A Testament to Greatness – Drake's Apollo Theatre Setlist
Thirteen years ago, Drake delivered his debut album, Thank Me Later. To this day, the Canadian superstar continues to top charts, break records, and make headlines with a seemingly endless string of music, living up to his not-so-humble brags.
Whether or not you're a fan of his music, there's no denying the strength of his brand or the weight of his legacy. At times, it's easy to forget just how long he's been at the forefront of pop culture until shows like his recent two-day stint at New York's Apollo Theatre, which provided not only a legendary setlist but a journey through the seemingly endless Drake era.
In the years that we've watched Drake grow beyond the reasonable bounds of what we'd call a star, becoming an international megastar, his shows have undergone a makeover.
Testament to the revenue his name demands – with it suggested that he's worth $440 Million annually to Toronto's $8.8B economy – each show has become clinical in execution. No longer a mere artist-to-fan interaction, these performances demand more; bigger scale, greater production, and more considered setlists resulting in legacy-defining moments.
Such moments, Drake has had many. From his post-beef concert with Kanye West to the star-studded Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour and infamous meme-heavy performance of his scathing Meek Mill diss track, "Back to Back," the marketing ingenuity at OVO begets huge expectations – somehow, it always delivers.
In 13 years, Drizzy has delivered eight studio albums alongside countless features, singles, and loosies. It's an enormous discography in which it's easy to lose yourself.
With his Apollo setlist, Drake streamlined the narrative, offering a journey through his studio albums. Despite its unchronological delivery, the 42-song-strong setlist took a narrative structure. Melonchonic, self-reflective beginnings slowly build into the braggadocious artist of today, highlighting his artistic evolution.
Beginning with Take Care's introduction, "Over My Dead Body," the set opened with lyrics like "Are these people really discussin' my career again? Askin' if I'll be goin' platinum in a year again?"
Considered his magnum opus by many, Take Care's tracklist bore many rumblings of an inner monologue that was not only determined to be the best but to be it with unmatched longevity.
Situated near the setlist's midpoint, "Started From the Bottom" reminds us how far the artist has come since Thank Me Later, marking the sharp trajectory that played out from 2013-18, the years that would set the stage for his total chart dominance.
Musically progressive in its structure, the setlist rolled through varying moods and genres, with the darker-toned R&B indicative of the style many Toronto artists post Take Care and The Weeknd's Trilogy, bleeding into high-energy hip-hop bangers before making international waters with dancehall and afrobeats on Views and More Life.
Naturally, these then fed into Drake's foray with house music on Honestly, Nevermind before Harlem legends The Diplomats joined him as a mark of respect for those that came before and set the stage for him to be the artist he is today.
To close, several tracks from the 21 Savage collaborative project, Her Loss, rang out, rolling into IYRTITL's "Legend," in which Drake proclaims, "If I die, all I know is I'm a motherfuckin' legend." A fitting end in which the answer's to his legacy-related anxieties in "Over My Dead Body" are answered with complete certainty.
Love him or hate him, Drake's impact is undeniable. While it may feel like a few more years of his era lay in wait, with the promise of new music as early as this year, should, for any reason, retirement call, this setlist speaks volumes to the legacy he'll leave and the influence he's had on music culture over the last thirteen years.
