Drake might be a global hip-hop phenomenon, but his ties to the South Asian diaspora run surprisingly deep. Over the years, the Canadian artist has quietly cultivated a profound appreciation for Indian cinema, music and pop culture.
In an incredible cross-cultural move, Drake acquired the official rights to the award-winning track Patakha Guddi, originally composed by legendary musician A.R. Rahman for the Bollywood film Highway. Singer Jyoti Nooran publicly confirmed that the rapper has been developing a heavily-dubbed remix of the hit.
His Indian connections began long before global superstardom. Drake made a rare cameo in the Canadian-Indian sports comedy Speedy Singhs, co-produced by Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar. He remains close friends with the film's star Vinay Virmani and follows Vinay to this day.
The internet went into a frenzy when Drake struck up a friendship with actress Athiya Shetty. After Varun Dhawan joked on Athiya's post by asking if she was "Kiki", the music icon jumped into the comments. "Titi do you love me? (Mubarakan Remix)," he wrote, playfully acknowledging her film Mubarakan.
Furthermore, his respect for the Punjabi wave is profound. A documented fan of the late Sidhu Moose Wala, Drake played 295 and G-Shit on his radio show following Sidhu's tragic passing. He even wore a custom t-shirt featuring the revolutionary artist's face at a Toronto concert to honour his global legacy, and has recently met privately with Indo-Canadian wavemaker AP Dhillon to tease upcoming collaborations.
Now, live entertainment circles in India are buzzing. Following a cryptic teaser from the same creative force that brought Ye to the country, rumours of a debut tour hitting Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru are circulating. For local fans, a live show would be the ultimate celebration of this long-standing relationship.
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