The Canadian superstar, Aubrey Drake Graham popularly known as Drake covers the last 2013 issue of Vibe magazine where he discusses relationships with Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd & PARTYNEXTDOOR.
-Read interview below
*The Weeknd was obviously a huge influence on Take Care. At any point during the recording of Nothing Was The Same did you consider tapping him to bring that energy?
- We actually sat together for a couple nights on some personal shit. Just to vibe and get back to whatever it was we’d started out doing. When I had met the Weeknd there was no Weeknd, so it was extremely influential on me. I saw it from its inception. I saw the impact that House of Balloons had on [Toronto]. I go off the city—once the world has it it’s a little too late for me. It was that chapter. That House of Balloons moment this time was PARTYNEXTDOOR. That and Nothing Was The Same is all that our city is listening to. That’s who has the juice. With Party, he never wants to go too slow; there’s always some energy. He inspired me to stay away from the real R&B ballads. Take Care got scrutiny for being too slow, too this, too that. I said to myself, “I’m always going to have records to drive to.” That’s my shit. I’m never going to make some album full of bars with no melody, don’t ever wait for that. I’ll give you raps on raps, [“5 A.M. In Toronto”] and [“9 A.M. In Dallas”] and “Stay Schemin” But when it comes to making a body of work, that shit becomes boring to me.
*Rap nerds have speculated whether “The Language” is a subliminal response to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control.” Is it appropriate to put those two records side by side?
- I don’t ever want to get into responses. It’s a commitment to go there. “The Language” is just energy. What it was inspired by, I’m sure that, and other things. It’s just me talking my shit. I never once felt the need to respond to that record. The sentiment he was putting forth is what he should have. Of course you wanna be the best. Where it became an issue is that I was rolling out an album while that verse was still bubbling, so my album rollout became about this thing. What am I supposed to say? Nah, we’ll be buddy-buddy? Mind you, I never once said he’s a bad guy [or] I don’t like him. I think he’s a fucking genius in his own right, but I also stood my ground as I should. And with that came another step, which then I have to realize I’m being baited and I’m not gonna fall. Jordan doesn’t have to play pickup to prove that he could play ball, no offense. But I’m not gonna give you the chance to shake me necessarily, ’cause I feel great. There’s no real issue. It’s tough because the people wanna see us tear each other down; I don’t wanna give them that. There’s no point. I have no ill feelings toward that guy. It’s just like, it’s there for me if I wanna fall for it. I’m just too smart for that. Hopefully it’s the last time I gotta talk about this, ’cause every time I open my mouth up about it, they take this piece and take this piece. And he’s hungry, so he’s going to do what he has to do like the BET [cypher]. But again, it’s not enough for me to go. We haven’t seen each other [since the BET cypher,] but I’m sure we’ll see each other and it’ll be cool. And if it’s not, then I guess that’s how our story unfolds.
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