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Drake Makes Apollo Theater Debut, Joined by Dipset and 21 Savage

Drake teased a new solo album and possible tour with 21 Savage this year
Drake
(Credit: Amy Sussman / Getty Images)

Drake finally retuned to the stage last night (Jan. 21) with an oft-rescheduled concert marking his debut at New York’s historic Apollo Theater. The event was part of SiriusXM’s Small Stages series, showcasing some of the biggest names in music in intimate concert venues.

The setlist offered a good cross-section of the Canadian rapper’s career, including “Best I Ever Had,” “Headlines,” “HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right),” “God’s Plan,” “One Dance” and “In My Feelings,” among others. Some special guests also joined Drake during the night, including Dipset members Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey, who performed “I Really Mean It,” “Dipset Anthem,” and “We Fly High (Ballin).”

Later, 21 Savage joined Drake for songs from their recent album, Her Loss, including “Rich Flex,” “Privileged Rappers,” “Knife Talk,” and “Jimmy Cooks.” After, the two hinted that there could be a possible tour coming this year. See some fan-filmed videos from the night below.

Drake used the momentous occasion to look back on his career, thanking guests for their continued support and rolling through various stage setups that took a visual look back at journey. The night began with a recreation of Drake’s childhood bedroom, with the rapper coming out on stage wearing a Jersey emblazoned with Degrassi (the teen TV show on which he got his start). Other staged recreations included a record label office, a Harlem bodega, and a replica of the Apollo marquee.

“I appreciate all of those people that stick by me, but I deeply appreciate everybody for continuing to support us,” he told the crowd. “I’ve thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time none of those things are stopping making music for you, so I’ll be here for you for a little bit at least. And I hope I can strike up more emotions for you, maybe this year. I might get bored and make another one, who knows!”

Drake’s SiriusXM Small Stages series performance had previously been scheduled for November and again in December, but was delayed for production reasons. He takes the Apollo stage again tonight, and the full concert will air soon on Drake’s exclusive SiriusXM channel Sound 42. Previous guests in SiriusXM’s concert series have included Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In addition to the 21 Savage collaboration album Her Loss released in November, Drake’s latest LP Honestly, Nevermind came out last June.