Rapper and entrepreneur Aubrey “Drake” Graham signed a partnership with new streaming app Caffeine to live stream URL rap battles, according to uproxx.com.
Caffeine is a streaming app geared toward fans of eSports. Their exclusive partnership with Drake will allow the URL to be streamed live for free for the first time since its inception. Prior to this collaboration, URL battles were streamed live on HD pay-per-view but now even the casual fan can watch, too.
In an announcement on CNN.com, Caffeine’s founder, Ben Keighran, explained the rationale for the partnership. “Drake, if you look at his career in the last ten years, is defined as the biggest artist in the world,” he said. “This is a guy that can catch the attention of not just the entertainment world, but the gaming world as well. The first thing we’re bringing out with him is not actually a video gaming thing,” Keighran said, noting that the partnership allows Drake to “do whatever he wants.”
The Canadian native has long expressed his love for battle rapping. In 2015, Drake skipped the Grammy ceremony despite being nominated in order to attend a rap battle event called Blackout 5 in his hometown of Toronto in which his brand, OVO, was the sponsor according to blogto.com. He is also no stranger to battle rap in his own right. Throughout his illustrious career, he’s battled with rappers like Meek Mill, Tory Lanez, Pusha T, Common along subliminally responding to other rappers who took shots at him.
Last November, the actor partnered with Canopy Growth Corpo. to launch the More Life Growth Co., a fully licensed producer of cannabis, based in Toronto. More Life Growth is centered around wellness, discovery, and overall personal growth with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences across the globe. Drake holds a 60% ownership interest in the More Life Growth Co., with Canopy Growth retaining a 40% ownership.