Ms. Lauryn Hill, Leon Bridges, 2 Chainz, & more take part in an effort to provide grants to small businesses impacted by Covid-19 with a focus on those run by minorities.

When Drake dropped his first proper album, "Thank Me Later,' it was the beginning of a decade of dominance. How was it made and who was behind the scenes? We'll show you.

STARTING AS AN ACTOR ON SHOWS LIKE NICKELODEON’S DEGRASSI:THE NEXT GENERATION, AUBREY DRAKE GRAHAM BEGAN HIS RAP CAREER DURING THE MID TWO-THOUSANDS. BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL YOUNG MONEY MASTERMIND LIL WAYNE SIGNED DRAKE, AND PROPELLED HIM TO NEW LEVELS OF SUCCESS WITH THE “SO FAR GONE” MIXTAPE.

“SO FAR GONE” WAS MTV’S HOTTEST MIXTAPE OF 2009 AND WAS COMPLEX’S FIFTH BEST MIXTAPE OF THE DECADE. HIT SONGS LIKE “BEST I EVER HAD” AND “SUCCESSFUL” SHOWED DRAKE’S ABILITY TO MIX HIP HOP & RNB WITH POP, AND THE STAGE WAS SET FOR DRIZZY TO BLOW THE LID OFF THE GAME WITH HIS DEBUT ALBUM.

RECORDING FOR THE ALBUM TOOK PLACE ALL OVER THE U.S. AND CANADA IN 2009 AND 2010, INCLUDING AT CHERRY BEACH STUDIOS IN TORONTO AND GLENWOOD STUDIOS IN L.A. THE ALBUM WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR, WITH LIL WAYNE AND BIRDMAN ACTING AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, AND LONGTIME DRAKE COLLABORATORS NOAH “40” SHEBIB & BOI-1DA PROGRAMMING MOST OF THE RECORD.

THE SPACEY PRODUCTION ACROSS THE ALBUM CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO DRAKE’S INFLUENCES LIKE KID CUDI AND KANYE WEST’S TWO THOUSAND EIGHT ALBUM “808S AND HEARTBREAK”. YE HIMSELF HAS PRODUCTION CREDS ON TWO OF THE ALBUM’s SONGS: “SHOW ME A GOOD TIME” AND THE HIT SINGLE “FIND YOUR LOVE”.

FOUR SINGLES PRECEDED THE ALBUM’S RELEASE INCLUDING“FIND YOUR LOVE”, AS WELL AS “OVER”, “MISS ME” WITH LIL WAYNE, AND “FANCY” WITH SWIZZ BEATS. ALL FOUR SINGLES BROKE THROUGH THE TOP FORTY OF THE BILLBOARD HOT ONE HUNDRED.

RELEASED ON JUNE FIFTEENTH, 2010, “THANK ME LATER” DEBUTED AT NUMBER ONE ON THE BILLBOARD TWO HUNDRED AND MADE DRAKE A HOUSEHOLD NAME. IT PROVED THAT DRAKE HAD THE TALENT TO BLEND BRAGGADOCIO WITH VULNERABILITY, AND INSPIRED COUNTLESS ARTISTS OVER THE DECADE INCLUDING TORY LANEZ, BRYSON TILLER AND POST MALONE.

IN 2013, ROLLING STONE PUT “THANK ME LATER” ON THEIR LIST OF “THE ONE HUNDRED BEST DEBUT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”.

ITS GENRE BLENDING, HIT SINGLES, AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE HIP HOP ETHOS ALL SHOW WHY “THANK ME LATER” BY DRAKE IS THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.