How Drake built an empire that went far beyond his music
'I tell every artist ... in the beginning, we need to be thinking about growing your brand' — Cortez Bryant
"Sure I could cheer them on and wear the jersey but I'd rather revamp the team, I want to put my input into the building. I want to make it more exciting, I want to make it more fanatic. It's just something that I've always wanted to do." — Drake
His love for the Raptors knows no bounds, but Drake's relationship with the Toronto NBA team isn't solely about devotion: the rapper, now global Raptors ambassador, has successfully made a business out of his fandom.
It's a key to his success that goes far beyond streaming records and chart-topping successes. From TV to film to fashion to, most recently, marijuana, Drake has built his brand from the very beginning, making sure his eggs are in the smartest of baskets. In "Creating the Empire," episode 7 of the CBC Gem series Drake's Plan, we look at how Drake has acquired his mogul status.
"He's making those decisions very wisely," Wu-Tang Clan's RZA says in the episode. "Everything is not just oh because somebody's calling, they want you to come do that. He's not quick on those endorsements. He's selective on those endorsements. It's more of a sniper attack."
Watch a clip from the episode, above, and head to CBC Gem to view the full thing. For all of our Decade of Drake coverage, go to cbc.ca/music/decadeofdrake.