DRAKE DECLARES “WAR” — FRAGMENT RADIO

This is the fist blog I’ve written for an online publication outside of Fragment Radio. Shoutout to the team at @SIDEDOOR Magazine. I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity. Lets get it.

Prior to the release of Drake’s new single “War”, produced by AXL Beats, 2019 has been relatively calm for Drake and OVO musically, especially considering the dominance they have had in years prior.

The OVO brand itself remained active- opening the OVO Athletic Centre and managing to land collaborations with top-tier brands such as Timberland, Clarks, Takashi Murakami, and of course – the Toronto Raptors for the “Best in the World” championship gear.

However, for a majority of 2019, Drake’s music only reminded us of the past. Aside from a re-released freestyle, his most popular release came from “Care Package”, a collection of classics that only made it to streaming services this past year.

That all changed on Christmas Eve, when Drake declared War.

In his only solo release of the year, Drake showed respect to his UK peers by linking up with emerging drill producer AXL Beats and using his grimiest flows. It’s hard not to imagine this song appearing on the upcoming season of Topboy.

Shot in Blue Mountain hills, the representation of the city remains strong. The film was directed by OVO’s in-house Photographer, Theo Skudra, and produced by Toronto’s own “Colossale Films”, this song and video serve as a reminder that Hip-Hop royalty can be found right here in our city.

Drake shouts out Toronto-natives such as Pressa, Chromazz, and Baka to name a few; then makes sure to give a special shoutout to the XO family and “the boy who sound like he sang on Thriller”.

Check out the video below and peep the description to learn more about the team that made Drake’s first and only video of the year.

Let us know what you think. Was “War” worth the wait? Are you hoping to hear something similar on his new album?