Drake is looking to give back to the local Toronto music scene in the form of History, a new performance arts and concert venue to open later this year, the rapper announced Tuesday (June 8).
Live Nation Canada has been collaborating with the 6 God for the last three years to construct a new facility for up-and-coming artists.
“Some of my most memorable shows were playing smaller rooms like History,” Drizzy reminisced in a press release. “I wanted to take those memories and what I learned to create an incredible experience for both the artists and the fans.”
Striving to provide an intimate yet diverse space for artists to connect with fans, the venue boasts a 2,500-person capacity. These developments fall on the heels of announcements made in late 2020 of the proposal to create a multi-stage music complex around the existing Massey Hall.
There are already plans for events to span the majority of the year, with Live Nation revealing that they will be doing 200 shows annually. Legendary pop-punk band All Time Low is slated to perform the inaugural show at History on October 22, 2021.
It’a also been a very busy year for Drake. Aside from his live music business ventures, he has kept fans starving for new music while continuously dropping hints for what’s to come. His upcoming release, Certified Lover Boy, has seen countless delay, but seems to be coming sooner rather than later.
Not much has been revealed about Drizzy’s follow-up to Dark Lane Demo Tapes, however from the title alone, long-time fans are expecting the return of his more melodic, R&B style.
Champagne Papi’s recent Instagram posts reveal that he’s been in the studio with previous collaborators Metro Boomin and Future — a trio whose chemistry was electric on 2015 mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. Just last year, Future and Drake took over the internet in January with their hit single “Life is Good” and are potentially plotting a similar type of run in 2021.
As the aforementioned song title suggests, life’s been good for the Toronto native, as he just picked up probably the most prestigious award any artist can receive: Billboard’s Artist of the Decade. Following his recognition at the ceremony, he was treated to a dinner with R&B legend Ronald Isley — a man he reveres as one of his idols.
While pandemic restrictions continue to wind down, it’s an uplifting experience to see the progress made towards getting live shows up and running again. Venues will undoubtedly start ramping up concert promotion to make up for all the festivals and shows canceled within the past year.
Nonetheless, it’s inspirational to see how Drake continues to contribute to the industry that he has flourished within — both with his musical contributions and business ventures.
