Here's Every Toronto Landmark in Drake's "What's Next" Video
Some of the Toronto landmarks are obvious. Others are harder to clock. Here, we walk through some of the scenes to help put the city together.
Drake is back—not, unfortunately, with Certified Lover Boy, but with three new songs on an EP dubbed Scary Hours 2, perfectly timed for the Brooklyn Nets-heavy All-Star Weekend this Sunday.
He’s also back on the streets of Toronto, roaming around the city on a tour for fans in a new music video for lead single “What’s Next.” Drake is of course Toronto born and raised, and he knows the city about as well as anyone could be expected to. But this is the first time in a minute that Drake has shown off the 6ix in all its glory, reveling in the sights and sounds of the downtown core in beautiful night-set widescreen.
Some of the Toronto landmarks are obvious. Others are harder to clock. Here, we walk through some of the scenes to help put the city together.
Drake is back—not, unfortunately, with Certified Lover Boy, but with three new songs on an EP dubbed Scary Hours 2, perfectly timed for the Brooklyn Nets-heavy All-Star Weekend this Sunday.
He’s also back on the streets of Toronto, roaming around the city on a tour for fans in a new music video for lead single “What’s Next.” Drake is of course Toronto born and raised, and he knows the city about as well as anyone could be expected to. But this is the first time in a minute that Drake has shown off the 6ix in all its glory, reveling in the sights and sounds of the downtown core in beautiful night-set widescreen.
Some of the Toronto landmarks are obvious. Others are harder to clock. Here, we walk through some of the scenes to help put the city together.
Drake's Mansion
It starts at home. Drake begins his hometown tour at his palatial Toronto mansion, nicknamed “the Embassy.” It’s not the first time he’s shown off his 50,000 square feet-boasting place of dwelling in a music video, if you’ll recall the quarantine-friendly visuals for “Toosie Slide.”
The CN Tower
In the lead-up to the oft-delayed and hugely anticipated Certified Lover Boy, Drake has been consistently referencing Drake albums past, including promo shots that directly cite former album covers and subtle riffs on earlier eras of his aesthetic. “What’s Next” follows suit by bringing Drake back to the top of the CN Tower, where he was last immortalized on the cover of his underrated sophomore album Views. Instead of an overcast afternoon, Drake’s there this time around in the dark of night, the skyline lit up beneath him in neon-hued tones like classic sci-fi. Gonna tell my kids this was Cyberpunk 2077.
Yonge-Dundas Square
If shooting a video on the top of the CN Tower seems like a flex, try shutting down one of the busiest commercial hubs at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Toronto, even during a city-wide stay-at-home order.
Yonge-Dundas Square is often described as Toronto’s Times Square, and while it might be a little more modest than New York’s iconic tourist trap, it’s no less decked out in electronic billboards and sky-high video ads—here all clever turned over to advertise Drake and Drake-related merchandise. As he raps in front of the Eaton Centre shopping mall and Yonge-Dundas movie theatre, we can catch some glimpses of Nocta merch and Drake’s forthcoming Hot Step sneakers.
Image via YouTube/Drake
TTC Subway
From Yonge-Dundas Square, Drake and his crew evidently headed down the steps on the corner to board a TTC subway car. The modern cars seen here, introduced to the city about a decade ago now, are strung together without doors or dividers, which is why you can see behind Drake way off into the distance of the back of the car. The subway in Toronto is usually a bit busier—and less moodily lit—but otherwise this is pretty much the quintessential Toronto experience. It may also be the first time Drake’s taken public transit in the city since his Degrassi days.
Prince Edward Viaduct
Where is Drake headed on the subway, you ask? At least between Broadview and Castle Frank stations on the east-west line: we catch a glimpse of the car heading outdoors along the Prince Edward Viaduct, a bridge that spans the Don River Valley and gives the subway-bound a momentary return to regular cellphone and data service. It’s also notably the most New York-esque stretch of the Toronto subway system and looks appropriately cinematic on camera.
The Bentway
Back on the other side of the city, Drake cruises through the snow under the Gardiner Expressway, along a stretch of lakeshore known as The Bentway. It’s been the subject of recent urban renewal and has been transformed into a bit of a neighborhood hub, and Drake makes good use of it, including using the lights that are natural fixtures of the support columns. Incidentally, it was at the Bentway that Drake was lately spotted shooting this very video, teasing that a vid was forthcoming.
Ripley’s Aquarium
Just along the lakeshore from the Bentway, and directly beneath the CN Tower where Drake was seen hanging out earlier in the video, is Ripley’s Aquarium, from the people who brought you Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! and sundry other attractions. Built in 2013, it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, and Drake shows off exactly why: perfect photo opps, incredible lighting, lots of sea animals. If you hope to head there as soon as it’s open again to recreate some of these shots, keep in mind you’ll have a hard time finding a gap between groups of visiting schoolchildren.
Financial District High-Rise
Drake’s final stop on his citywide tour takes him to a high-rise in the heart of downtown—from the looks of it a building in the middle of the Financial District, whose huge bay windows offer enviable views of the rest of the downtown core and the CN Tower. (The views are similar to those you’ll find at the upscale Financial District restaurant Canoe.) Hanging with him in the background of these shots are the OG members of the OVO crew: Oliver El-Khatib, Noah “40” Shebib, and Niko.