Drake Talks R&B Mixtape: 'I Had A Really Hard Time Just Singing'

You know you’ve arrived when you transform one of the biggest rappers on the planet into a hypeman.

So Drake's ego might’ve inflated just a bit when rap head honcho Jay-Z took the stage at the second night of the young rapper’s back-to-back sold out shows at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.

“There was a lot riding on it. All these different publications were there, and it was one of those shows that was going to be highly reviewed, and highly criticized and scrutinized,” Drake told VIBE. “But it was a lot of fun, and we had two great consistent shows. It’s crazy to have that relationship [with Jay]—not that I ever want to become dependent of special guests, because that shouldn’t be the allure of my show.”

Drake was just as surprised as the fans in the audience when Hov took the stage. “You never know if he’s going to come through necessarily, but you’ll hear it through your ear phones: ‘Jay’s coming out in five minutes’,” says Drake, who made a cameo as a special guest at Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium concert weeks before his Radio City show. “It’s always nice when you can hit Jay up. He held it down for me. I asked a favor of the big homie, and he came through.”

Looking to finish the year with a brand-new R&B based mixtape, It’s Never Enough, fans can rest assured that Drake’s witty wordplay won’t be lost in amongst all the crooning.

“Even on this mixtape I had a really hard time just singing. There’s a lot of rap on there. The beat will just have the right pocket and even though you can fit singing, I wanted to rap. That’s what I’m really looking forward to doing on this next album,” says Drake. “I really want to get better at rapping, so I’ve been listening to a lot of great rap, training myself—trying to find the right beats.”

While he’s cooking up both his singing-heavy mixtape, and more balanced sophomore LP, Drizzy says he’s putting his best foot forward for both. “To make a mixtape to me—I don’t take that lightly. A mixtape isn’t some throwaway music. People around me fight with me [over my mixtape] songs because it should be album material. That’s what a mixtape should be—an album that you’re essentially willing to give away for free.”

Drake’s hopes to release It’s Never Enough before the holidays. —Mikey Fresh