Drake Admits Biting This Underground Group For "Headlines" Music Video

BYGabriel Bras NevaresPublished on March 08, 20241224 Views

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 01: Drake accepts the Top Artist award onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)

Everyone is inspired by others to do great things themselves, and as big as the 6ix God is, none of his greatness is only his to boast.

No matter how big or how small you are as an artist, you're bound to constantly take inspiration from other things to craft your art. Even Drake knows this, as he recently took to his Instagram Story on Thursday (March 7) to celebrate The Table of Nonsense, an early 2000s rap album from underground Canadian group The Empire. In fact, his frequent production partner, OVO mainstay, and close friend Noah "40" Shebib appears in the project's artwork, and he commented on this via this IG Story post. "@ovo40 this flick is incredible I think I bit this swag for sure," the Toronto superstar expressed online.

Then, he shared a screenshot for the music video for his 2011 hit "Headlines," and you can see the parallels between a shot from the visual and The Table of Nonsense's cover art from 2003. "@ovo40 yup, there it goes," Drake wrote on this second part of his Instagram Story reminiscing. It's a mood that he often jumps into with a lot of nostalgia, frequency, and cheekiness, and it's curious to see these less-scoured origins. Furthermore, we're sure that Drizzy and 40 will have a lot more memories to share and celebrate in the future, and that more inspiration points will make themselves clear.

Drake Shouts Out The Empire On His Instagram Story

Both screenshots via HipHopDX in "Via" link below, via Instagram Story @champagnepapi

"My original rap crew circa 2000, these guys taught me how to make records when I was 17," 40 wrote of The Empire back in 2015. “Craven Morehead, Talksick, Adam Bomb, Joker aka Joe Keezy, Tek Man, Mr. Shebib, Scandalis, T.R.A The Rhyme Animal, Nickel Bagz, P.I.L, Dj Shortcut, Meziah, special shout outs to Friday, Skinny The Nutcracker and Quackas." Meanhwile, Drake found a recent "muse" in a certain St. Louis native, and we're sure that Sexyy Red could say the same about the 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, history is still being written, and he's still finding inspiration. The "Evil Ways" spitter recently teamed up with 4batz to remix his breakout hit. We'll see what else inspires him in the 2020s... and what else he "bites" from. Regardless, for more news and the latest updates on Drake, keep checking in with HNHH.

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About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.