Drake had some exciting news for his hometown fans on Friday night (August 2) at Budweiser Stage in Toronto.
After surprising the crowd with a full set of R&B songs, he announced that he’s working on a new collaborative album with his OVO labelmate PartyNextDoor.
“On behalf of me and Party, we’ve been working on something for y’all,” he announced at the end of the concert. “So, you get the summer over with, you do what you need to do. I know all you girls are outside. When it gets a little chilly, PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting right there for you.”
It was actually PartyNextDoor’s concert, not Drake’s — the Toronto date of the Mississauga rapper’s Sorry I’m Outside Tour — but he ceded the stage to his famous collaborator for nearly a whole hour at the end of his show. PartyNextDoor finished his own set — already a career-spanning show filled with R&B hits and slow-burning deep cuts from a decade of recording — then, after the stage set was changed over, the lights came back on with Drake standing in front of the microphone instead of him.
“I’m here tonight as a thank you,” he said, “to each and every one of you for all your years of unwavering support.”
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While shouting out Toronto is always good for a cheap pop from his local fans, Drake’s words felt genuine at this show. At a time when Kendrick Lamar’s ubiquitous diss track “Not Like Us” is contending for the song of the summer and even longtime friends are throwing their support behind it, it makes sense for Drake to do something special for the fans who’ve stood by him the most.
He said he had never done a full show of just R&B songs before, but he has more than enough to fill a strong setlist. He stuck mostly to one register: Drake with the melodies.
He nodded to Caribbean Carnival happening this weekend in Toronto with his Caribana ’99 tank top. That’s usually the weekend he puts on OVO Fest, but this was a little different than that yearly triumphant special-guest fest. Instead, it was a set filled with deeper cuts he rarely performs and one he debuted live for the first time.
He started with “Sweeterman,” the smooth 2015 remix of Mississauga artist RamRiddlz that he hasn’t played in years. Then came the first live performance of “Wah Gwan Delilah.” It was definitely a surprise. When Drake jumped on Snowd4y’s viral patois-laden cover of Plain White T’s emo-pop ballad “Hey There Delilah,” it was so divisive and strange that many people couldn’t figure out if it was really him or an AI deepfake. On this night, it was definitely him singing, and the crowd loved it.
Drake went back into his discography for “Practice” from Take Care and “Connect” from Nothing Was the Same, then got newer with “Finesse,” “Pipe Down” and “Redemption” — lower-key favorites from albums like Scorpion, Views and Certified Lover Boy. He brought up another OVO artist, Roy Woods, to play “Drama,” their vibey 2015 song.
Then, he brought back PartyNextDoor for a few collaborative songs, including the PND hit “Come and See Me.” Drake offered a lot of praise for him. He called him “the King of R&B” and his favorite R&B singer of all time, crediting him for inspiring him and “changing my life and changing my sound.” He even shouted out PartyNextDoor’s parents, who were in the audience.
With a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor on the horizon, we could hear a lot more of Drake’s softer side soon.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.