Music
Toronto gives Drake the key to the city
by Jesse Locke
February 12, 2016
Other notable key holders: the Dalai Lama, Barenaked Ladies, but not the Spice Girls.
With the NBA all-star weekend set to dunk on Toronto like Raptors-era Vince Carter or someone currently enjoying a doughnut and a double double, mayor John Tory has elected to give Drake the key to the city. That’s the absurdly tonedeaf Toronto Sun headline above and you can watch Tory’s video explanation below:
Tory will be passing the key during Friday night’s all-star celebrity match hosted by the rapper and comedian Kevin Hart. Team Canada will include Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler, former WNBA star Tammy Sutton-Brown, and TV hosts the Property Brothers. They’ll be starting against the Team USA squad of Jason Sudeikis, Muggsy Bogues, and Nick Cannon.
The Toronto Star shared an image of Tory and Drake in the mayor’s city hall office on February 3. This was apparently more than just a photo-op, with the pair discussing issues of violence in the city such as the fatal shooting at Drake’s OVO Fest afterparty.
Other prominent Toronto key recipients (7 women vs. 60-something men) include the Dalai Lama, Rolling Stones, Barenaked Ladies, Celine Dion, J. K. Rowling, Jackie Chan, Yo-Yo Ma, Nickelback, and Nelson Mandela. In 1998, former mayor Mel Lastman refused to give the key to the Spice Girls after they cancelled their appearance at a free concert.
On his new song “Summer Sixteen” (embedded above), Drake raps: “I might get a key to the city and give it to Wayne / Or give it to one of the young boys to carry the wave.”
