Some rappers would kill for a Drake feature. Drizzy has proved multiple times that an up-and-coming rapper who works with him receives a magic ticket to getting noticed. He’s seemingly got the Midas touch when it comes to jumping on rising artists songs. Most everything he touches turns to gold and benefits the rapper. Over 15 years into his career, the same logic still seems to ring true.
Drake has a track record for success. Migos were already blowing up with their 2013 single “Versace,” but Drake hopping on the remix helped make the trio household names. Drake introducing The Weeknd to his fans via his October’s Very Own Blog in 2011 was a win for the then mostly-unknown Canadian crooner who would go on to become one of the biggest-selling artists in the world.
In May of 2022, rap stats blog Hip Hop By The Numbers reported Drizzy was the most valuable cosign in hip-hop. The blog reported that songs with features from The Boy increased an artists Spotify streams by 2,783 percent between the years of 2019-2022. Other rap stars’ numbers including J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Kanye West and Eminem pale in comparison.
Not every Drake cosign leads to immediate success. Even some artists on Drake’s own OVO Sound label have failed to gain significant traction in the music industry including rhymers like Smiley and Baka Not Nice. However, most artists would presumably still bet their budget on a Champagne Papi feature in 2024, given his performance history.
Recently, Yeat and 4batz have been two up-and-coming artists who have been given the Drake cosign. Drake will appear on 4batz’s remix to his rising hit “Act II: Date @ 8” on March 8. Time will tell if the helping hand leads to results.
See the artists who have thrive after working with Drake and benefitting from his Midas touch early in their careers below.
