With one month to go before Drake’s highly-anticipated debut Thank Me Later drops, more details on the project are beginning to surface. Lil Wayne’s protégé recently revealed that the album will open with his Alicia Keys collaboration “Fireworks.” Entertainment Weekly had a chance to preview the disc. Here are five things to build your excitement for June 15.
1. Timbaland produced a track called “Thank Me Now.”
2. Indie pop band Francis and the Lights, who opened for Drake on tour, is featured on one song. “I wanted to take what I love about [their] music and bring it into my world,” says Drake.
3. “Karaoke” deals with the pitfalls of achieving fame at an early age. He recalls how he felt at 15 when his girlfriend told him she couldn’t love a star. “It killed me,” he explains. “I can’t wait till she hears it. She’ll know it’s her.”
4. Jay-Z schools his younger peer on “Light Up,” which he first told Rap-Upabout in December. “He lets me know how young and naive I really sound,” Drake says. “It’s an incredible moment. He’s like, ‘This is how it really is. Because I’ve lived it.’”
5. Drake made this album for music lovers, not for the Billboard charts. “I didn’t make this album for commercial purposes. A lot of the verses are extremely long. I just made it to share with people. I hope they can enjoy.”