Drake ‘Came So Close’ to Justin Timberlake Collaboration on ‘Take Care’

Rick Ross. Rihanna. Lil Wayne. Stevie Wonder! It’s a crowded guest list on “Take Care”, Drake’s sophomore album due out tomorrow (Nov. 15), but in an exclusive interview in early October, the rapper told Billboard that there was one guest appearance that he wasn’t able to make happen.

“I mean I really wanted to work with Justin Timberlake on this project”, says Drake, “and we came so close man, so close. He’s just super busy, and not in the music mindset right now as far as creating”.

Indeed, aside from promoting the rap-rock group FreeSol on his Tennman Records label, Timberlake has used 2011 to focus on acting opportunities, including starring roles in “In Time” and “Bad Teacher”. But Drake believes that, once Timberlake does return to the studio, a collaboration will happen, and that producer Noah “40” Shebib would add an interesting layer to the pop star’s sound.

“The song was gonna be dope”, says Drake. “It was solid – a solid little look. But he’s so immersed in the acting thing, and I don’t blame him, he’s doing great at it. He was just like, ‘I really want to work, I just can’t do it right now. But we’ll work as soon as I’m back in the studio’.

“So he gave me his word on that, so I’m looking forward to looking with him”, Drake continues. “Even just giving him some ideas, writing, him working with [producer Noah “40” Shebib], I think that would just sound crazy, Justin Timberlake and 40. Half the time, I just want artists to work on 40’s beats, I don’t even really want to intrude. I just want to hear them. 40 has so many ideas, and I’d love to hear an artist like Justin Timberlake to see what he and 40 could come up with, but that was the one person that I was sorta like, ‘Damn!’ But we’ll get it though”.