Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables
Headliner: J. Cole
Mixtape: Friday Night Lights
Key Cameos: Drake, among others
Essential Info: Drizzy is a busy man these days. Somewhere between working on his new album, an R&B mixtape, and possibly hitting the studio with the newly freed Lil Wayne, Drake is scheduled to launch the European leg of his tour at the top of the new year, and he's picking up a new opener for the run. Although he's replacing Tyga, he'll still have another highly lauded, up-and-coming MC: J. Cole.
While fans on both sides of the Atlantic will wonder what the two have in store, Drake told Mixtape Daily they haven't really discussed the outing yet. What they have talked about is recording together. Drake revealed that he managed to find time to do a record for Cole's mixtape Friday Night Lights, which drops on Friday.
But the Toronto lyricist warned the track might not be the lyrical face-off many are expecting.
"It's called 'In the Morning.' It's like a record for the girls," Drake told the big homie Sway over the weekend. "Me and him will probably have many opportunities to rap, and try and out-rap each other. But it's not about entertaining the 'who's better?' debate that I'm sure everybody else is engaged in."
Drake said that the two are actually friends — Drizzy shouted out Cole each night during his recent Light Dreams and Nightmares tour — and they wanted to do a record together that had nothing to do with flexing lyrical muscle. The pair just wanted to do something for the ladies.
Drake also said he and Cole haven't indulged in the kind of behind-the-scenes freestyle battles that sometimes become hip-hop lore.
"Kanye is the only guy that ever does that; he just conjures up a cipher out of nowhere. I remember when we were shooting 'Digital Girl,' and it was me, Jaime Foxx, and Dream and 'Ye, just all in one shot, and [Kanye] was like, 'Yo, what y'all got right now?' " Drake recalled.
He did admit, though, that the two young MCs might sharpen their skills across the pond.
"I think there will be plenty footage of us just spitting," Drake said.
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For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.