← Drake Decoded: How the International Star ‘Takes Care’ of Business

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By Anslem Samuel | Published November 14, 2011 | Full size is 620 × 480 pixels

YOUNG MONEY MAKER A highly coveted free agent, Drake signed a lucrative deal with rap star Lil Wayne’s Young Money, which landed him a reported $2 million advance, publishing rights to all of his songs and ceding only around 25% of his music sales revenues to the label as a "distribution fee." Strong album sales have made the deal profitable for all parties involved. After dropping his So Far Gone mixtape for free in 2009, Drake released a retail version of that same mixtape later that year that still managed to sell over 600,000 units thanks to a loyal fan base. His major label debut, Thank Me Later, sold over 1.4 million copies according to Nielsen SoundScan reports from July. Based on his track record, we can expect his follow-up, Take Care, which was released today, to perform just as strongly.

YOUNG MONEY MAKER

A highly coveted free agent, Drake signed a lucrative deal with rap star…

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