GQ+A: Drake

Drake is soon to pull the covers (officially) off his new album Take Care. In doing so, GQ catches up with the one-time TV actor turned rap phenom in this GQ+A feature that focuses on the naming of the album, his girl interests, and some of the big names appearing on the album which is slated to release on November 15, 2011.

The first series of questions can be seen below with the entire piece available at GQ.

GQ: It seems like the world is excited.
Drake: [Huge smile] Yeah, man, I hope so.

GQ: You announced the title of this album, Take Care, with us back in December. What does it mean?
Drake: No one has actually asked me that yet. I came up with the name when I was on a bus in Birmingham, England, going to a show. “Take Care” is this thing we use in passing conversation to dismiss bullshit like, “Oh, you couldn’t make it on time? Oh, take care, take care.” We’ve always used that and then I really took so much care making this album. I knew I was going to go home and take longer than six months, I knew that I was literally going to take care of making this project and be attentive, be clear, be immersed in it. “Take Care” worked.

GQ: You seem more excited releasing Take Care than you were with Thank Me Later. Do you have any regrets with your last album?
Drake: No, I never regret. It did amazing things for my career and as a sonic composition, I’m still proud of it. It was just very weird to make an album, for sale, in four months on a tour bus. It wasn’t So Far Gone. So Far Gone was my first album, so I felt like it was unfair to me. Like damn, I just made So Far Gone. Now I have to come right back out with another piece.

GQ: And that is what people were going to call your first album.
Drake: Right! This is what people are going to call my first album when really [So Far Gone] was my first album. I shouldn’t have to rush this because I just gave you a body of work. Give me a minute. So I made Thank Me Later and it did great for me but you’re right, I was immediately on to my next one.

GQ: So what’s different now?
Drake: I’m going to make this a moment for myself. I followed through on my vision…even the songs that are out now like “Trust Issues”and “Club Paradise,” “Free Spirit,” “Headlines,” “Make Me Proud,” “Marvins Room,” “The Motto,” I’m all very proud of. That’s an album in and of itself and I have nineteen more songs to give you on November 15th.

GQ: So rank them, if you will, best to worst: So Far Gone, Thank Me Later, and Take Care…
Drake: It’s hard for me to put So Far Gone second because it’s the first time anyone ever really paid attention or heard me. But I’m going to be honest with you, Take Care, then So Far Gone, then Thank Me Later…

GQ: Some of the features on this album are crazy. Wayne, Nicki, Rihanna, some unknown guy named Andre 3000…
Drake: He murdered that shit! He killed it and 40 switched the beat, it’s nasty. I didn’t get to see him record, but speaking with him was great and we even spoke about projects beyond “The Real Her.”

“I wish that we lived in a time and a generation where people would stop viewing my honesty as overly emotional. People always act like I spend my life crying in a dark room. I don’t, I’m good. I’m a man.”

GQ: You said that, “Just by buying your album, you know a lot of shit about me.” So let’s break down some lyrics. “Why is this so familiar? Just met/already feel like I know the real her.”
Drake: I guess sometimes I feel like I’m laying next to the same woman over and over again. The things that they say, the place they are in their life, the concerns they have about me and my life. I feel like I deal with the same women repetitively. The ones I’m referring to in that song have all fucked the same rappers. So, yeah, that’s why I say we just met but I think I’ve already met the real her, because I’ve already met you so many times, in different shapes and forms—it all feels familiar.