Drake sat down with Complex Magazine to deliver an in-depth interview and insight into who he is as a person and an artist. In the interview, Drake speaks on how he met Lil Wayne, his roll in Young Money, the XXL Freshmen 10, and poor decisions he’s made in the past. Check out the excerpts below.
Complex: Many people don’t know too much about your outside of your role in Degrassi. Were you always into music?
Drake: As far as music goes, it‚Äôs always been a major part of my life. My uncle is Larry Graham played bass for Prince, my father, Dennis Graham, wrote for Al Green. [He helped] write ‚ÄúLet’s Stay Together‚Äù and ‚ÄúLove & Happiness.‚Äù My dad drummed for Jerry Lee Lewis. I’ve always been around great music. My family being from Memphis, Tenn, growing up around all the hip hop’Thee Six Mafia, Kingpin Skimmy Pimp, early Yo Gotti, shit like that was kinda what really influenced me.
How I got into rapping was, my dad was in jail for two years and he shared a cell wit this dude who didn’t really have anyone to speak to. So, he used to share his phone time with this dude and at the time I was probably 16 or 17, this dude was like 20-22, and he would always rap to me over the phone’it was Poverty, that was his rap name. After while I started to get into it and I started to write my own shit down. And after a while, he would call me and we would just rap to each other. And after my dad got out I kept in touch with dude and kept writing my shit down and eventually I learned from meeting people who were into music, too, the art of making a song and I accepted the fact that I wanted to be in music.
Complex: Listening to your earlier mixtapes, as well as So Far Gone, a constant theme seems to be the notion that “All That Glitters Ain’t Gold.” It seems like you try to be honest and downplay the rapper lifestyle, like when you talk about buying a Phantom but regretting it.
Drake: Yeah, well, to be even more honest, I leased a Phantom instead of buying one, ‚Äôcause I didn’t have enough money to buy a Phantom, I leased a Phantom because that’s what I thought I needed to do. And I’ve done a lot of things to just enjoy my nights a little more and to feed my ego. And that’s kinda why I rap about it, because a lot of people are like, ‚ÄúIf he ever steps out of line, I’m gonna say Drake’s wack.‚Äù So the only choice I have is to be honest with my listeners. And that‚Äôs not to say it’s not a glamorous life and it’s not fun, but the reality is it’s great for the average person to hear a musician‚Äôs reality because we all seem so unattainable and so out of reach that when you bring yourself back to eye level with a fan and do it in the right way‚Ķ
Complex: How’d exactly did you wind up meeting Weezy?
Drake: My friend Jazz Prince’J Prince of Rap-a-Lot‚Äôs son’he played Wayne a couple of my songs and Wayne called me when I was in the barber chair getting a haircut, and he was like, ‚ÄúDude, I just heard two songs from you and you got a whole CD of shit here, I don’t even need to hear anymore, I just need you here right now, can you get to Houston?‚Äù So I came out the next night. That was my first time in Houston and the culture and the city was so overwhelming. I felt like I hit Houston and got my swag back. I was single, I was with Wayne and it was Houston, I was going nuts, sipping drank, smoking, it was fun to me. And then you get ‚ÄúIgnorant Shit,‚Äù which is what came out of my meeting with Wayne.
Complex: Speaking of you debut, what’s going on with your label situation? There’s been rumors that you’re on Young Money and there are some saying you’re inked to Interscope. What’s good?
Drake: I’m not with either of those. I’m finishing up the deal tonight or tomorrow. It’s a great situation. My biggest thing that I’m excited about regardless of what label I end up on is my management team: Cortez Bryant that manged Lil Wayne and G Roberson that managed Kanye. To be managed by Hip Hop Since 1978, it’s a great family to be a part of.
Complex: There was video on YouTube with the Young Money crew backstage at a show, and Nicki Minaj said something to effect of “Drake gets the most stage time with Wayne.” Are you the front runner in the crew?
Drake: I came to Young Money genuinely, meeting Wayne, forming a friendship and making great music. I didn’t come into this as a Young Money recruit. I would say Young Money is a great thing to be associated with, it’s beneficial to everybody, with Wayne being the number one artist in the world. But Young Money, right now, until Wayne finds the time’because he’s very busy and he has a lot of projects in the works’to really get a home for that label and develop that label into a real entity, until then I think it’s something to just be associated with. I know Wayne wants to executive produce my album, so the affiliation is there and I rep Young Money. It’s the same way I rep Octobers Own, I rep it because it’s people that I care about.