Drake Calls Nicki Minaj’s Breakout Year ‘Incredible’.

Drake compared the success of his and Minaj’s debuts with Weezy’s opening-week sales of Tha Carter III, saying each subsequent project further cemented the collective’s status.

“I think it’s crazy that somehow, some higher power brought all these individuals together,” Drake told MTV News on the set of Minaj’s “Moment 4 Life” video. “I remember being on the [tour] bus when Wayne played me Tha Carter III, which went on to sell a million copies in one week. Then it was Thank Me Later. It was this big pressure, and that went on to sell what it did.

“And now,” he continued, “to think of the girl that I used to ride the bus with — and that’s what she was to me: this girl that I rode the bus with. I was like, ‘Female rap?’ And I’m being dead honest with you. [I thought,] ‘Man, it’s been a while since there’s been a female rapper, and I’m curious to see how this works.’

“It’s not that I didn’t believe,” he added. “And she was probably looking at me like, ‘This Jew from Canada: I don’t know.’ ”

And now, after the successful debut of Minaj’s Pink Friday, the Toronto lyricist said he couldn’t be happier for the “Right Thru Me” star.

“It’s amazing now to see her come into her own, build this brand and persona,” he said. “It’s incredible.”