Drake Sparks Speculation After Performing With A Live Band

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.5K Views
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2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 1
LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 23: Drake performs onstage during the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival - Night 1 held at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Drake's rendition of "Pipe Down" sounded heavenly over warm bass and sharp percussion, and we hope there's more where that came from.

Drake is a very impressive and beloved live performer, as his vocal prowess and versatility can make him float engagingly over any backing track one of his shows, sets, or tour stops throws at him. But we haven't seen the 6ix God perform much in a live band setting, which pairs very well with his more soulful and lush production choices. Well, it seems like this match made in heaven might become a more frequent reality, as fans jumped to all sorts of conclusions after a clip emerged online of him performing "Pipe Down" with a live band. The Certified Lover Boy cut sounds all the more beautiful with live bass and summery guitar licks, and many fans on Twitter and in the replies of the post below hope that there's more live instrumentation to come.

Of course, it's not like this is Drake's first time performing with a live band, but it's certainly not the norm nor a common practice across his performance history. What fans really want to know is whether or not this indicates any sort of plans for the future when it comes to either new music or new concerts. For example, his recently teased collab album with PARTYNEXTDOOR might have more live elements to it, and a potential joint tour could have a backing band follow them through. This is all just speculative at the moment, but the assessment still stands: the Toronto superstar sounds great with some killer musicians alongside him.

Drake Performs With A Live Band

Speaking of Drake and performances, some fans also speculated recently that a former friend and close collaborator of Aubrey Graham's is missing him onstage. Future and Metro Boomin recently kicked off their tour, and his performance of the Drizzy-assisted smash hit "WAIT FOR U" prompted a lot of theories. Some just commented on the performance itself, but others thought that Pluto was particularly emotional during the rendition. While select fans pointed to romantic issues as the reason, others thought that he might've been reflecting on how, at least right now, he doesn't live in a world in which he can perform that song with Drake again because of the rap beef that exploded earlier this year.

Fans React

On that note, we're sure you don't need much of a refresher. But the pettiness still lives on in the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, with Mustard attacking The Boy and Gordo for allegedly trying to sabotage the release of his album. That's all just combative speculation, though, and we doubt that the beef will truly reignite with a burning ire anytime soon. But if it does... a live band would sound pretty good on a diss track, no?

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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