Drake paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle during the opening night of his London residency at The O2 arena on Monday evening, April 1, 2019.
The 32-year-old rap star — who is on his “Assassination Vacation Tour” — kicked off the much-anticipated first night of his seven-night stay at the venue by paying homage to the late rapper, who was shot dead outside his clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31.
Drake stood in the center of the stage and opened up about the “Racks In The Middle” rapper while telling his fans that he was “thankful” to be with them.
Drake said, “He [Nipsey] was somebody that provided for his people, somebody that always treated you with respect when he saw you, somebody that commanded respect when he walked in the room.
“So I really want to do this shout-out for Nip tonight, and I just want everybody to look around and be grateful and happy that we’re all here together, alive and well, because life can end at any moment. I just want to say I love you, I’m thankful to be with you tonight. London, as long as you’ll have me back, I’ll stand in the middle of this building and give you everything I’ve f—ing got. Cheers to my brother. Rest easy, my G. London, I love you.”
While on stage, Drake projected an image of Hussle’s face onto screens before he performed the track “Elevate” from his latest album Scorpion.
Before the song started, he told the crowd: “Want you to make some noise for the people who love you unconditionally because you never know how short life is.”
The Canadian rapper and DJ Tiffany Calver also brought out special guests to join the “Nonstop” hitmaker onstage, with Unknown T and Digdat making an appearance.
Giggs also joined the rapper for their track “KMT” from Drake’s 2017 mixtape More Life.
Drake’s set was packed with hits, and he ended his concert with “God’s Plan” much to the delight of the capacity crowd.
