10 Ways Drake Put His City On The Map

 

“It ain't about who did it first. It's about who did it right.”

 

 

 

 

1. Drake exemplifies Canadian multiculturalism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming from a diverse family with a white Jewish Canadian mother and an African-American father, Drake truly represents Toronto’s multiculturalism. Canada prides itself on embracing a culture mosaic, where immigrants are encouraged to retain their cultural traditions and heritage. Nowhere is this more evident than in Toronto where you can find diverse neighbourhoods and people hailing from every corner of the earth.

 

 

 

2. Drake is a big supporter of his hometown teams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fan of Toronto FC soccer, he’s been credited with bringing Jermain Defoe to the city. The rapper also grew up playing hockey and has publicly shown support for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lastly, his most prominent and publicized role with a sports franchise is his role serving as a global ambassador for the Toronto Raptors. 

 

 

 

3. Drake is constantly shouting out Toronto in his songs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake may have had to leave Canada to make it big in the hip-hop game, but he always seems to find a way to give back to the city he’s from. He shouts out his hometown more consistently and frequently than arguably any other artist…ever. His references to GTA locations within his songs create intrigue around the city itself and make it appear to be both a desirable place to live or visit.

 

 

 

4. Drake advanced the Toronto rap scene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake virtually created a rap scene in an area that has never been known for rap. He made it acceptable, and even cool for rappers to sound patriotic of Canada, in a time where most of the world was focused on American culture and American rappers. While artists like K-OS, K’naan and Kardinal have all given notable nods to Toronto in the past, it is Drake who has truly established Toronto as a credible place for hip-hop artists to originate from.

 

 

 

5. Drake films many of his music videos in Toronto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake has filmed many of his music videos within Toronto and the surrounding areas. For example “Headlines”, as well as “5 AM In Toronto” were both shot in Toronto, and his smash hit “Started From The Bottom” was filmed in a multitude of Ontario locations. The “Started From The Bottom” video features Drake doing everything from flying around the CN tower in a private jet, to dancing around in Shopper’s Drugmart, to whipping through the streets of his hometown in a white Bentley.

 

 

 

6. Drake hosts his annual OVO Fest in Toronto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OVO Fest, which was named after Drake’s record label, is an event Drake holds annually and exclusively in Toronto. Tickets are notoriously hard to get and the concert just seems to get bigger and better each year. He always pulls out all of the stops for his city, inviting some of the biggest names to preform. He’s had everyone, from: Eminem to Stevie Wonder to Jay-Z to Kanye West, the list goes on.

 

 

 

 

7. Drake looks out for his fellow Canadian artists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake frequently promotes Toronto artists on his blog and twitter. There may be no better example of this than when Drake posted The Weeknd’s music on his blog, who has since gone on to become a global superstar.Drake also makes a habit of signing Canadian talent to his record label. Examples of this are Torontonian duo Majid Jordan, Mississauga native PartyNextDoor and Roy Woods who hails from Brampton Ontario.

 

 

 

8. Drake shows love for Toronto’s party scene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake’s vast social network has helped change the perception of Toronto, which all of a sudden is the place to be. NBA players and other music artists love coming here for the weekend to party, gaining the city the reputation as a hot party spot. Drake also aids Toronto tourism by opening up his own businesses here, for example his restaurant Fring’s on King Street or his OVO store on Dundas.

 

 

 

 

9. Drake gave Toronto it’s own nickname

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toronto has gone through its fair share of nicknames in the past, but it seems almost overnight every millennial in Toronto dropped them in favour of “The 6” (sometimes written “The 6ix”). The nickname originates from Toronto’s two main area codes (416 and 467), and was created by none other than Drake himself. The phrase is featured on many of his songs, and now it’s all over the streets of Toronto.

 

 

 

10. Drake created a Toronto anthem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drake reps his city so hard he even created an anthem exclusively for the 6ix. Apparently this has been a goal of his for some time, in a Fader interview he said,“I told myself, over the duration of my career, I would definitely have a song that strictly belonged to Toronto but that the world embraced. So, ‘Know Yourself’ was a big thing off my checklist.” He has definitely reached his goal, because everyone in The Six has been running around with their woes ever since.