Drake has found success in TV and music, but could movies be the next frontier? The actor-turned-rapper is in negotiations to star in the financial thriller Arbitrage alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
According to showbiz website TheWrap, Nicholas Jarecki (The Outsider) is writing and directing the indie film, which follows a hedge fund magnate who tries to sell his shady trading empire to the bank before his fraudulent ways are exposed. But a costly mistake forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help in protecting him from rivals.
Other actors attached to the project include Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon, and Eva Green. Production is scheduled to commence in March in New York.
The Canadian star rose to fame playing Jimmy Brooks in the teen drama “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Arbitrage would mark his second appearance on the big screen following a small role in the 2007 film Charlie Bartlett.
Drake and J. Cole brought their European tour to Paris’ Zénith de Paris concert hall on Friday night (Jan. 21). Cole warmed up the excited crowd with material from his upcoming debut and mixtapes before Drizzy ripped the stage with hits off Thank Me Later, including “Over” and “Fancy.”
The young phenoms teamed up to perform “In the Morning,” a cut off the Roc Nation rapper’s latest mixtape Friday Night Lights, which was filmed for a music video.
They will travel to Belgium next before returning to the U.S.
Drake and his Young Money Afro hit the Zenith de Paris Concert Hall in Paris last night for his European tour with J.Cole. Sherbert got things going throwing bolders and pebbles at the ground by performing “Forever” then driving into “Up All Night” sans Nicki Minaj. Surprisingly he jumped into “Unstoppable” which sounds pretty dope live. In other news, Sherbert and J.Cole have filmed a visual for “Up In The Morning.” Nice. Catch Drake perform “The Resistance” after the jump.
Lil Wayne makes Drake think twice while working on Tha Carter IV, he tells Tim Westwood in his interview in London + why when Lil Wayne makes him nervous its always a good thing.
On January 16th, Drake was on his international swag in Berlin, Germany. To woo the ladies, not only did he kill the song, he also performed in a wife-beater – Also posted is some footage + photos from that night. Drake‘s next tour stop is in Amsterdam tonight followed by Paris and Brussels.
Drake counts Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and André 3000 among his influences, but you would probably be surprised to hear that Winnie the Pooh also had a major impact on him, and even inspired his new album.
While his peers are spending their money on jewelry and cars, the “Fancy” rapper splurged on the first edition of Charlotte’s Web and the first four books in the Winnie the Pooh series. “I bought the first-ever Winnie the Pooh books, like all four Winnie the Pooh books,” he told DJ Semtex during his recent trip to the U.K. “It cost me a lot of pounds, man. I probably could have bought a small car for that.”
The pricey books reminded Drizzy of his youth. “They were a huge part of my childhood,” he explained to BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw.
While he admits that “Winnie the Pooh is like super not hip-hop,” the honey-loving bear has left his sticky paws on Drake’s new music. “That’s my influence, man, Winnie the Pooh on this next album,” he revealed.
The follow-up to Drake’s debut will arrive sometime in 2011, but he is in no hurry to release it. “Thank Me Later was a rushed album. I didn’t get to take the time that I wanted to on that record. I rushed a lot of the songs and sonically I didn’t get to sit with the record and say, ‘OK, well maybe I should change this verse.’ Once it was done, it was done. That’s why my new album is called Take Care ’cause I get to take my time this go-round.”
For those that had the opportunity to be at the Apple Store event last month we premiered Drizzy’s Test Shot. We shot this one on a soundstage while filming the TV campaign for Thank Me Later. It incapsulates everything I love about Test Shots. Not just the amazing style but the personality and layers of people. In this case the iconism of one of our generation’s new stars.
“Drake, can you spin for me?” “What, Jake you trying to kill my career overnight?!?” Hahaha… Much thanks to Drake, Oliver, and the whole OVO set. Much more to come in the new year. I promise…
The good folks over at SoulCulture caught up with Drake during his UK excursion for their new feature “My Favorite Verse.” Sherbert reveals that his verse from “The Calm” from his So Far Gone mixtape is his favorite verse due to the circumstances he was involved in family wise. Deep stuff.
Before October’s Very Own hit the stage at the Apollo during his UK tour, Drizzy chatted it up with DJ Semtex on his next album Take Care, UK artists, and how his debut LP, Thank Me Later was a rushed project.
Who will be on Drake’s arm at the Grammys? The Young Money rapper has revealed his date for music’s biggest night.
Drizzy will be taking his mother to the awards show for the second year in a row. She will be cheering him on as he competes in four categories at the 53rd annual ceremony next month. “My mother had surgery and she is like super, super excited for these Grammy Awards,” he told Tim Westwood. “She keeps saying it every single day.”
Always the perfect gentleman, the Canadian star is making sure the most important lady in his life looks good on Grammy night. “We got four nominations this year. I gotta bring moms. We gotta get her right too. I gotta get her something special,” he said about outfitting her in designer duds.
Drake will vie for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance, and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, airing February 13 at 8 p.m. from Los Angeles.
Drake’s contribution to Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV is officially in the bag. But fans may hear more than one collaboration between the Young Money rappers when the album arrives, and possibly even a joint project in the future.
“Yeah, we got it already. We’ve done a great song,” Drizzy confirmed to BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Tim Westwood, adding, “And then we’re gonna do another [record] and another one probably.”
In addition, a full-length collaborative album could be in the works. “We still gotta do that album. I heard some other guys are coming out with an album too,” he said, referring to Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne.
Weezy’s protégé wants to let his mentor release his much-anticipated album before he drops his sophomore set Take Care. “I gotta let Carter IV do its thing because I don’t want to be anywhere in the vicinity when that goes down. You wanna be out of the way when that goes down.”
While in the U.K., Drake also shared plans to collaborate with The xx’s Jamie Smith and Florence + the Machine. “We listened to all [Florence Welch's] new music and I picked which song I really want to get on,” he told BBC Radio 1.
January 22nd, 2011 
Rey 
– Also posted is some footage + photos from that night. Drake‘s next tour stop is in Amsterdam tonight followed by Paris and Brussels.
