Drake On “Thank Me Later” Debut, “I Went Back & Really Studied Nas” [Video]

Young Money's Drake recently spoke on his Thank Me Later debut album and how he found himself studying Nas' rhyming styles as a preparation tool.

Drake also compared his upcoming album to his hit mixtape release, So Far Gone.

“It’s gonna be bigger, it’s gonna sound happier,” Drake said comparing it to his So Far Gone album. “Yeah, it’s gonna sound bigger, it’s gonna sound victorious because that’s where I am in my life — I really studied Nas to be honest, Nas was like somebody that I used to listen to his raps and not really understand ‘how’ he did it, I always wanted to understand how he painted those pictures and his bar structure and all of that. I went back and really studied Nas, studied Andre 3000 [for this album] and I hope you like it.” (IM Flashy)

Last summer, Nas co-signed Drake’s rhyming skills in hip-hop.

“[I’m listening to] Drake and always Scarface,” Nas revealed in an interview. “Drake is new. He’s here to show anybody who questions him that he’ll get at you. He’s like fresh water right now on dry land. Scarface is the realist rapper. He’s the most musically serious, besides Kanye [West], right now. What Scarface says in his rhymes is real. You can’t get away from [Lil] Wayne right now. So that’s what I’m listening to. I’m waiting on Dr. Dre‘s album.” (Omaha World-Herald)

Drake will reportedly team with his “Forever” producer, Boi-1da, for his album’s first single.

The wait is almost over. Drake has selected the first single from his highly-anticipated debut album. The first offering from Thank Me Later will be called “Over.” Drizzy exclusively tells Rap-Up.com that the track was produced by fellow Canadian Boi-1da, who is responsible for two of his biggest hits, “Best I Ever Had” and “Forever.” The Young Money signee went through a painstaking process before choosing the right single. (Rap-Up)

Earlier this month, producer Boi-1da revealed his involvement on the project.

“Yes I do, that’s just because I love doing that and experimenting, whereas if you work with someone who has their sound already, you have to cater to it,” he told interviewer Sajae E. “Right now I’m solely focused on making Drake’s album a classic album as of right now, so that’s all I can say, but be on the look out for a bunch of stuff coming through. Shout-out to all of Toronto.” (iLuvLoLa)

A release date for the album has not yet been announced.

Check out Drake speaking on Nas down below: