5. Drake threatens to drop a dancehall record and start a sound system (2011)
When Apple Music was announced at the top of the year, Drake was named as one of the many celebrity spokespersons for the fledgling music streaming service and artist-curated radio station. As it turns out, his OVO Sound Radio programming has been in the making at least since 2011. Back then, we reported that Drake was threatening to make a dancehall record (album? single?) and was starting his own sound system after spending some time in Jamaica shooting the video for “Find Your Love.” OVO Sound Radio has its roots in what he then, in an interview with Much Music personality T-RexX, dubbed Voodoo Child Sound. With OVO Sound, he and the October’s Very Own crew have armed themselves the way DJs equip themselves for soundclash, running dubplates from Bounty Killer and Beenie Man in their broadcasts. And on the show’s fifth episode, it featured a guest mix from famed Miami sound system and Fully Loaded champions Black Chiney. Shaky warriors beware. — Richard “Treats” Dryden