Thank Him Later

It was a highly anticipated event, The OVO festival hosted by Drake, Toronto’s Prince of HipHop, in his hometown on the weekend of Caribana; one of the biggest parades in North America. I initially thought the Molson Ampitheatre would be full of a bunch of scantily clad Degrassi fans, but to my surprise, Drake generated interest from all kinds of people, I’ve never seen a more diverse crowd at a Concert. Given that it was Caribana weekend, a lot of Americans attended, donning T-shirts representing their states/cities, but they were outnumbered by 1 LOVE TO shirts, Toronto pride was the theme that night, and none other than Aubrey Graham AKA Drake was responsible for achieving this feat. This was one of the biggest HipHop venues in Toronto, Cypher Sounds graced us with his presence by hyping up the crowd with one of his famous sets, the concert featured surprise appearances by Rap powerhouses such as Bun B, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Toronto’s own Kardinal Offishall, Jay Z and one of the most controversial rappers, by far, Eminem.

Needless to say, the crowd was very receptive to the array of artists featured at the concert, and each time a surprise guest appeared the reaction of the crowd was so overwhelming that it would even temporarily tune out the music. I’ve attended many concerts, I’ve seen many of the abovementioned rappers live, but there was something about this night that made it more memorable than any concert I had ever been to. Hip Hop’s greatest, in my city, paying tribute to the very same rapper who I personally believe is responsible for helping put Toronto on the map, and giving it the long overdue musical credit and recognition that it deserves. Kudos to Drake, and if anyone ever doubted this young man’s potential or abilities, I can assure you that had they attended this concert, they’d become bigger groupies than his wide eyed and overly emotional Degrassi fans.