Drake concert.

Last night Wini, Sophia and I attended Drake's concert at the O2 arena. It was a sold out show packed with his fans, he is doing 7 shows in London and each one was sold out.

This inspired me to look in to how Drake is branded and how he became so successful.

Building a career in TV:

Drake began his career on the Canadian TV show, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”. From the young age of 15, Drake knew he could make a name for himself, and he recognized TV was the best way to do so. Fast forward to 2010. Already pretty big in the rap and music world, Drake signed his first major endorsement deal - with Sprite, a brand known for using other well-known rappers and celebrities in their campaigns. Drake’s deal with Sprite is still going on; this past June, his rap lyrics appeared on limited edition Sprite cans.

Building a fashion brand with Nike:
During a concert in 2013, Drake announced his plans to sign with Nike’s famed Jordan brand. His record label, OVO (October’s Very Own), even sells its own Drake merchandise - from sweatshirts to iPhone cases.

His strong relationship with the NBA:
Drake, a lifelong Toronto Raptors fan, announced in 2013 that he would become the Raptors’ team ambassador. In this year’s NBA All-Star Game, held in Toronto, Drake coached one of the Celebrity Game teams, and even handled the player introductions during the actual All-Star Game.

Partnership with Apple:
In June 2015, at Apple’s annual WWDC conference, he was part of the Apple Music launch. There have been rumors that Apple even funded Drake’s “Hotline Bling” music video.

This is how Drake became such a marketing powerhouse.

Here are some of my photos from the concert: