For almost a decade and a half, Drake has dominated rap and music in general. His approach has been to strike the iron while it’s hot as he always manages to continue being a relevant figure in Hip-Hop and pop culture even during years when he doesn’t release a project. This also applies to his business outside of music. Being one of the top names in music can give a person like Drake the finances to form a business and also create interest from business minds to collaborate with him. Here are six business ventures that Drake has pursued.
5 Toronto Raptors
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Before the start of the 2013-14 season, Drake officially became the Toronto Raptors ambassador. At the time of the hire, the team went through a rough patch and missed the postseason in five consecutive seasons. This partnership made sense from both sides. Drake being one of the biggest celebrities out of Canada ever creates some hype to a struggling NBA franchise. The Raptors turned around their woes since the partnership began. They made seven straight playoff appearances and won their first championship in 2019. It is up for debate on how much of a role has with the Raptors, but what can’t be denied is their success since his tenure and some of their jersey designs being inspired by Drake’s OVO label logo.
4 SiriusXM
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Two years ago, Drake launched his radio station Sound 42 for SiriusXM. Drake’s manager, Oliver El-Khatib, said “I’m excited to announce this new platform Andy this new opportunity that we have with SiriusXM, a 24-hour, round- the-clock curated music station bringing the people that have trusted in us for years the same thing that we’ve always delivered.” The station is being used as a new platform for his show OVO Sound Radio, which was previously on Apple Music from 2015 until 2018. Music wise, it features songs from Drake himself, artists on his OVO label, dancehall, r&b and more. Drake would not be the first rapper to launch a radio station on SiriusXM. This also includes Eminem with Shade45 and LL Cool J Rock the Bells Classic Hip Hop station.
3 OVO Label
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October’s Very Own, better known as OVO seems to be the glue and the inspiration behind some of Drake’s other business ventures. He along with longtime friends Noah “40” Shebib, a producer Drake frequently collaborates with, and Oliver El-Khatib launched the OVO label in 2012. But the roots of the OVO brand go as early as 2008 when Drake first met El-Khatib. It started as a Myspace page where they would post music, fashion and other content. El-Khatib discussed the early years of OVO and said, “At the time he [Drake] wanted to transition into a music career, so he started doing photo shoots and experimented with a brand for himself outside of acting. I was there alongside him in its early stages.” Now OVO has turned into everything that Drake and his circle had envisioned from the beginning. OVO has stores that sell a variety of items from clothes to notebooks and made about $50 million in 2018. Artists currently signed to OVO include PartyNextDoor, DVSN, Majid Jordan, Roy Woods, Popcaan and Baka Not Nice.
2 Dreamcrew
In 2017, Drake and close friend Adel Future Nur launched DreamCrew. Their website describes it as “a management company and entertainment group; Producing Film, Television and special Projects as well as overseeing Drake’s professional career and business portfolio.” Their debut project in 2017, The Carter Effect, documents the influence that NBA superstar Vince Carter had on basketball in Canada during his tenure with the Toronto Raptors. Dreamcrew collaborated with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s production company Uninterrupted on this documentary. Other projects include the film Spree, documentary Ready for War, TV series The 48 Laws of Power, and most notably the HBO series Euphoria. Euphoria has been nominated for 37 awards, winning 11 and three of them including Primetime Emmy Awards wins. With his many connections to A list celebrities, producers, executives, and his successful first few years with Dreamcrew, there’s potential for even bigger projects in the near future.
1 Virginia Black
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Virginia Black is a whiskey that is the result of a partnership between Drake and DeLeón Tequila founder Brent Hocking. It started to hit stores in New York, Nevada and California on May 1, 2016. Maxim.com said that the whiskey “will have a high rye content and comes in a very expensive looking black and gold metallic decanter style bottle, though apparently the price point will be ‘accessible.’ ” Later in 2016, it was revealed that Virginia Black was the highest selling liquor in Canada. The Toronto Star reported the whiskey set launch sales records. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario moved 1,779 bottles to 220 stores. The brand has been steadily growing in the last five years with Drake and his father promoting it in ads and the increase of locations where it’s sold.
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Sources: ESPN, Billboard, Business of Fashion, OVO Sound, Dreamcrew, Slam Online, IMDb, Maxim, First We Feast
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