A Brief History Of Drake’s Relationship With Boy Better Know
Following Drake’s claim that he has “signed” to the grime label.
Drake has long been a devotee of U.K. culture. Back in 2011, he was sneakily referencing U.K. MC Sneakbo on Take Care track "Cameras," and he's been documenting his obsession with the Kano-starring British TV drama Top Boy since 2014.
But his relationship with grime crew Boy Better Know has been his most significant, culminating on February 24 with the Canadian superstar saying on Instagram that he has "signed" to BBK. We're yet to find out whether this is literal, or what kind of deal it is (reps for Drake and Skepta did not immediately return requests for comment). While we're waiting for more details, revisit all the major milestones in Drake's storied friendship and collaboration with BBK; and in particular, co-founder Skepta.
March 2012: Drake hangs out with Wiley backstage at his London show, before shouting out the grime godfather onstage.
October 2013: Wiley's album title track "The Ascent" features a clip of Drake saying Wiley is his favorite MC.
January 2015: Drake references Skepta's "That's Not Me" on "Used To," which surfaces first on Lil Wayne's Sorry 4 the Wait 2 mixtape.
February 23, 2015: Drake posts about Skepta's infamous 2006 clash with grime MC Devilman on Instagram.
March 2015: Skepta samples a Vine of Drake saying trusss me daddi at the beginning of his new single "Shutdown."
July 3, 2015: Drake brings out Skepta at Wireless festival, and gives him a classic Drake embrace.
July 12, 2015: Drake and Skepta appear together on the official remix of Wizkid's "Ojuelegba."
July 30, 2015: Skepta tells The FADER that an official single with Drake is coming.
"I definitely think that my vibe has rubbed off on Drake a bit," Skepta told The FADER. "Just dropping chews at a man like, 'Fuck it, SoundCloud war.' That’s a real London, grime attitude to have. It’s good, it’s battle rapping. If you’re on the mic saying, 'I’ve got this and this is what I’m like' or whatever, you’ve got to be ready for the other guy to say, 'Well, I’ve got a better one than you.'"
August 2015: Skepta appears at OVO Fest in Toronto.
September 2015: Drake calls Skepta his "brother" in his FADER cover story.
“I was a Skepta fan, but after meeting Skepta…we were brothers immediately,” Drake told The FADER. “You don’t get that too much in this thing that we’re in, honestly. You don’t [often] meet somebody and actually feel like, ‘OK, we might actually still talk when we’re 35, 40 years old.’”