Drake counts Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and André 3000 among his influences, but you would probably be surprised to hear that Winnie the Pooh also had a major impact on him, and even inspired his new album.

While his peers are spending their money on jewelry and cars, the “Fancy” rapper splurged on the first edition of Charlotte’s Web and the first four books in the Winnie the Pooh series. “I bought the first-ever Winnie the Pooh books, like all four Winnie the Pooh books,” he told DJ Semtex during his recent trip to the U.K. “It cost me a lot of pounds, man. I probably could have bought a small car for that.”

The pricey books reminded Drizzy of his youth. “They were a huge part of my childhood,” he explained to BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw.

While he admits that “Winnie the Pooh is like super not hip-hop,” the honey-loving bear has left his sticky paws on Drake’s new music. “That’s my influence, man, Winnie the Pooh on this next album,” he revealed.

The follow-up to Drake’s debut will arrive sometime in 2011, but he is in no hurry to release it. “Thank Me Later was a rushed album. I didn’t get to take the time that I wanted to on that record. I rushed a lot of the songs and sonically I didn’t get to sit with the record and say, ‘OK, well maybe I should change this verse.’ Once it was done, it was done. That’s why my new album is called Take Care ’cause I get to take my time this go-round.”