Drake's Wall Street Journal feature

A few days before the release of his Billboard topping album Take Care, Drake sat down with The Wall Street Journal for a brief one-on-one. With the headline “A Rapper Who Also Sings,” we learn a little more about Drizzy’s challenges with changing up his flow, to the relationship he and his father have. Check out some of the Q&A below, and read the rest from WSJ.

The Wall Street Journal: You were rapping about the downside of success before you’d fully broken out. Why did listeners respond to that?

Drake: So often, when young artists try to document this moment—the rise—they only give a surface take on it. Which is, “I’m the f— man. My swag is up. Blah blah blah.” Things you’ve heard time and time again. That makes people feel great on a Friday night when they’re four Jack Daniels in. But when you’re in the car and it’s one of those rougher nights, you want to hear what something actually feels like.

WSJ: On one song you say you’re “strung out on compliments, overdosed on confidence.”

Drake: For a rapper to even admit that, I think, is rare. I go through my life writing down thoughts in this one folder. I’ll tell you the last thing I wrote down. [He pulls a BlackBerry out of his pocket and thumbs through a screen.] “I don’t know everything, but I like what I know.” “She lies to me about telling the truth.” These are things I hear in conversation. “You only miss me when you’re drunk because you’re too busy when you’re sober.” Someone actually said that to me. The more it sounds like a natural conversation, the more people can relate.