0 Drake Covers Complex Magazine + Interview

Drake covers Complex Magazine's February/March 2010 issue and spills the beans on his debut album "Thank Me Later", Lil Wayne going to jail, critics, "The Fall" and much more. In the snippet below, Drake speaks on Kid Cudi, Wale, J. Cole and his songwriting process:

Complex: The first time we ever spoke, you said that you were more in tune with R&B artists than the current new guys rapping.

Drake: When you're coming up, and you're in competition with somebody, it's always hard to have a friendship. I think Cudi and I are realizing that we don't threaten each other. It's ended up being one of the greatest industry friendships I have.

Around the time that Kanye directed "Best I Ever Had," it seemed like there was strife between your camp and Cudi's camp because Kanye was so enamored of you while Cudi's project was being worked on.
Drake: I wasn't aware of that. Even so, I could understand. If Wayne were to be enamored—which is a great word—of another young artist, I would be like, "Damn, I'm here too!" But at the same time, it happens in more than one situation. It happens with 'Ye, and I have a great relationship with Jay, and Jay's got Wale and J. Cole, who's one of my favorite dudes rapping right now. I've happened to have had more success. I made the most money, I have number-one records, those guys don't have that shit. And it's just facts, it's not even my feelings or that I feel I'm more talented. That's what the game is about, making great music that earns profit. When it comes to my relationship with the new dudes, I'm just excited for them. I get to sit back in a cool position and be like, "Yo, I'm excited to see you do it now because I know what it's like, it's gonna be so much fun for you…"

You feel like you're at the finish line?

Drake: I'm at the starting line. Those guys are at home, putting on their tracksuits, getting ready to make their attack. When J. Cole gets it super-right, I think he's gonna have a place as a Nas-type character who really stands for hip-hop, but still makes ill records that everybody fucks with.

Take me through your songwriting process.

Drake: With R&B, I know my sound. I know I make records to fuck to.

[Laughs.]

Drake: The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don't write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there's so much of me I have to give that I don't know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I'm a great rapper. There's two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the shit that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don't feel like I don't belong there. When I listen to "Forever," with three of my heroes, I fit right in.

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