These days, it's almost hard not to find pictures of Drake everywhere online. The Canadian rap and pop superstar grew his profile exponentially since the early days of So Far Gone, his 2009 breakout mixtape. However, glimpses of that era are more interesting and historic than ever, and one podcast aims to recapture some of that media. Moreover, The Blog Era podcast aims to take listeners on a journey through the explosion of hip-hop media in the 2000s, and took a look at the seminal tape for its third episode. On their Twitter feed, they commemorated the occasion with some never-before-seen snapshots of Aubrey Graham before So Far Gone truly started his path towards industry dominance.
"In honor of episode 3 day, let’s post some old/rare Drake photos," the account's post read. "This is of the original four OVO guys- Niko, Drake, Oliver and 40. Shot in Toronto’s Dundas Square the week before So Far Gone dropped." In another post with pictures, they wrote, "Some more from that photo shoot, as Drake is on the precipice of fame and his life being changed forever. No crowds. Just OVO, being left alone in the busiest section of Toronto." In addition, they even got Drizzy on set in another tweet. "These are Drake, and Drake/Trey Songz on the set of the Successful video shoot, filmed in Toronto in 2009. (photo credit: @sidewayshatpat)."
Drake Throwback Pictures Emerge
To elaborate on this podcast's concept, it specifically anchors itself around the rap blogosphere in media and which artists represented its boom the best. Of course, Drake evolved past pleasing the blogs to selling out stadiums and leaving his mark in every corner of the game. In fact, it's fascinating to think of Drake's critical and fan reception now and compare it to how clowned he was when he began. Sure, he still has his haters and gained new ones along the way. But jabs at him land like a high school bully punching Gervonta Davis, and the 6 God won over a million dollars for betting on him to beat Ryan Garcia recently.
Meanwhile, listening to new Drake tracks- even loosies like "Search & Rescue"- map out his trajectory. Even as his career gained incredible heights and he went on to play with other genres, he stuck true to his skills. He brought melody to new heights in rap, could still spit cold 16s on command, and did so much more in the process. Regardless of your take on his music, check out some more unearthed So Far Gone-era pics down below. Also, return to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Drake.