It was 2015, and Drake was at the height of his powers.
The 28-year-old rapper was riding high on the success of his previous two albums, 2011’s “Take Care” and 2013’s “Nothing Was the Same,” both of which were commercial juggernauts and critical darlings, establishing Toronto as a new global hub for hip hop. His annual OVO Fest, then in its fifth year, was bigger than ever, attracting major acts like Usher, Lauryn Hill and Kanye West. And as the “global ambassador” for the Raptors, he played a key role in shaping the culture around a scrappy basketball team that would soon be world champions. The logo of his record label and clothing brand October’s Very Own — a line drawing of an owl — was plastered on street lamps and stitched onto hoodies across the GTA.
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