I attended the autograph signing earlier this week and boy was it crazy! Many fans lined up at HMV overnight even though they were guaranteed a spot to meet him after getting a special laminate for being one of the first 500 people to buy his album. I went there about 3 hours before the signing and hung out with some friends before hand.
Once people were let into the store, everyone went crazy, super excited to see Drake. They let people in chunks so that the store wouldn't get too crowded and uncontrollable. The promoters of the signing, radio station Flow 93.5, hosted the event and told everyone the rules of the signing which were no photographs with Drake (to make the signing go faster apparently) and to have ONE item ready to be signed by Drake (once again to make the signing go faster).
Although I was a little disappointed about the picture, I was super excited that I would be meeting Drake in just a few minutes. The "no pictures and one item signed only" rule did make the meet and greet go a lot faster and it felt like only seconds before it was my turn to go up. Super excited, I was at a loss for words when I was face-to-face with one of the freshest rappers in the game!
Drake shook my hand and began signing my copy of his CD. He asked who he should make it out to, and I spelt out my name, K-H-I-Z-E-R. He replied, "that sounds like an ill name bro." I asked him to try and pronounce it and like the first reaction I always get with my name, he pronounced, "KAISER??" (like the bun). I was laughed and told him how its actually pronounced and he replied, "Khizer! (with the right pronunciation) damn that's even more tight!!" He shook my hand again and security then started rushing me out. Starstruck wasn't the feeling I had but it was more really just super happy and excited to have met a person I really admire and have respect for. What made me even more happy was how down to earth and caring he was for all his fans! Despite his crazy security, Drake really showed interest in meeting each one of his fans and had a genuine smile for each person that came up. Despite the "one item" rule, he signed multiple things for others (something I found out later on) and was just really humble, sincere and genuine.
From his beginnings on long running Canadian TV show, Degrassi The Next Generation, to his mixtapes that got mad attention, Drake has come a very long way! He finally released his debut last week and it debuted at number 1 both in the US and in Canada! The album features many high profile collaborations featuring Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, T.I., Kanye West, Boi1Da, Timbaland just to name a few! It is one of the best hip hop debuts in a really long time and is such a solid album that everyone should definitely check out...even if you're not a fan of the genre! Here's hoping he remembers my name!
Check out Drake on Twitter at www.twitter.com/drakkardnoir and on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/thisisdrake!
Photo credits go to the ATF (All Things Fresh) blog; the biggest Drake fan site! Check it out here: http://allthings-fresh.net/.
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