How Drake became U of T Scarborough's most famous student (on Instagram)
Do a campus tour of UTSC with this week's Exhibitionist in Residence, U of T Drizzy
He's a Forest Hill boy who finished high school three years ago, but if you're looking for a link between Drake and the average University of Toronto dude, that's where the similarities end — which is why the Instagram account @UofTDrizzy is such a perfectly hilarious concept.
The premise is simple: Drake's enrolled at U of T Scarborough, because YOLO. And though Drizzy has name-checked Scarborough landmarks in the past — please see "Worst Behavior" and "Energy" — the lyrics dropped in the captions are pure parody, like Drake never became a superstar, but declared a sociology major straight out of Degrassi High.
U of T Drizzy takes the 38 bus to class instead of his Phantom Rolls-Royce, he raises Starbucks Ventis instead of Ace of Spades.
"I got real ones livin' past Kennedy Road"
"I just feel like if [Drake's] going to put Scarborough in your songs to give yourself credibility as a rapper, then it would be kind of funny to have him in Scarborough spaces," says the Instagrammer behind @UofTDrizzy, a (real) UTSC student who posts campus-centric views from the 6 — anonymously.
In May, images from the account will be postered all over U of T's Saint George campus as part of the Contact Photography Festival. The postering campaign is a public-art project curated by another student, Bethea Arielle Penny. (Think of it as "U of T Drizzy does U of T Saint George," the original artist says. "He'll be taking courses downtown.")
But why is the artist anonymous? According to @UofTDrizzy, they wouldn't be able to capture candid photos of student life if they didn't keep their identity secret. With an undergrad population of roughly 12,000, UTSC "is not a very big campus," they say, especially now that everyone knows about @UofTDrizzy. Drake included.
"Champagnepapi started following you"
"He seems to be enjoying it, he'll 'like' posts every now and then," says the Instagrammer. Drake started following last fall when @UofTDrizzy became a media sensation — getting featured by MTV, Complex and yes, CBC.
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What's it like to get a @champagnepapi follow if you're not Rihanna or Nicki Minaj?
"I dropped my phone because I was in shock. I actually cracked my screen," says @UofTDrizzy.
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Getting the attention of a star so big he gets away with calling himself the 6 God was never the anonymous artist's intention, though. "When I started, it was just for me, as self-care. I needed the laugh, I needed the comedic relief from my hectic schedule," the Instagrammer explains.
At first, Drake was a bit like their super-famous avatar. He'd go where they'd go during a typical day at school, and the account was like a photo diary, plus Drake.
Now, @UofTDrizzy takes tips from student groups who pray he'll turn up like an unofficial UTSC mascot — on Instagram, at least.
There's a lot of school spirit behind the account. "I feel like of all the U of Ts, Scarborough does not get a lot of love," says the Instagrammer.
What does @UofTDrizzy's world look like?
Get a virtual campus tour with this interactive map of the Instagram account.
Want more from @UofTDrizzy? Follow them on Instagram and watch Exhibitionists online or Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (5 NT) on CBC Television.