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Prefix's Comprehensive Guide To Drake's 'Take Care'

11:39 a.m. · October 31, 2011 · by Andrew Martin

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2011

ALBUM HISTORY: Toward the end of Drake's Light Dreams and Nightmares tour in 2010, the Toronto-based MC apparently used the phrase "take care" several times during his show, something that bloggers around the internet managed to pick up on. The mystery behind his use of the phrase was revealed in an interview with GQ, when Drake claimed that Take Care was in fact the title of his upcoming sophomore full-length, not Moments, as previously reported.

Longtime collaborator Noah "40" Shebib is back on board to lace tracks and he serves as the sole producer on the album. If the platinum certification that Thank Me Later achieved is any indication, there are a ton of people waiting eagerly to hear what tales of fame and self-consciousness he manages to come up with.

Since announcing the album, Drake has been working closely with fellow Toronto native Abel Tesfaye, aka the Weeknd. Their collaborations kicked off when Drizzy appeared on the second Weeknd project, Thursday, while Tesfaye returned the favor by bringing his falsetto to Take Care. He appears on a total of four tracks on the album.

Drake also spent considerable time in the studio with Rick Ross and, of course, Lil Wayne. This led to one of the summer's hottest tracks, DJ Khaled's "I'm On One," along with rumored talks of a collaborative album by all three rappers. Rozay also appeared on "Free Spirit," one of three random leaks Drizzy decided to give away in early September.

One of the only downsides to come out of the Drake's decision to focus so much on Take Care was the fact that he delayed his planned R&B mixtape, It's Never Enough. It's indefinitely sitting on his back-burner, though maybe he'll decide to get to work on it once he wraps up those possible collaborations with Weezy and Rozay. Or, you know, he might skip those and record It's Never Enough.

TRACK LIST: The track listing has been finalized and revealed. [Miss Info]

1. Over My Dead Body
2. Shot For Me
3. Headlines
4. Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
5. Take Care ft. Rihanna
6. Marvins Room
7. Under Ground Kings
8. We’ll Be fine
9. Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj
10. Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross
11. Cameras
12. Doing It Wrong
13. The Real Her ft. Andre 3000 & Lil Wayne
14. Look What You’ve Done
15. HYFR ft. Lil Wayne
16. Practice
17. The Ride
18. Hate Sleeping Alone
19. Untitled ft. Lil Wayne (Bonus)

SONGS AND VIDEOS:

Watch the "Marvin's Room" video

Watch the "Headlines" video

Watch the Take Care trailer

"Headlines" (lead single)

"Free Spirit" F. Rick Ross

"Make Me Proud" F. Nicki Minaj

"The Motto" F. Lil Wayne (clean version)

"Trust Issues" (bonus track)

"Dreams Money Can Buy" (bonus track)

"Club Paradise" (non-album cut)

RUMORS:

It's been speculated since early 2011 that Take Care could feature appearances by both Jamie xx, of the xx, and Florence Welch, of Florence + the Machine. News of Jamie collaborating with Drake came toward the end of January '11, when the London producer spoke with Pitchfork. He noted that Drizzy wasn't "just after making a hit album again" and that "he really wants to make things we've never heard before." Not one to give too much away, Jamie added: "I'm happy to try new things, that's what this year is about."

As far as Welch's involvement, this rumor hit a peak in January, too, as that's when Drizzy was spending an awful lot of time in London. Reports weren't clear about where their collaboration would end up, but they certainly spent time in the studio together. He then brought Welch to the stage to perform the hook for Thank Me Later's "Fireworks," which you can watch below.

INTERVIEWS:

• Drake speaks with Entertainment Weekly, reveals possible joint album with Rick Ross
• Drake previews Take Care for Rolling Stone, who are particularly taken by "Free Spirit" with Rick Ross

LINKS:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Take Care Wikipedia entry