Drake at the Garden
By Breya Johnston
In his second night performing at Madison Square Garden, rapper Drake performed 10 hit songs and struck a nostalgic note as he contemplated his past decade and time in New York City.
The Toronto performer spoke about his transformation from the character “Jimmy” in the Teennick hit television drama Degrassi into a respected rapper in a span of 10 years.
“Life is a journey, you know? Ups and downs, that’s how it works,” he said during “Emotionless.” “I’m going tell you, though, as long as you keep God first and keep your family close, you’ll be good.”
Drake jumped right into “Elevate.” As he soared his way through the Scorpion standout, Drake flirted with the women in the front rows. “Kiki do you love me? Are you riding? Say you’ll never ever leave from beside me, cause I want ya and I need ya, and I’m down for you always.”
Fans sang the hook from the song “In my feelings,” dancing and swaying to the hit track. An Instagram feed, about 15 feet tall, appeared across the stage with fans attempting the #InMyFeelings challenge, a dance routine where people submitted videos of themselves dancing to the song.
Alone on stage, Drake sprinted his way around and interacted with the crowd. Hovering from the sky was a yellow balloon Ferrari that floated throughout the arena. People took out their phones and tablets to take pictures, videos, and film LIVE on Snap-chat and Instagram.
The crowd’s screams grew louder when Drake dipped inside his bag of throwbacks from mid-2000. “I know when that hotline bling, that can only mean one thing. Ever since I left the city you…” The fans sang along to these lyrics. Drake responded, “This is why I love New York. You guys are the best; there is no other place that gives as much energy as you guys do!”
With that, Toronto’s golden child handed off the microphone and stage to his colleagues from Atlanta, Migos.
After tossing out a collection of party bangers “T-Shirt,” “Bad and Boujee” during their initial set, the Atlanta trio lashed out a hot set that hopped into “Walk It Talk It” before leaping into “Versace,” and then “Stir Fry.” To satiate fans’ musical hunger and really get everyone jumping, Migos dished out one of the latest hits “Motorsport.”
Soon, the concert took an explosive turn. Everyone began to scream and jump from their seats as rap artist Cardi B appeared on stage with bright pink hair stretching down to her waist.
She sang her rap verse in “Motorsport” with fans finishing the lyrics for her when she pointed her microphone towards the crowd. The echo of the crowd and music bounced off the walls.
Once Migos concluded, Drake returned and he unleashed his Michael Jackson-assisted track “Don’t Matter to Me” before delving into a silky rendition of MJ’s “Rock with You.” “I want to hear you sing with Michael tonight! I want to hear you scream!” he yelled to the crowd.
He slipped into “After Dark” and “Jaded,” which he said was dedicated to all the couples there that night. “Said you need some time but I should stick around, for what? Always felt like stickin’ ’round’s the same as being stuck.” It was a little after 12 by now so, people were beginning to get quite drunk as they kept spilling their drinks and stepping on one another’s feet.
Refusing to call it a night just yet, Drake scrambled back into his Scorpion album and fed fans his chart topper “Nice for What.” Drake kept the party going with his guest verse from “Jumpman,” Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode.”
Despite looking tired, he shifted his attention to the big screen. There was a video montage highlighting his beginnings with his team of 40, Future and Olive, and with his Degrassi cast mates.
His final song was “Gods Plan.” His last message for his fans: “New York City, I’m very proud of you. I make music for you and you appreciate it. I’m a kid from Canada and I have seven nights at Madison Square Garden. You and me, we built this together.”