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Recording information: Avex Recording Studio, Honolulu, HI; Blast Off Studios; Blast Off Studios, New York, NY; BLD & DSTRY, Toronto, ON; Cherry Beach Studios, Toronto, ON; Gee Jam Studios, Portland, Jamaica; Glenwood Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Lexington, KY; Metalworks Studios, Toronto, ON; New Orleans, LA; Nightbird Studios, W Hollywood, CA; Roc The Mic, New York, NY; Takeover Studios, Houston, TX; The Hit Factory, Miami, FL; The Setai Hotel Recording Studio, Miami, FL; Triangle Sounds Studio, Atlanta, GA. Photographers: Anthony Mandler; Jonathan Mannion; Philip Golebiewski. By the time of the release of Drake's first full-length album, the Canadian rapper was already a star thanks to his huge single "Best I Ever Had," his celebrated mixtape and then EP So Far Gone, and his spots on hits by Young Money and Eminem. Thank Me Later had the tough assignment of living up to the anticipation and further Drake as an artist, and it totally lives up to the hype. Thanks to the rich and nuanced production and Drake's thoughtful, playful, and intense lyrics, Thank Me Later is a radio-friendly, chart-topping collection of singles but also a serious examination of Drake's life that holds up as an album. Most of the record finds the young rapper (23 at the time of release) conflicted about his growing stardom and fame. Whether it's a relationship splitting up as on the melancholy "Karaoke," worries about the fame changing him ("The Resistance"), fears that so-called real hip-hop fans will find him manufactured ("Show Me a Good Time"), or the difficult nature of romance when you're a star ("Miss Me"), Drake isn't afraid to examine what the past year has done to his life. He's also not afraid to talk about how great life has become as well, dropping plenty of lines about the money, the women, and his own prowess as a rapper. His belief in his own skills is well-founded, as the list of collaborators lined up to work with him attests. T.I, Swizz Beatz, Young Jeezy, the-Dream, Jay-Z.

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Cash Money Drake (Rapper/Singer) - Thank Me Later [PA]

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