With all of the hype surrounding Canadian import Drake, it’s hard to believe the hip-hop newcomer hasn’t released his debut album yet. Drake’s long-awaited debut album, Thank Me Later, has had several different release dates since 2009, but on the first stop of his Away From Home Tour in Slippery Rock, Penn. on April 5, Drake told the crowd it would arrive on June 15. Billboard.com reported that Drake has already released the first single off his debut, “Over,” which is currently holding the No. 13 spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart and the No. 22 spot on the Hot 100 Chart. In March, a song titled “Shut It Down” featuring The-Dream leaked online, and at his April 5 gig the Toronto-bred MC unveiled another new song called “Fireworks.”

Also on the opening night of his Away From Home Tour, Drake spoke with MTV News about shooting the video for “Over,” revealing that it will arrive in the near future. “It captures…it takes the song to another place,” said Drake. “It offers up a whole different look for the song. The song-to a lot of people-is ignorant, it’s club. The video is what I was really thinking about. The song is like a bad dream-but it’s not a bad dream, it’s not a terrible dream. It’s a little evil. The video really reflects that. It’s a struggle between the purities of my past life and what this new life has to offer.” MTV News also revealed in early April that Lil Wayne makes a cameo on Drake’s forthcoming album on a track called Brand Cialis “Miss Me.”

Drake paid tribute to his mentor Lil Wayne while stopping on tour at Eastern Illinois University on April 6, asking the packed crowd, “Who misses the greatest rapper of all time?” The 23-year-old MC continued to tell the audience, “I talk to Weezy every day,” reported Rolling Stone, before performing “I’m Going In” and leading his fans in chanting “Free Weezy!” His 70-minute set list also featured performances of “Forever,” “Unstoppable,” “Uptown,” “Lust For Life,” “November 18,” “Money to Blow,” “A Night Off,” “Successful,” “Fear,” “Invented Sex,” “Best I Ever Had,” “Over” and more.

The Away From Home Tour is Drake’s first North American solo road trip and sees the MC bringing along New York synth-pop band Francis & the Lights and fellow Canadian rapper/singer K-OS for the ride. Drake will remain on the road through May, stopping in North American cities like Rochester Hills, Mich.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Orlando, Fla.; Greenville, S.C.; Lexington, Ky.; Lowell, Mass.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Baltimore, Md.; San Francisco, Calif.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Dallas, Texas; Austin, Silagra Texas and more. For tickets to hear songs off Drake’s forthcoming debut live, get your Drake tickets online.

Although Drake’s current outing might be his first solo outing, he has experience on the road thanks to his participation in the “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival” featuring headliner Lil Wayne. For his own tour, however, Drake decided to go green, adopting an eco-friendly policy which sees the Toronto MC pairing with non-profit Reverb to employ biodiesel fuel and biodegradable and recyclable products on his tour bus and backstage.

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Category: Music
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