Question: What did Drake do prior to working with Ricci Riera?

Context articles: Drake (musician)
Always Never Home
12 (ASAP Twelvyy album)
God (Kendrick Lamar song)
The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake
Damn (Kendrick Lamar album)
Element (song)
Tonino Ricci
Ricci Riera
Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.
 Drake initially gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series "" in the early 2000s.
 Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper, he departed the series in 2007 following the release of his debut mixtape, "Room for Improvement".
 He released two further independent projects, "Comeback Season" and "So Far Gone", before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.
Always Never Home is an extended play by American singer Syd.
 It was released on September 7, 2017, via Columbia Records for streaming and digital download.
 The project succeeds Syd's debut album "Fin" (2017), released seven months prior.
 Consisting of three tracks, the EP includes production from Ricci Riera, Full Crate, Anonxmous, Gwenn Bunn and Kintaro.
12 is the debut studio album by American rapper ASAP Twelvyy.
 It was released on August 4, 2017, by ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records.
 The album features guest appearances from Joey Badass, Telana, Flatbush Zombies, Fredro Starr, ASAP Rocky, ASAP Ferg, ASAP Ant and ASAP Nast.
 It also lists production from Finatik N Zac, Harry Fraud, Hector Delgado, Jim Jonsin, Maaly Raw, P on the Boards, Ricci Riera, among others.
"God" (stylized as "GOD.")
 is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fourth studio album "Damn", released on April 14, 2017.
 The thirteenth and penultimate track on the album, the song was written by Lamar, Ricci Riera, Mark Spears, aka Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Daniel Tannenbaum, Ronald LaTour and Anthony Tiffith, and produced by Riera, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Bëkon, Cardo, and Tiffith.
The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake, an album by English folk group the Unthanks, was pre-released on the band's website in April 2017, prior to its official release on 26 May 2017 and received a five-starred review in "The Independent".
 It contains recordings of songs and poems written by Molly Drake, the mother of Nick Drake, and recitations of Molly's poems by her daughter Gabrielle Drake.
 An album of further poems and songs, The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake: Extras, was released simultaneously.
Damn (stylized as DAMN.)
 is the fourth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.
 It was released on April 14, 2017, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
 The album features production from a variety of record producers, including executive producer from the Top Dawg Entertainment label-head Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Mike Will Made It and Ricci Riera; as well as production contributions from James Blake, Steve Lacy, BadBadNotGood, Greg Kurstin, The Alchemist and 9th Wonder, among others.
"Element" (stylized as "ELEMENT.")
 is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fourth studio album "Damn", released on April 14, 2017.
 The fourth track on the album, the song was written by Lamar, Mark Spears, aka Sounwave, James Blake, and Ricci Riera and produced by Sounwave, Blake, and Riera, with additional production by Tae Beast and Bēkon.
Tonino Ricci (23 October 1927 – 9 March 2014), sometimes credited as Anthony Richmond, was an Italian film director and screenwriter.
 Ricci was born Teodoro Ricci in Rome on October 23, 1927.
 He began working in film as an assistant director in the early 1960s and is credited in such films as "The Mercenaries" (1961), "Sword of the Conqueror" (1961), and "Superargo and the Faceless Giants" (1968).
 He made his directorial debut with the 1969 war film "The Liberators".
Ricci Riera, is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Los Angeles, California.
 He is best known for his production with notable hip hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, and ASAP Rocky among others.
 Aside from his solo production, Riera was previously a member of the Grammy Nominated LA production duo THC.
 Riera scored his first Grammy nomination as a solo producer with "U Wit Me?"
 on the second best selling album of 2016, Views.
 Ricci most recently appeared twice on Kendrick Lamar's much anticipated 3rd studio album Damn.
 producing on songs "Element" co produced by James Blake and "God".
Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci is the first album by Felt, an American alternative hip hop duo made up of Murs and Slug.
 It is entirely produced by Living Legends member The Grouch and it contains scratches provided by Mr. Dibbs.
 The album is dedicated to actress Christina Ricci because when the two first met they were both working on songs about her.