. You're giving the world something that's special to you in palatable form.
 
DRAKE:  I appreciate that compliment. My goal and objective with music is to combine all the elements that I loved about music growing up. I love listening to songs from artists where I really feel like they're getting personal and exposing their lives. One song I always felt a lot of emotions from was "Lucille" by Anthony Hamilton. I remember the feeling I got from that, because it seemed like he was really telling a story. Even though he's not telling me all about his life, I'm able to mentally picture where he's at, what the bar looks like and what the woman looks like. He evokes emotion in individuals and provides them with vivid imagery where they can use their imaginations. I like to combine that storytelling style with great melodies and intelligent hooks that you remember. I love to do that, and it's working.
 
SHOCKHOUND: Given all of the visuals in So Far Gone, if it were a movie, what would it be?
 
DRAKE: Wow, that's a great question! It's funny because the first six songs of the So Far Gone mixtape are in sequence. They tell the story of a relationship that I was in. It starts out with this monologue on "Lust for Life." There's a movie called JCVD with Jean Claude Van Damme. In the film, there's a scene where he rises up above and starts talking directly to the camera [about] his life. That's kind of what "Lust for Life" is for me. I was living in this relationship for so long that I just felt like I was rising up out of my own movie or something. The opening line says it all, "I'm trying to do it all tonight, I got plans, I got a certain lust for life." I start speaking on where my mind is at, as opposed to the routine that I've fallen into.
     From "Lust for Life," it goes into "Houstatlantavegas." I was with this female at the time, and that song is about where I felt her head was at. She was lost in a world that I understood very well, but I didn't understand why she was there. From there, it goes into "Successful," which is my direct speech to her. It says, "I just want to be successful." It's an actual conversation that I had with Trey Songz when I felt trapped in this relationship. I told him, "I really want to make this work. I want to be successful, and I want to feel like I'm doing everything I can to achieve that."
     After that, the album goes into "Let's Call It Off." That's obviously about me breaking up with this girl. The next song, "November 18th,” is about the first trip that I ever took to meet Lil' Wayne in Houston. That mini-story resolves with Wayne and I on "Ignant Shit." It shows our chemistry, and that sparked the energy we have. I would take those six songs and make a mini-movie out of them. It's a love story.
 
SHOCKHOUND: You have to give fans more these days. Listeners need to feel a part of something. How does that impact what you do?
 
DRAKE: I love some of the new guys on the scene. I listen to their music, and I enjoy it. It's hard just to be a rapper or just to be an MC. It's hard because people our age and in our generation get so much all the time. They're able to download so much information at once due to the new communication tools and the Internet — the way our media is structured. They expect so much more from everything that comes out, whether it be a new cell phone or flat screen TV. They expect each new gadget to do the unthinkable. It's the same with people. My generation doesn't necessarily find love the same way that my mother's generation used to, because they expect so much that they don't even know what to draw from a human being or what to latch on to. They don't know how to choose qualities that make them say, "Okay, this person is an individual that I want to stay with." I think it's the same for artists. You've really got to come out and offer people something that's never been done before or something at a very high level. Take someone like Kanye West who produces, sings, writes and does fashion. He's beyond the full package. I think that's becoming requirement these days. You have to do everything.
 
SHOCKHOUND: There's no other way to be successful with how tough the game is.
 
DRAKE: I think it's great, because it's going to make for a new class of artists that's never been seen before. It pushes us all to work a little harder and to delve into other crafts and perfect those too. You have to learn more. You can't only rap anymore.

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