It's been a long time coming, but on February 14, [artist id="1244296"]Red Café[/artist] hopes to finally present to the world his labor of love.

It was 2005 when the Brooklyn MC first started buzzing with his street single "Bling Blaow," and two years later, he collaborated with DJ Envy from MTV2's "Sucker Free" to release their collaborative Co-Op street album. Now, Red looks forward to finally dropping his proper solo debut, Shakedown, on Bad Boy/ Konvict Muzik.

"February 14, Valentine's Day," Red told MTV News of his album release date, while on the video set for his current single [article id="1671185"]"Fly Together" with Rick Ross and Ryan Leslie[/article]. "I wanted to tag it with that big holiday and just give something that the people could give as a gift -- his or hers, it's all good."

Through the years, Café has had no shortage of high-powered street jams like "Da Hottest in Da Hood," "I'm Ill" with Fabolous and the Rick Ross-assisted "Faded," but his oft-delayed debut at times overshadowed his talent. Luckily, fans won't have to wait much longer, according to Red.

"We're in a good place. I'm excited about the album. I'm happy with what we have and where I'm at musically. I'm happy with the growth," he said. "We have a growing fanbase. I'm still learning a lot, but I know what my people want, and I think we have it on the album.

"I'm really, really excited. I got some big features on there, I got some big producers as well," Café said before revealing Fabolous as one of his collaborators. "I'm just ready to go. I can't wait for the tour, I can't wait for the release. I'm just ready for everything."

What are you expecting from Red's debut? Let us know in the comments!