Rapper Drake name-drops Daemen College in latest album 11 years after performing on campus

AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — Canadian rapper, Drake, is staying true to his roots by mentioning western New York's, Daemen College, in his last song on his latest album.

He performed at the college before he became known worldwide.

Students, faculty and aspiring musicians told 7 Eyewitness News about the exciting name-drop!

"For us to be a part of that, even if it's just one small part of his journey is tremendous for us," Daemen College vice president for strategies initiatives, Greg Nayor said. After months of Drake fans speculating when the Toronto native would drop his latest album, Certified Lover Boy, the rapper, also known as "Champagne Papi" finally did.

To their surprise Friday morning, Daemen College students learned he gave the school a shout-out, which is where he performed at its 2009 Springfest.

To watch Drake's 2009 Springfest performance, at Daemen College, click here.

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Daemen College alumni relations, Kate Hammer said, "I remember specifically that day, walking up the stairs, hearing the songs, hearing the music, opening those doors in the back and seeing Drake. It was just so fun. The room was packed, the students were so into it and it was a full show. It was a great show, a lot of energy and then of course, in the next few months, he blew up."

At the time, Kate Hammer was familiar with Drake through a popular Toronto-based show called Degrassi. She had just started working at Daemen.

Hammer said, "I remember specifically that day, walking up the stairs, hearing the songs, hearing the music, opening those doors in the back and seeing Drake. It was just so fun. The room was packed, the students were so into it and it was a full show. It was a great show, a lot of energy and then of course, in the next few months, he blew up."

Daemen College

WKBW

Less than one minute into the song "The Remorse", Drake can be heard referencing Daemen College: "Daemen College booking me to pull up and speak the facts..." and other humble beginning moments he's had in his career.

"So cool that he directly said Daemen College in his lyric, and really the song is powerful, I mean he absolutely understands where he came from. We're part of that journey which is so cool," Hammer said.

However, for Daemen College graduate student and musician, Jevon Jordan, this legendary moment means more than just a name-drop.

"I'm a member of Underrated Evolution. It's my music group, it's started here at Daemen College and currently a student here at Daemen College as well," Jevon Jordan said. "We started on the same stage that Drake started on. For the culture of the school, it is huge."

Jordan is the lead vocalist for his music group, Underrated Evolution, which started at Daemen College during the peak of the pandemic. He hopes his group's career eventually takes off like it did for Drake.

"To hear that, one of- arguably one of the biggest artists in the world to name-drop the school that we attend, it's big for us as musicians," Jordan said.

In the meantime, school officials are hoping to bring Drizzy back to campus grounds by sliding into his DMs.

Nayor explained, "So, I thought, what the heck? I'll reach out, I'll send him a DM, invite him back here to relive his glory days before he got started. See if there's anything that we can do to have him come back. We would welcome him back with open arms."

Over the next few months, Greg Nayor added he anticipates school inquiries from prospective students will increase. He said, while the college may be a small college known for health professions in western New York, he said the college has a tremendous student life.