Behind The Scenes At Drake's 'Thank Me Later' Listening Session

By Erika Ramirez

There was one thing you couldn't ignore at last night’s (June 2) "Thank Me Later" listening session in New York City: Drake's megawatt smile. Seemingly worry-free about this week's Thank Me Later album leak, the handsome rapper excitedly lead a room full of industry insiders through a play-by-play of his album.

“I gave away free music for years,” Drake had tweeted earlier, alluding to the numerous mixtapes he made available for free download. “So we’re good over here,” he continued. “Just allow it to be the soundtrack to your summer and ENJOY! JUNE 15th!”

Behind a glass wall that separated him from industry guests, Drizzy solely operated the album preview and gave insight behind each track. As the night progressed, Birdman, Lauren London, Chris Brown, Bow Wow, Jay Sean and other celebs "sneaked in" to join him.

An overall feel of accomplishment and celebration flourished throughout the studio, lifting spirits and hands holding glasses of champagne.

Here are a few thoughts on tracks from Thank Me Later that won Team Blogamole's collective heart at the listening session:

Karaoke (produced by Francis & The Lights)
Showcasing vulnerability without fear of criticism, Drake shared a few words about his first love who walked away from him when he stepped into the spotlight: “There was this girl that I’ve been in love with… she told me ‘I could never be with a person like you.”

Show Me What You Got (produced by Kanye West)
This feel good track had bodies swaying back and forth,which is exactly what Drizzy was going for: "Authentic Hip-hop evokes emotion, [it] doesn't matter where it charts."

Shut It Down (featuring The-Dream, produced by Noah “40″ Shebib and Omen)
The rapper gave an empowering disclaimer on this track, saying, "I don't want you [women] to feel important because we lust for you. I want you to feel important cause y'all are individually beautiful."

Cece’s Interlude (produced by Noah “40″ Shebib)
Drake revealed the tale of a young woman he lusted over, a situation that simply didn't work out in his favor: “She told me, ‘you don’t know what you want, you just want what I can’t have,’ it stuck with me. I probably ruined her life but she’ll be alright.”

Standing by other journalists and bloggers, we will keep the rest of the album a secret.

You can have more of Drizzy before June 15, thankfully. He will be performing at Hot 97's 2010 Summer Jam on June 6 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, along with Usher, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and more!

What do you think of Thank Me Later? Tell us below or at @MTV3!

Tags drake, Kanye West, Thank Me Later, The-Dream