Drake Says He Was Pressured To Change "Thank Me Later" Release, "Somebody Tried To Force Me"

Young Money's Drake recently talked about getting pressured to release his Thank Me Later debut ahead of its original June 15 date.

Drake claimed outside forces tried to make him push his release up a week.

"They tried to force me into a situation -- I'm not sure if it was the label -- [but] somebody tried to force me into a situation and drop the album June 9," Drake said in an interview. "I really was like, 'June 9 isn't enough time to let them digest all the leaked music. If they got the music already, let's let them listen to it. Let's give them that two weeks to ride around to it and talk to their friends about it.' 'Cause that way when they show up to the store, there's no pressure -- you know what you're buying. You're just going to support an artist you love and music you believe in."

Despite his album leaking last month, Drake recently said he was still confident in a June 15 release.

"I always said if I had put out an album that was poor quality and music that people didn't enjoy, then I think the leaks would hurt me," Drake said in an interview. "Because a lot of the feedback has been great. The word of mouth, music is something that is to be enjoyed. I think it can help me so, June 15th, I'm still confident."

His debut is projected to come close to gold status in its first week in stores.

According to music industry prognosticators, Drake's debut full-length studio album "Thank Me Later," which was released on Tuesday (June 15), is projected to sell in the range of 425,000 to 475,000 -- if not more -- by week's end on June 20. If it moves as much as sources think, it'll mark one of the biggest sales weeks of the year for a single album.

The rapper has already begun planning sophomore album.

Drake's debut album hasn't even hit stores yet, but he's already thinking of a second album title. Moments is the name he's been tossing around for his sophomore effort, reports the Los Angeles Times. While nothing has been set in stone, he explained the reasoning behind the title. "Hip-hop is all about moments," said the 23-year-old rapper. "You look at people who were hot three or four years ago who are sitting around reminiscing. It's fickle. It's a game of moments. I'm the moment right now."

Check out a recent Drake interview down below: