“I wanted to make this about gratitude,” Drake said during the first night of his Sirius XM and Sound 42-hosted concert series at The Apollo Theater. The 36-year-old had just finished up his Take Care opener “Over My Dead Body” to kick off the show and was dressed in a blue and gold Degrassi jersey. He sat in a reimagined version of the basement bedroom where he penned songs while living with his mother in Toronto. The set design was intentional, meant to reflect a time when he was unsure of whether he could take “Wheelchair Jimmy” into the rugged rap game. It was as much of a journey back in time for him as it was for the fans, and he made sure his gratefulness was reflected all evening.
That began with offering attendees photo ops in front of a large step-and-repeat which read “Drake Live From The Apollo” as they entered the venue. The event maintained a level of uncommon intimacy and exclusivity at the legendary 1500-person-capacity Harlem gem. Fans were also offered complimentary lanyards, t-shirts with red Apollo letters and a Black OVO owl, snacks, and generously poured drinks. Even the security guards were jubilant.
The Boy’s thankfulness did not stop there. Later in the show, before delivering early hits like his breakthrough record “Best I Ever Had,” “Over,” “Headlines,” and “Started From The Bottom,” the 6 God recounted his first trip to New York City. He experienced the highs of being a rapper when he was able to meet Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Rihanna, but also suffered the lows when every “dumba** label” turned him down. Drake invited fans into that moment by turning the set design into a board room where an actor, playing an unimpressed record executive, sat at the far left end of the stage. Though that experience put a chip on his shoulder, he once again used the opportunity to thank the fans, who went rabid for his now-classics. Where the people in power said no, the listeners said yes—and he has not taken that for granted.
Many believed that the setting and private nature of the show was fitting for an exclusively B-Sides setlist. Though he partially delivered on that with moody records like “Feel No Ways,” “Jungle,” and “Wu-Tang Forever,” the hitmaker could not help but liven up the crowd with tracks like “Energy,” “Know Yourself,” “God’s Plan,” and “Nonstop.” He even delivered a more emotive version of “Laugh Now Cry Later,” which prefaced his next moment of gratitude.
At one point during the concert, Drake acknowledged the presence of his mother, Sandi Graham, and how much he’s come to appreciate her now that he’s a father. “I haven’t done a show since I’ve been a father. Now that I’m a father, I really do value having a strong parent.” The collective “aw’s” and cheers from the crowd could’ve warmed the coldest of hearts; the moment laid the groundwork to later thaw out everyone’s hips. The Grammy-winner performed “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “Controlla,” “One Dance,” and “In My Feelings,” records that have doubled as love songs and soundtracks for promiscuity. This was another instance of Drake intentionally eliciting fans’ emotions.
The evening elevated to a different level of homage when a setup of the 140th and Lenox Harlem Up Deli Market appeared on the stage—the exact same one Dipset used at the 2003 Source Awards. This was as much of a flex as it was reverent, as Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, and Freekey Zekey burst through the door for a surprise appearance. Clad in the pink mink outfit Killa Cam famously wore to New York Fashion Week 2002, there was visible joy on Drake’s face. The Harlem natives performed “I Really Mean It,” “Dipset Anthem,” and “We Fly High” to the raucous crowd.
Drake didn’t let them leave the stage before giving them their flowers, noting that the Diplomats’ influence spanned all the way to Canada. “These guys right here from Harlem made us dress different, talk different, walk different, rap different.” Much like the theme of the evening, the love was reciprocated as Capo presented the star of the night with a custom OVO Dipset bracelet and a warm embrace. After another journey into the past and a tribute to his influences, the global icon brought things back to present-day with a hat tip to friendship.
A familiar voice encapsulated the building, a heavy beat dropped, and Drizzy asked one of the most popular inquiries within his extensive catalog. “21, can you do somethin’ for me?” he spit with fervor as his Her Loss collaborator, 21 Savage, sprinted on stage. After energetic renditions of “Rich Flex,” “Privileged Rappers,” “Spin Bout U,” and “Jimmy Cooks,” Drizzy once again paused to recognize an important person in his life. Drake told the crowd that the Slaughter Gang CEO was one of his dearest friends and favorite rappers, to which the Atlanta rapper revealed the type of confidant The Boy has been to him. “Since the first day I met this man in 2015, every week I heard from him. Not ‘bout no rap sh*t, not ‘bout no music sh*t, just on some ‘I’m checkin’ on you, seeing how you doing bro.’ He helped me every step of my career behind the scenes.”
A hug and a room-shaking performance of “Knife Talk” ensued before Drake offered one last gracious speech. “It’s really got kinda something to do with me and everything to do with us because I feel like we’ve been relating to each other for so long. I appreciate all those people that stick by me. I know it’s like the cool thing, if you want to be hip, to be like ‘F**k Drake.’” Again, he peeled back the bravado to express how much he cherishes the people who ride for him, even when he may not deliver the content they expect. To that end, songs from the polarizing Honestly, Nevermind album also found their way into the evening’s setlist.
The world, but especially Drake, knows there is no him without Noah “40” Shebib and Noel Cadastre, and he encouraged the crowd to make some noise for them as well. “Friends that dedicated they life to keepin’ me intact/ Hard to pay 40, pay Noel, pay Niko back/ All the nights I needed to vent to someone and CJ sat/ All the nights Chubbs was pulling up where I need him at/ All the times Mark was making sure that my luggage packed,” he rapped on the Certified Lover Boy closer “The Remorse.” He even revealed that he’s mulled over the end of his career, a topic that came up years ago in his music. But he has no intention of stopping anytime soon, and the energy in his 90-minute set proved it.
He closed the show appropriately with a passionate rendition of another fan favorite, “Legend,” fused with riffs of Ginuwine’s “So Anxious.” He played orchestra director for the crowd as they belted “If I die, all I know is I’m a motherf**kin’ legend” back to him.” When he said it in 2015, it was more of a confident manifestation. Now, it’s an undeniable reality. It would be easy to focus on what other New York City artists could have come out, what songs should have been performed, or anything else that the internet could have gone out of its way to bring up. In the end, much like he started the show and has expressed throughout his career, only one thing mattered: The man who once said his Mount Rushmore was him with four different expressions, could only maintain one attitude that night: gratitude.