TORONTO — CBC announced today its new original podcast series, This Is Not a Drake Podcast, will launch Wednesday, June 3.
The five-part series explores the history and evolution of hip-hop, R&B and Black culture through the lens of Drake’s career, 10 years after the release of his first studio album. The series provides context on Drake’s deep musical roots and his transition from an actor on teen series Degrassi to his top-tier music stardom. It also explores rap and R&B’s complicated history, the evolution of gender dynamics in hip-hop, the rise of the Nice Guy rapper, and how the mixtape revolution made Drake’s success with “So Far Gone” possible.
This Is Not a Drake Podcast is hosted and co-produced by documentarian Ty Harper, co-produced by journalists Anupa Mistry and Del Cowie, and guided by showrunner Josh Bloch.
“Drake is really the culmination of many moments, artists, songs — some heard and so many more unheard — who are all responsible for making hip-hop and Black music the dominant cultural force it is right now,” said Harper, in the news release. “It’s amazing to be able to tell this story with the depth and nuance it deserves.”
Arif Noorani, executive producer of CBC Podcasts, added: “I came of age in multicultural Toronto, surrounded by the sounds of many of the artists appearing in the series. Ty and the podcast team have pulled back the curtain to show how Drake was the result of a cultural and musical seismic shift. The series is a smart, immersive journey about the music we love today.”
New episodes of This Is Not a Drake Podcast will be available weekly on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available.
