Even though Drake recently announced he was moving to Houston, a city he has praised several times in his music, it’s clear that Atlanta holds a special place in his heart. That fact was evident this week when Drake made back-to-back appearances at State Farm Arena in the ATL.
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At Tuesday’s (Sept. 26) show, Drake took the stage with one of his hometown heroes, a habit he’s picked up at most stops on his All A Blur tour. This time, however, he was accompanied by Atlanta native Bow. Wow, a man to look up to since youth.
“Shout out to my boy Bow Wow for walking me on stage tonight,” he said at the start of his set. “I have to say there are a lot of legends in Atlanta, but this is the person I wanted to be growing up, so thank Bow Wizz for walking me on stage.”
Bow Wow, who rose to fame in the early 2000s at a young age, has found fame in both rapping and acting. A key figure in the Atlanta hip-hop and entertainment scene, it’s easy to see why he became an idol to Drake, who followed a similar plan to gain recognition.
Drake’s announcement Tuesday wasn’t the only thing he said about Georgia’s capital, however. On Monday’s show, he also praised the city for its influence on the hip-hop genre, given that stars like Future, T.I., Killer Mike, Migos and many more were born here.
(RELATED: Bow Wow expresses dissatisfaction with the current state of hip-hop)
“Where would we be without Atlanta?” he asked. “All the love you show, all the musicians you gave birth to, all the contributions you make. This is undoubtedly the most important place in rap music. You should be very proud of yourself.
“All the artists I’ve worked with best, all the artists I love, all the artists who inspire me, most of them are from right here in Atlanta. So tonight you make your own noise. We celebrate you.”
For all the words of endearment Drake had for the city, he also paid tribute to the Atlanta rap scene. Earlier this year, it was announced that he would be producing a documentary alongside ATL’s Jermaine Dupri called Magic City: An American Fantasy. While it’s currently unclear when the doc will be released, we do know that it plans to highlight the iconic Magic City nightclub, which is the hub of many of the city’s biggest hip-hop stars.
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