Rap icon Drake got “radically Canadian” with his wardrobe choice this week.
The homegrown mega-star was captured on video rocking a vintage Toronto Argonauts jersey. The clip was originally posted to Instagram on Friday by famous DJ Gordo as a promotion for his set at Club Space in Miami on Saturday morning. It showed Drake hanging in the kitchen, musing about how their collaboration on the 2024 song “Sideways” had resulted in this appearance at the famed nightclub.
Despite a questionable mid-riff cut off, the Argos jersey appeared to be the real deal from Drake, featuring the name and number of former defensive back Donald Smith. The native of Danville, Vir., played in Toronto from 1996 until 1999, winning two Grey Cups and earning East Division all-star honours in 1998. He also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1992-94), Memphis Mad Dogs (1995), and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2000) in his CFL career, amassing 406 defensive tackles, 100 special teams tackles, 33 interceptions, and three total touchdowns in 139 CFL games.
Drake is the highest-certified digital singles artist in history and holds the record for the most Billboard Top 100 songs ever (358), as well as the most top 10 hits (80). He is best known for songs like “Started From The Bottom,” “Hotline Bling”, and “First Person Shooter.” The 39-year-old has been a controversial figure in the music industry lately, engaging in a public beef with Kendrick Lamar that culminated with him getting openly dissed during the Super Bowl halftime show last year.
Fans have long bemoaned the fact that the former Degrassi star has rarely shown the CFL any love, despite being a fixture of the Toronto sports scene and having a long-standing partnership with the Argonauts’ owners, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, for NBA events. That appears to be changing, however, as the rapper shared a photo of himself wearing a diamond-encrusted Saskatchewan Roughriders logo in May and launched an official line of CFL merchandise through his clothing brand OVO in June.
While Drake rocking an Argos jersey around the house may not be the intentional collaboration that some have clamoured for, it still provides meaningful marketing for the league. Gordo has 1.6 million followers on Instagram, while Drake has a stunning 142 million followers personally. That is reach that the CFL can’t buy.
