After more than a year of hype, anticipation and instant-classics dropped on singles and mixtapes, Drake finally dropped his debut album today. Thank Me Later is 14 tracks worth of spacey beats, clever wordplay and Drake's signature combination of rapping and crooning. It's one of the most hungered-for hip-hop releases in recent memory, and the demand has been high for the rapper. It's no mystery, as even without a major full-length release, he has managed to score a number of hits (including last summer's hot jam "Best I Ever Had" and the all-star tag-team track "Forever") and collaborate with a handful of the biggest artists in rap (including Lil Wayne and T.I.).
Naturally, the 23-year-old Canadian star had a busy day planned, including a handful of interviews, an appearance at the Best Buy in Union Square and a performance at New York City's South Street Seaport this evening. But when he stopped by the MTV Newsroom earlier today, he was as laid back and casual as he always is. You could never guess that the man sitting in the chair talking to Sway was one of the most talked-about artists in the country. Drake was on point in his discussions of his upcoming music, the work he put into Thank Me Later and everything in between. He may be young, but he's a professional with incredible poise and intelligence.
Whether or not Thank Me Later scores big on the album chart (and all signs indicate that it will do big business), Drake is a hard-working and talented artist who has already accomplished a great deal, and as he proved today in the MTV Newsroom, the sky remains the limit.