Archive for the ‘Drake’ Category

Degrassi's Charlotte Arnold, Raymond Ablack, Dalmar Abuzeid, Paula Brancati and Melinda Shankar listen to Drake's new album, Thank Me Later, on the set of the show last week.

The heartthrob Toronto rap star Drake — born Aubrey Graham — is releasing his anticipated first album today. An internationally acclaimed crony of Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne, the half-black, half-Jewish 23-year-old has been credited with legitimatizing Canadian hip hop, but he got his start on Degrassi High.

“If you saw him on the street, what would you call him, Aubrey or Drake?” asks Degrassi cast member Melinda Shankar, who plays Alli Bhandari on the show, at a listening session of Thank Me Later in a classroom on the set of the long-running show.

“Aubrey, because that’s what I knew him as first,” responds Paula Brancati (Jane Vaughn on the show), who says she enjoyed performing with Graham, even if he spent much of the time glued to his BlackBerry.

Playing the heavily Auto-Tuned new album, which is equal parts R&B and hip-hop, the Degrassi kids boppingly approve.

“I know she’s pregnant and everything, but I’d love to see them date,” says Shankar of a hypothetical Alicia Keys-Drake romance after listening to Fireworks, Drake’s terrific album opener featuring Keys.

The song is about Drake feeling used by Rihanna, and it elicits approval (and a fair share of envy), all around.

“If that happened to me, I’d definitely write about it,” says Dalmar Abuzeid (Danny Van Zandt on Degrassi), who, like Drake, also has musical ambitions and plays with his castmates in a band called Soundspeed.

“I remember reading on Perez Hilton about Rihanna’s mystery boy,” Raymond Ablack (Sav Bhandari) says. “We all knew who it was because of this place, of course.”

Drake is famous for his nasally brand of emo-rap (less forgiving critics call it a whine), but notable among hip-hop artists is the fact that he never talks about selling drugs or staging robberies — the well-worn cliches of the genre.

“His greatest struggle was being a black Jew in a white neighbourhood,” Degrassi director Pat Williams says.

“I didn’t know he could be so vulnerable,” says Brancati when the album veers into Chris Brown territory on Karaoke and The Resistance. The album’s energy is restored with Over, the hit song probably blaring from a car passing by your home right now.

“This is for the gangster guys,” says Charlotte Arnold (Holly J. Sinclair), who, like her castmates, raps along to the track.

“The Juno performance of this was sick,” adds Ablack.

“It’s a pump-up song and probably my favourite so far,” Arnold says, “but maybe that’s because I’ve heard it like a million times.”

The album has many guest appearances, and several songs — all excellent — feature rap’s hottest female rapper, Nicki Minaj, a killer T.I. verse and a duet with Young Jeezy, the rapper with hip hop’s greatest capital of street cred.

“What about the T.O. girls?” asks Brancati when Drake shouts out his ladies around the world on Show Me a Good Time and mentions New York and L.A.

When Drake does finally mention Toronto — the musician was raised in the tony neighbourhood of Forest Hill — the classroom explodes.

“Wait, why am I cheering for that?” Ablack asks, momentarily stunned.

Even Drake’s Degrassi cohorts seem affected by his star wattage. They marvel at his friendships with Madonna and Eminem. On Shut it Down, Drake instructs the ladies to, “Put that f–king dress on and work it, girl.”

“It’s like, I want to put on that dress,” Brancati explains.

Director Pat Williams also seems to be taken by the song. “Want to strip to this?” he asks Arnold, whose character Hollie J. will be dirty dancing in an upcoming episode.

“I’m totally down,” she says.

After the entire album has been digested, the Degrassi kids reflect on Drake’s meteoric rise to fame.

“He’s brilliant because he’s able to draw attention to himself without really putting himself out there,” Brancati says, “I think he’s sweet,” Shankar says, “but he’s also still really cool.”

“Overall, I like the album — I’d buy it,” Abuzeid says. “If he sticks with it, I think Drake just might have a shot.”

–Thank Me Later by Drake is in stores June 15. Degrassi: The Next Generation airs Sundays on CTV at 7 p.m.

via Ben Kaplan @ The National Post

The video for Drake’s “Over” is out and after watching it a couple of times I feel like the video is just OK.
Yeah the video is artistic and all but I dont see the need of the blonde Usher dancer and the pretty blonde singer blowing him kisses.
Im going to give this video a ★ ★ ★ out ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Drake and Nicki Minaj are on the cover of XXL Mag titled “Nicki and Drake Domination: The Rebirth of Rap Royalty”.

I cant lie its a hard pill to swallow to consider them at the top of the pack in the hip hop game, but it is what it is.

Nicki is featured on every track with addictive lyrics so its hard not to recite them and Drake is still grabbing attention with the new release “Over”.

Say what you like cause they are dominating whether we like it or not.

Good morning ppl, Here is your morning Drake update…lol..
Drizzy performed his single “Over” for crazy teens in Mexico for MTV’s Spring Break, check it out.

Check out “Shut It Down” feat The Dream, a slower track for those that like the slower Drizzy stuff.

Drake feat The Dream – SHUT IT DOWN (Listen)

Canada has created their own tribute song for all those affected by the devastation in Haiti and used K’Naan’s “Wavin Flag” for all these young artist to come together. Avril, Derek WIbley, Kardinal, Jully Black, Justin Bieber, Drake and many more.