Drake

Drake Praises J. Cole And Calls Him ‘One Of The Greatest Rappers’ During ‘The Off-Season Tour’

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Drake and J. Cole have remained open about their friendship over the years. The two rappers have collaborated on a number of occasions, including on J. Cole’s “In The Morning” and Drake’s “Jodeci Freestyle.” More recently, Cole released “Heaven’s EP,” a freestyle that found him rapping over Drake’s “Pipe Down.” This freestyle became the center of a warm moment between the two, as Cole brought Drake out during the first stop of The Off-Season Tour in Miami on Friday night.

“I gotta say this ‘cause I don’t always wanna have a heartfelt moment when we’re on stage together,” Drake said after gracing the crowd with a performance of “Way 2 Sexy,” his No. 1 hit with Future and Young Thug. “You know, you did that ‘Pipe Down’ freestyle the other day. You was sayin’ in the freestyle that they gave you the bronze or whatever, me and Kendrick [Lamar]…I just want you to understand something. You are genuinely, without a doubt, one of the greatest rappers to ever touch a mic.”

The moment on the song that Drake is referring to finds Cole rapping, “Some people say that I’m running third, they threw the bronze at me / Behind Drake and Dot, yeah, them n****s is superstars to me.”

You can watch the rappers share the stage together in the videos above.

NBA Youngboy’s Sincerely, Kentrell Tops CLB

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YoungBoy Never Broke Again

NBA Youngboy has finally dropped his long-awaited album while incarcerated “Sincerely Kentrell” with no features. The album has only been out for 10 hours and is already at the top of Apple Music charts placing Drake’s Certified Lover Boy at second place. NBA Tops Drake In Only 10 Hours NBA Youngboy hasn’t dropped any new […]

Drake Dedicates His Latest Nike Nocta Golf Line To His Uncle Steve

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Drake’s fondness for basketball is no secret, but it might surprise fans to find that The Boy’s latest Nocta Nike collaboration focuses on golf instead of hoops. The new drop, which became available today, features 10 signature pieces inspired by Nike’s broader links collection. Items in it put unique spins on the usual golf attire, such as providing mock neck short-sleeved shirts in place of the usual collared shirts, as well as useful accessories like sunglasses and visor hats.

In a separate post on his own Instagram page, Drake explained the reasoning behind releasing a golf line, dedicating the collection to one of his “idols”: His uncle Steve, who introduced him to the game. “A collection dedicated to one of my idols,” he wrote. “A man who took me under his wing and showed me much of what life had to offer and even more so what your own life can become when you are dedicated and loyal. My grandmother Evelyn Sher has a resting place close to the King Valley Golf Club and our drives and visits to that course hold some of my most valuable life lessons and will forever be cherished.”

The Stephen Sher Nocta Golf collection is available now. A few of the pieces are already sold out, but you can check it out here.

J. Cole Uses Drake’s ‘Pipe Down’ To Grapple With Fame And Success On ‘Heaven’s EP’

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After going more than three years without a solo album, J. Cole made his return earlier this year with The Off-Season. The 12-track project saw the rapper step away from his formula of working without guest features. Instead, it included appearances from Bas, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Morray, and 6lack. Four months after its release, Cole is back in action with a new remix of Drake’s “Pipe Down” called “Heaven’s EP.”

A video for the remix shows him riding around Las Vegas, as well as relaxing in the city’s Flamingo Hotel & Casino and on a plane as Bas sits beside him. The track finds Cole grappling with fame and success.

“Heaven’s EP” comes weeks after Cole teamed with Bas and Lil Tjay for their single “The Jackie.” That track also came with a video, which found the trio cruising around New York. Cole is also gearing up to hit the road soon, accompanied by 21 Savage and Morray, for The Off-Season Tour, which kicks off later this week in Miami. It was also recently announced that comedian Druski will join the rappers as a host for the tour, presumably to make people laugh.

You can watch the video for “Heaven’s EP” above.

