Drake's Ex-Bodyguard Opens Up About Working With Him

BYGabriel Bras Nevares15.8K Views
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Mike Van Wyck, who worked with Drizzy for several years, said he learned a lot about work ethic during his time.

Drake's ex-bodyguard Mike Van Wyck recently opened up about his working relationship with him and what he was like. Moreover, Mike recently appeared on Money Buys Happiness and spoke on working with the 6 God for six years. Overall, he expressed that the biggest lesson he learned was an admiration for the Canadian star's insane work ethic.

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 9: Rapper Drake performs onstage during "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

“I thought I had work ethic and I do," Van Wyck expressed. "I guess if you ask people about me, I do work hard, I don’t really take days off and kinda of just grind all the time. But, to see a guy at that level — watch them go out night after night — especially on tours and perform, it’s robotic. In a very positive way. Not in a negative way.

“It’s engrained," he said of Drake's diligence. "This showmanship. This person, the person becomes on stage and how they perform from show to show — you could probably run the shows overlapping each other and it would look the same. There is that much consistency to it and you’d figure like someone that’s doing that kind of work would have a night off.

“I’m watching this person do this every night and to see the looks on these faces and to understand that level of work ethic and that level of consistency is pretty wild to see, in person” he concluded.

Meanwhile, he also shared a bit of backstory on how he first met the 36-year-old. “I had a connection to the group through 40. So, 40 and me went to the same camp when we were younger. We didn’t hang out at camp because we had different crews, but we knew who each other were. When I was just living my life and I would see stuff about Drake coming up. They would always mention this 40 guy and I was like that’s f***ing Noah.”

Also, Van Wyck expressed that Drizzy's “always been a very supportive person in my life — supported me no matter what. He’s a really good dude.”

Still, what did you think of Drake's ex-bodyguard's reflections on their time together? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments and check out the full interview down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for more curious stories and moments of gratitude in the hip-hop game.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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