In a career that has seen multiple high points and an entire metric ton of commercial success, many fans still consider Drake's creative high-water mark to be his 2011 full-length effort Take Care. Filled with as many radio-friendly hooks as there are moments of deep introspection, the collection of songs has gone down as some of the best that the Canadian emcee has ever offered his fans. Now, on the six-year anniversary of the album's release, Drizzy is reminiscing about this transformative time in his career with fans on social media.
Posting to his official Instagram page, Drake shared a rare behind-the-scenes picture from the Take Care sessions, where a pensive-looking Aubrey is staring down on a sheet of paper with a rough version of what would become the album's final track list. Clad in an orange pullover sweater and sporting a beard that is noticeably less thick than its current incarnation, the Toronto native certainly looks a lot younger and potentially less sure of what the future would hold for the LP. You can check out the full post below.
Take Care is rightfully a landmark not only for Drizzy, but for other individuals involved with the production. Noah "40" Shebibi, T-Minus, The Weeknd, Boi-1da, Just Blaze, Jamie xx and others were all involved with making this record's sound as strong as possible. The career returns for all involved are there as well, with the album having sold over 4 million copies to date. The right (!) singles, including "The Motto," "Headlines" and the eponymous track, were all massive successes on urban and Top 40 radio, giving Drake his first real taste of sustained crossover success. Views and More Life may have more gaudy statistics behind it, Take Care was the first step towards Drizzy's total dominance of the decade.
The Canadian rapper has also been making headlines in a pro-woman light as well, after he threatened to "f**k up" a fan who was seen groping women at a recent concert of his in Sydney, Australia. Peep all the details to that story, including video of the incident, here.