It's clear that Drake is closing out this decade on top. The rapper has recently purchased his ultimate dream home where he's added the bells and whistles that make it his own—including a guest bathroom that streams Tupac's music. He's one of the top-earning and most sought after artists in the world and it seems as if everything he touches turns to gold. He just dropped his track "War" off of El-Kuumba Tape Vol. 1, and, according to Drake, 2020 will be the kick-off to a new musical era for the OVO mogul.
In a rare interview, Drake sat down for Rap Radar and talked about various aspects of his career. The Toronto icon admitted that during his rise, he always had superstar dreams but didn't have expectations that he'd reach the heights of his current status. Back in the day when he was a Lil Wayne's protegé, Drake said he couldn't fathom anyone being bigger than the New Orleans artist.
"I think initially my goal was just to be a protegé that didn't flop," Drake said. "I just wanted to be somebody that was like, remotely as important as my mentor." He added that when Wayne went to jail, things shifted for him because he felt as if he had to make sure that he held things down. Elsewhere, Drake shared why Houston is such an important city to him, the "bru-ha-ha" about him being a singing rapper (he was never bothered by it), being insecure about his music (he's said he's "starting a whole new chapter" now), the falseness of celebrity culture where famous people share causes on social media without really being invested in communities (after filming "Find Your Love" he invested in a center in Jamaica), putting in work more than people think, beefing with Meek Mill (Drake said Meek was in a "bad mental spot" and the "tip of the iceberg" was when Drake didn't show up for one of Meek's Philly concerts along with "conversations he was having between him and his lady"), his admiration for Jay Z and Kanye West, and much more.
As far as his beef with Kanye is concerned, it doesn't seem that there is a resolution in sight. "I think he kind of recruited a guy with a similar dislike for me, no matter what he says interviews," Drake said. "I know that. He can tell whoever, 'I got love for him' or whatever, but it's not love. It's...there's something there that bothers him deeply. Yeah, I can't fix it for him, so, it just is what it is. I can never, ever, ever, ever turn my back on the things that I've said about him in a positive light and I still feel all those same things."
"Things have just changed," he added. "I'm not just some kid that's a fan anymore. Now we have personal situations, and like I said, a lot of his issues with me, I can't fix them for him." B.Dot wanted to know if Drake would be open to talking to Kanye. "No, not really, because it's not on my end. I had no problem with any of these guys. I don't even know these guys like that." Drake admitted that his "Sicko Mode" lines were verbal shots, "but this is a sport at the end of the day." He also shared that he's always ready to defend himself and "eager to engage," especially when someone is "trying to be slick or offensive behind the scenes."
The lengthy interview is full of gems, so stream the chat below.