Drake Celebrates Canada Day By Smoking Hookah With Kevin Durant

Drake‘s approval rating is not high at the moment. The rapper lost to Kendrick Lamar, and several other rappers have taken Lamar’s side. Drake has also seemingly lost the support of several athletes that he was believed to be cool with. That being said, one athlete who the 6 God has seemingly maintained a relationship with is Kevin Durant. The two celebrities go way back, and they kicked back at Drake’s Toronto mansion on July 1 to celebrate Canada Day.

Drake was pretty active on social media throughout the holiday. He posted a video message, as well as several photos of him smoking hookah. It wasn’t until later in the day, however, that he posted a photo of him and Kevin Durant on his Instagram Story. The two appear to be sitting in Drake’s backyard. Durant has a drink in front of him, and Drizzy has his beloved hookah. It may seem odd that Durant has Drake’s back in light of the recent, “Not Like Us”-sized L he took. But the Phoenix Suns star has always been on the rapper’s side. In the midst of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle, Durant seemingly chose the 6 God side. He posted a screenshot of the rapper’s 2021 song “No Friends In the Industry” on his IG Story.

Their bond goes back a decade, however. Drake referenced Durant on his verse for the 2012 single “Pop That.” “OVO that’s major sh*t, Toronto with me that’s mayor sh*t,” he rapped. “Gettin cheddar packs like K.D., OKC that’s player sh*t.” He referenced him again on 2016’s “Weston Road Flows.” Durant was very humbled by the shout-outs, and gave Drake his flowers in return during a Sneaker Reporter interview. He went as far as to call the Toronto icon his favorite rapper. “When your favorite rapper puts your name in a song,” he explained. “It makes you feel like you’ve made it, no matter what you’ve done.”

Durant then went from reference point to musical role player on 2023’s For All the Dogs. The athlete was credited as an official A&R on the album. When asked what he did specifically in the studio, Durant told NBA reporters that he merely facilitated conversation. “I’m just there for him whenever Drake wants to talk about life,” he said. “And he just gave me that title.” Perhaps Durant is providing conversation and inspiration for whatever Drake will release next.