It was Jay-Z that alerted Timbaland to Drake’s skills, and Drizzy himself said that when he talks with Hov, the Jiggaman drops wisdom on various subjects. Drake and Jay collaborated for a record called “Light Up” off of the 23-year-old newcomer’s Thank Me Later LP.
“It’s just me and Jay both rapping on it for an extended period of time,” Drake told MTV News on the set of his video for “Over.” “It’s real rap. It’s real rap. I do sing on it, but it’s just on the hook — but it’s rap. It’s great. The perspective, the dynamic on the track — it’s me and Jay’s relationship on the song, basically. When you hear it, people will be like, ‘Oh man.’ That’s how we are — just the two. He definitely has guided me a lot, as far as his words and his advice. We have a real funny rapport. I always enjoy my conversations with Jay. It’s good.”
Last week on a closed Los Angeles set, Drake filmed the video for “Over,” the first single from his much-anticipated debut album Thank Me Later. The Canadian rapper-singer placed his trust in Anthony Mandler (Jay-Z, Rihanna) to direct a pivotal moment in his fledgling career.
Rap-Up.com dialed up the man calling the shots to pick his brain about the visuals to the song everyone’s talking about, crafting an iconic image for hip-hop’s breakout star, the most intimidating artist he’s worked with, and how the “Run This Town” director has had enough of the Illuminati innuendos.
How did you and Drake connect?
I’m a big fan of Drake and I was really excited when he called me about doing it, and really put a lot into making it special and capturing what I think is an image he hasn’t had yet. Here’s a guy whose lyrical presence does not equal his visual presence yet, by any means. That’s something that he and I spoke a lot about. He felt strongly that nobody had really captured him, and some of the videos that had been done were less iconic than he would like to be represented as.
Drake said he wasn’t upset when he heard that Sade — an artist he had wanted to collaborate with on his upcoming Thank Me Later debut — said she’s not into guest-starring on anyone’s project.
“I don’t think they have contacted me,” Sade, 51, told Canada’s National Post last month. “I’ve never collaborated because I’ve always avoided working outside my safety zone — I can be exactly who I am and can fail or succeed within the moment. I feel safe working like I do. I wouldn’t want to work in a situation where I am expected to deliver, because I think I wouldn’t deliver.”
Drake said he might not get with her this time, but maybe on a future album.
“That’s great. Her brand is always protected. That’s why,” Drake said of her comments on the set of his “Over” video last week in California. “Other people’s visuals, other people’s songs, stepping outside your zone can jeopardize your brand. It can bring you down as opposed to bring you up. I personally feel we could have done something amazing. But I don’t think she really knows who I am, really, my genre of music. I put it out there. It was more of a hopeful thing. It was a very early stage where I was at when I said that I was hoping. One day. Maybe after this album comes out.
“I’m very influenced by her,” he added. “She does something that I do. She doesn’t do too much with harmonies, and she keeps her vocals very clean. Single vocals. Haunting melodies. I’m influenced by her a lot. One day.”
This track just might be a reference track for another male artist, but it’s still something to help you sleep at night if you’ve been itching to hear Drake sing to you.
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The pledge is on wax and MP3: On his new single “Over,” Drake raps, “Making sure the Young Money ship is never sinking.” Even though the head of his label, Lil Wayne, is in jail, Drake insisted there’s no way he’ll let the camp slip from its top spot.
“I’m gonna do everything I told him I would do, what I said in the song: keep us afloat till he gets back,” Drake said on the set of his “Over” video. “You won’t even notice he’s gone. Promise.”
Last week, Wayne was sentenced to a year in jail for a 2007 gun-possession charge, but Drake knows his leader will be OK.
“I could never classify Wayne as victim. He’s too strong to me. Wayne is who he wants to be. People don’t understand. It’s really not an act. Lil Wayne is a character you’ll rarely run across, probably for the existence of human beings. He is that guy. He is Lil Wayne for a reason. He’s a rock star, a visionary, a workaholic. He doesn’t function like anybody I know. He’s a rare breed.”
-Hip-hop phenom Drake, talking to MTV News’ Shaheem Reid about his mentor and label boss Lil Wayne, who just began a jail sentence stemming from a 2007 gun-possession charge. On the set of the video shoot for “Over,” a track from Drake’s forthcoming and hotly-anticipated album So Far Gone, Drake talked extensively about Weezy’s current predicament, and he insisted that fame had nothing to do with his situation. “We take precautions. All of us do. To be in the public eye and to be envied and have people who hate you and never have met you or have people who love you and tattoo your face on their body and never have met you, it’s an odd feeling for anybody,” he said.”
Nicki Minaj and Drake speak on performing with Young Jeezy + Lil Wayne at Jay-Z’s Madison Square Garden show in New York City shortly after Lil Wayne’s sentence was delayed, once again.
Here’s Drake spotted leaving dinner with Anthony Madler (director of the “Over” music video) at the Katsuya restaurant on Monday night in Los Angeles, California.
It’s always amazing to find these creative Drake fans (that’s why we showcase them). Check out Jack Labadie speak on the Drake painting, Drake’s reaction when he saw it, why he chose that specific picture and etc.
Click here to see a jpeg version of the painting just in case you missed it. Good job once again Jack!
Are you excited for Drake’s “Over” video? Let us know!
While filming a video for his song “Over” on Friday in Los Angeles, Drake stood in front of an all-white backdrop wearing a white tee and white sneakers. What does he do in the clip? He does him.
“This is my first video,” the Young Money franchise player said, sitting in his trailer. “I’ve shot a lot of videos before, but this is my first attempt to establish myself as Drake the artist. Shooting the other videos I’ve done has been great. I really don’t care what other people think about them, they were great experiences for me. I’ve learned a lot from them. Today, I’m shooting with somebody I really look up to and respect. I’m shooting with Anthony Mandler.”
Mandler, who has also made videos with Jay-Z and Rihanna, worked with Drake before on Mary J. Blige’s “The One.”
APRIL 4/06 Charleston, IL Eastern Illinois University 4/07 Columbus, OH Private Location 4/09 State College, PA Penn State University 4/10 Boston, MA Private Location 4/11 Lock Haven, PA Private Location 4/14 East Lansing, MI Michigan State University 4/15 Rochester Hills, MI Oakland University 4/16 Morgantown, WV West Virginia University 4/21 Orlando, FL University Central Florida 4/22 Greenville, SC Furman University 4/24 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/26 Kansas City, MO University of Missouri 4/27 Lexington, KY University of Kentucky 4/29 Lowell, MA University Mass Lowell 4/30 Syracuse, NY Private Location
MAY 5/01 Boston, MA Private Location 5/01 East Rutherford, NJ Bamboozle Festival 5/04 Worcester, MA Holy Cross 5/05 Towson, MD Towson University 5/06 Cheyney, PA Cheyney University 5/07 Ithaca, NY Private Location 5/08 Plymouth, NH Private Location
Here's a nice, high definition video put together by Duy Nguyen of Drake at the Virginia Commonwealth University with guest appearances by Tyga, Chris Brown & Nickelus F.
