How Drake’s Love for the Lone Star State Led to His Official Texas Residency

Drake may have been born and raised in Canada, but his heart has led him to officially become a resident of the state of Texas.

On Monday, a photo of the rapper’s identification card surfaced online with the official Texas logo. Of course, social media users didn’t take long to add their two cents about his apparent move. Some people pointed out Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar as the reason why he decided to relocate, and others cracked jokes about how he posed for the photo.

Drake’s move doesn’t come as a surprise, especially since he has always been vocal about his love for the culture and has been connected to the state. Also, he recently purchased a luxury resort property in Brenham for $15 million. Nonetheless, check below to see how Drake slowly established himself as a Texas resident.

Lyrics and Slang

Ever since Drake transitioned from being an actor to a rapper, he has included Texas in his lyrics in some form of way. To be more specific, Drake has referenced the city of Houston in many of his songs, such as “TSU,” “From Time,” “Houstatlantavegas,” and others. He also sampled Houston’s DJ Screw’s “June 27th” freestyle for his “November 18th” track.

Houston Appreciation Weekend (HAW)

In 2014, Drake launched Houston Appreciation Weekend, better known as HAW. The three-day festivities were full of charity events hosted by the rapper. These events were to give back to the community and honor and celebrate the city and its culture. Outside of philanthropic duties, HAW entertained its attendees with a celebrity basketball game, pool parties, day parties, concerts, and more.

J. Prince and Rap-A-Lot Records

The record label boss was first introduced to Drake in 2006 after his son, Jas Prince, linked the two together once he discovered that the “Degrassi” actor was venturing into music. A year later, Drake was signed to Aspire Music Group, owned by Jas and Lil Wayne’s manager, and explains how Drake got involved with Young Money. Since then, Drake and Prince have maintained a close friendship, with the music executive consistently coming to the rapper’s defense in the height of controversy.

Partnership With Brands

In addition to his adoption of the state’s culture, Drake has also partnered with multiple Texas-based brands and been affiliated with plenty of businesses. For starters, he has been spotted numerous times wearing Houston Rockets clothing to highlight the city’s basketball team. It’s unknown if Drake has an official partnership with the NBA team, but his appearance at the games has helped with the Rocket’s marketing. Additionally, Drake has supported his friend Bun B following the launch of his Trill Burgers restaurant. His appearance at the establishment not only inspired people to visit the burger joint but also increased its visibility.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that Drake has much love for the state of Texas and isn’t hiding it. Cheers on the big move!