Drake speaks with Complex about his relationship with Lil Wayne, drawing inspiration from former girlfriends, and the deets on his eagerly-awaited debut album, Thank Me Later.

“The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don’t write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there’s so much of me I have to give that I don’t know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I’m a great rapper. There’s two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the shit that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don’t feel like I don’t belong there. When I listen to “Forever,” with three of my heroes, I fit right in…”