Photo: (Getty)
By Rachel Taylor
Drake is known for making "Headlines," and he's at it again. October's Very Own is taking his talents to August and performing on the VMA stage! Here's why Drake is making 8/25 the "best we'll ever have."
+ He says "No Guns Allowed."
+Watch "No Guns Allowed" by Snoop Lion, featuring Drake & Cori B.
Drake teamed up with Snoop Lion for the rap veteran's "No Guns Allowed," an emotional song about the devastating consequences of gun violence. The track, which is nominated for a Best Video with a Social Message VMA, features Drake rapping about two friends killed in a shooting. He opened up to MTV about his relationship to recent gun violence, saying, "It hit close to home. I think, not only for me, but for my entire city... I looked at this as an opportunity to share something with my generation." Lend your hand to rap's do-good bad boys by checking out the Snoop-sponsored MTV x Caliber bracelet campaign, which helps get guns off the street.
Photo: (Getty) Drake expressing how most people feel when they graduate.
"5am in Toronto?" More like 5am in the library! Last year, Drake probably copped a lot of things, but we're pretty sure the most important one was his high school diploma. The rapper tweeted, "97% on my final exam. 88% in the course. One of the greatest feelings in my entire life. As of tonight I have graduated high school!" Drizzy continued by shouting out his teacher, tweeting, "Thank you to my teacher Kim Janzen for spending the last 5 months working tirelessly with me!! OVO SOUND." Will Young Money's finest continue on to college? Maybe star in a real-life Degrassi following him through school? Let it be known that I pitched that idea…hit me up, Drake.
Photo: (Getty) Drake, Usher, and Noah "40" Shebib
Maybe Drake chants "No New Friends" because he's so busy sticking up for his current crew. And who does he Take Care of first? His mom, of course. Earlier this year Drake spoke to GQ about his early days, saying, "Watching my mom go through her illness, and not being able to help, was very tough. And when I finally did make some real money, my mother got an operation on her spine that changed her life." Mr. Graham is also constantly name-dropping "40". Malt liquor? Nope, Noah "40" Shebib is Drake's beloved and renowned producer, who has mixed beats for many of his songs. 40 is living with multiple sclerosis, and in 2010 Drake told MTV that losing his friend is one of his biggest fears. Luckily both hit-makers are here to support research for a cure, so millions can beat this disease and billions can keep enjoying 40-made beats. If Drake's crew "Started From The Bottom," they're certainly not there now.
Drake's new album is cryptically called Nothing Was The Same. We don't know what that means, but we know nothing would be the same without Drizzy and his good deeds.
The 2013 Video Music Awards air August 25 on MTV and VMA.MTV.com, live from the Brooklyn Barclays Center. No sleep 'til Brooklyn!
