On Thursday night, we saw ‘The FADER’ reveal to the world the first Drake interview since the “Rolling Stone’ piece back in February 2014.
Having expressed that he was done with interviews for magazines, he has now given a much sought-after insight into the 6 God’s mind for his fans, and there’s some interesting stuff.
With this in mind, we thought we’d give you 7 things that we learned from the exclusive interview.
1. Fame may be restricting Drizzy from ideas
The opening few paragraphs of the piece focus on the simple subject of driving. However, Drake proceeds to admit that a lot of his ideas of previous used to come from moments in the car. Part of your success paying off means security is a necessity, and employing people to do your everyday tasks happens naturally. Such a restriction seems to have hit the Canadian, but has it deprived him of new ideas? Or has the frustration led to even better ones? That’s the million pound question.
2. He is one of, if not THE best at promoting at his music and brand
Despite the need for promotion having long left him – proof being the attention received from minimal official promotion for ‘0-100/The Catch Up’ – his drive to further his name towards each corner of the globe is bigger than ever. You will see snippets throughout the article relating to his fans, and his persistence to cater for them. Not only that, but the way he has managed to have the UK in the palm of his hands by showcasing his love for UK talent, is something so simple, yet so effective. In the interview, he’s insistent that his choice to delve into different cultures/sub-genres doesn’t derive from purpose, but merely enjoyment and feeling. Interacting with fans is key, and showing that you really care also goes a long way too. This article is more than likely to help further his image in a positive light, and he is the King of doing just that.
3. There’s no release date for ‘Views From The 6’, but it’s imminent
Many had thought that the album would be released on the 24th of September – due to a few date ‘hints’ made by Drake – but it was to be the date of his FADER interview. Although, there are some quotes on how the project will pan out. There is solid confirmation that he has done the entirety of the album with engineer and producer Noah Shebib – who is better known as ’40’. The indication seems that he’s looking to veer down the path of ‘Take Care’ rather than ‘Nothing Was The Same’. He states that it will be the first album in which he’ll work the most intimately with Shebib since ‘Take Care’, which is an interesting revelation with regards to the angle of the project. Drake is persistent in the fact that if he’s to make the album he really wants to, he has to do it with 40. Nonetheless, there is a statement that in light of there being no release date for it, ‘Views From The Six’ is imminent – one for fans to ponder.
4. Drake was left confused about the Meek Mill situation and expected more
One of the biggest points of the interview was the addressing of the Meek Mill debacle. Drake talked about his utter confusion on the Philadelphia rapper’s strategy in the beef, expressing that he clearly had no plan or idea of how to approach the situation. He also felt as if there was no thinking behind each move which left it all too easy, even explaining ‘Back 2 Back’ was intended to kill it off. For me, it seemed as if there were issues in the saga, but it was mainly about the music and his reputation. What it has represented is Drake is unwilling to let his reputation take a hit, and is intent on putting in the work to ensure that – while that’s questionable for Meek Mill. The Toronto artist is keen to make the point that he is about this life, knowing the scoop on himself and others in the game, and I believe that. Whether it was lost in translation as to how each side would approach it remains to be seen, but you have to give major props to Drizzy.
“This is a discussion about music, and no one’s putting forth any music?… Nobody told you that this was a bad idea, to engage in this and not have something?…It was weighing heavy on me. I didn’t get it. I didn’t get how there was no strategy on the opposite end. I just didn’t understand. I didn’t understand it because that’s just not how we operate.” – Drake on Meek Mill’s failure to reply to ‘Charged Up’.
5. Admits the need to gather help for material (cue, Quentin Miller)
Understandably, the main thing that most will take away from this will be his response to the Quentin Miller “reference tracks” allegations about his lyrical creation. Drake seemed to dance around the question, but admitted that creativity can’t always be sparked by himself, and maybe by others, to kickstart an idea. In response to the “reference tracks”, he wasn’t dismissive of the allegations, but merely shrugged them off as “they are what they are”. Such a response has made sense of his silence on the issue, as a person never wants to admit to certain things. We were never going to get a straight answer on the subject, which is a little bit disappointing. One thing that sticks is that it’s hard to tell that had Meek Mill failed to alert the world of such actions, would he have openly admitted to it without sufficient evidence? Regardless, that’s just gossip.
“I need, sometimes, individuals to spark an idea so that I can take off running. I don’t mind that. And those recordings—they are what they are. And you can use your own judgment on what they mean to you.” – Drake on Quinten Miller reference tracks.
(Running through the) 6. “What A Time To Be Alive” with Future was made in SIX days
The unprecedented hype that surrounded “What A Time To Be Alive” created mainly positive feedback, but drew comments of mediocrity, even from myself. Despite my concerns, we learn that it was made in a mere six days in Atlanta, which is an incredible feat. This culminated in late night sessions and constantly sleeping in the studio, according to the tape’s executive producer Metro Boomin’. An interesting comment was made by Drake, where he states the project was a much needed sprint before the marathon that is “Views From The Six”. I wonder how people will interpret that?
7. Skepta and Drake really share a bond
Cynics of everything were quick to brandish the Skepta and Drake bond as fake and one-sided. But this is to be diminished, and it’s great to see. He expresses that he was a fan of the Tottenham MC, but knew they were brothers the moment they met. People will always be negative on the subject, but it’s great to see such a friendship blossom. Drizzy signifies the rarity of stumbling across such companionship in the industry and goes on to claim that it’s something he sees lasting. Long may the friendship continue.
“I was a Skepta fan, but after meeting Skepta, we were brothers immediately…You don’t get that too much in this thing that we’re in, honestly. You don’t [often] meet somebody and actually feel like, ‘OK, we might actually still talk when we’re 35, 40 years old'”. – Drake on Skepta.
Read the full interview here.
Words by Jaik Bramley-Fenton/@JaikBFenton