Drake And The Weeknd Are The Subjects Of A New Class At A Toronto College

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Over the past decade-plus, Drake and The Weeknd have become two of the most prominent musical figures in pop culture, so much so that at least one professor thinks they’re worth spending an entire semester studying. Writer and teacher Dalton Higgins will teach a course titled “RTA 950: Selected Topics In Media — Deconstructing Drake And The Weeknd” at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

In an Instagram post about the course, Higgins explained his motivation behind creating the class, writing:

“There are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy. Also, I’ve been kicking around the Hip Hop Ed scene for years and have seen some great courses being taught in the USA about Jay Z (Georgetown University), Outkast (Armstrong State University), Beyonce (there are MANY Bey courses; Arizona State, University of Texas; Rutgers University). Plus the University of Arizona offers a minor in Hip Hop Studies, and Mcnally Smith College in Minnesota offers a hip hop diploma. […] Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega successful.”

As Daily Hive notes, Higgins published an unofficial Drake biography in 2012 and has been teaching hip-hop-related courses at Toronto universities for the past decade.

Drake And The Weeknd Are The Subjects Of A New Class At A Toronto College

by
Getty Image

Over the past decade-plus, Drake and The Weeknd have become two of the most prominent musical figures in pop culture, so much so that at least one professor thinks they’re worth spending an entire semester studying. Writer and teacher Dalton Higgins will teach a course titled “RTA 950: Selected Topics In Media — Deconstructing Drake And The Weeknd” at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

In an Instagram post about the course, Higgins explained his motivation behind creating the class, writing:

“There are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy. Also, I’ve been kicking around the Hip Hop Ed scene for years and have seen some great courses being taught in the USA about Jay Z (Georgetown University), Outkast (Armstrong State University), Beyonce (there are MANY Bey courses; Arizona State, University of Texas; Rutgers University). Plus the University of Arizona offers a minor in Hip Hop Studies, and Mcnally Smith College in Minnesota offers a hip hop diploma. […] Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega successful.”

As Daily Hive notes, Higgins published an unofficial Drake biography in 2012 and has been teaching hip-hop-related courses at Toronto universities for the past decade.

The Kid Laroi And Justin Bieber’s ‘Stay’ Reclaims Its No. 1 Spot On The Hot 100

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Last week was absolutely massive for Drake, as nine of the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart were from his new album, Certified Lover Boy. Now, interest in the album has naturally cooled off some, enough for him to lose the No. 1 spot: On the chart dated September 25, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” returns to the top of the chart for its fifth total week.

That said, Drake is still doing quite well on the Hot 100, as he currently has three songs in the top 10 spots: “Way 2 Sexy” featuring Future and Young Thug (at No. 2), “Knife Talk” featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat (No. 4), and “Girls Want Girls” featuring Lil Baby (No. 10).

Meanwhile, Bieber spends his 30th week with a No. 1 song on the Hot 100, which moves him up the all-time list in that regard, into a 15th-place tie with Paul McCartney. He still has a ways to go to catch up with the leaders of that rank, though: Ahead of him are Mariah Carey (84 weeks), Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Drake (52), and a handful of others.

As far as other noteworthy chart entries, there’s Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like,” which has risen to N0. 5 and become the year’s highest-charting country song following a remix featuring Kesha (although Kesha is not credited on the song as it appears on the Hot 100).

Drake Is Now A Certified Chicken Mogul After Investing In The Dave’s Hot Chicken Restaurant Chain

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If you’ve spent any time in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, or Portland, you might be familiar with the restaurant chain Dave’s Hot Chicken. Well, Drake‘s a certified fan, because the Certified Lover Boy rapper announced on Monday that he’s taking on a minority stake in the chicken chain. “I tried the food and it was amazing,” the rapper said in a statement. “After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest.”

“Started from the bottom now we’re here. welcome to the Dave’s Hot chicken family @champagnepapi @futuretheprince,” Dave’s wrote on Instagram. “WHERE DO YOU WANT US TO OPEN A STORE NEXT.” Wow, I suddenly need to go grab some lunch. I don’t care if it’s not even 11 a.m.

Anyway, in other Drake news, Certified Lover Boy posted a huge debut last week. After delays that stretched out over eight months, the rapper released the album, which came with a stacked lineup of features: Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Kid Cudi, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla Sign, and more all appeared on the project. It wound up giving Drake his tenth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, making him one of only eight artists to do so. Now, for its second week on the chart, Certified Lover Boy maintains its position at the top.

Certified Lover Boy is out now via OVO Sound/Republic. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.