During the [article id="1627480"]Grammy nominations concert event[/article] on Wednesday night, short clips of some of the year's biggest songs were played before the actual nominated songs were announced.

That format threw at least one of the nominees for a loop: [artist id="2545682"]Drake[/artist] didn't even realize he'd been nominated.

The fast-rising, 23-year-old singer/rapper/actor said he was shocked to learn that he's up for two Grammys: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, both for [article id="1617293"]"Best I Ever Had,"[/article] from his [article id="1618735"]So Far Gone mixtape/album[/article].

"Every other category, they were like, 'Well, here is who had good songs this year.' I was like, 'OK, I put out a song so they put my song on the screen,' " he told MTV News after the event. "Then my road manager C.J. tapped me and said, 'No, you're nominated.' My phone started vibrating, it was surreal!"

One of the people blowing him up was his mom.

"My mother was swearing up a storm," he laughed. "She was cussing like a sailor. She's super excited -- I think she's excited. [The messages] were broken swear words and exclamation marks. She's not the best text-messaging expert! She must be excited. I think everybody who was involved in the project was patting themselves on the back, which they should."

As for what he thinks his chances might be, Drake said, "I'm 23 years old, I'm from Toronto, I'm [just] happy to be there. Whether I take them home or not, this is an amazing moment for me. Everybody knows the Grammys are the awards to receive as a musician. It symbolizes not popularity, but great music. Also, Grammys are what kept me up at night while I was in high school. Grammys are why I work so hard. This is the goal: to win a Grammy. If it happens, it'll be [marked off of my] life checklist."

He also added what he'll be doing to celebrate: "I'm gonna have a drink tonight!" he smiled. "I never get too crazy, but as a team I think we deserve it."