Drake took hip-hop by storm with his platinum-selling debut. But he’s not letting the success get to his head. The Canadian rapper returned home to record his sophomore album Take Care, and offered a sneak peek into the low-key recording sessions.

Young Money’s breakout star invited Rolling Stone to preview several tracks in various stages of completion. “I hate singles. … With this album, I want to tell a whole story,” explained the 24-year-old of the follow-up to Thank Me Later. “I don’t want people to just hear a piece and judge the album on that.”

He has been recording in longtime producer Noah “40” Shebib’s studio in Toronto. “This is home,” he said. “If I’m in a big expensive studio, it starts messing with my head about what kind of music I should be making.”

With his second offering, he’s taking it slow and delving further into his emotions. “I wasn’t able to slow down and realize what was going on around me,” he said of his debut. “The whole process has been about slowing life down and really pinpointing emotions.”

Among the tracks set to make the cut is the melancholy “Shot for Me,” produced by 40, which may serve as the album’s opener. “Bitch, I’m the man,” he moans over aching synthesizers and high-hats.

Rick Ross appears on “Free Spirit,” which includes the refrain “Tat my name on you so I know it’s real,” while his YMCMB cohort Lil Wayne spits a verse on “The Real Her,” which is described as “a narcotically woozy love song with detuned pianos.”

Drake is eyeing collaborations with The Weeknd, DJ Premier, Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch, and the xx’s Jamie Smith before the project’s release on October 24.