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Drake Reflects on Being Paid $100 for His First Show
Started from the bottom…
Drake is one of music’s biggest stars, but even he had to start somewhere. Back in 2006, a young Drake performed what was likely his first show at Kool Haus in Toronto as a supporting act to Ice Cube. According to Instagram account “The Flyer Talk,” Drizzy was paid a “handsome sum” of $100 and performed songs off his debut mixtape Room for Improvement, which was released earlier that year.
Drake reposted the breakdown of the budget for the show, revealing his $100 fee in Canadian dollars. It’s unclear what Ice Cube was paid as the headliner.
Sixteen years later, the Grammy-winning superstar reflected on his humble beginnings while encouraging others to not give up on their dreams.
“This is for anybody getting 100 a show right now…keep going,” he wrote in his caption.
Drake got paid $100 for performing at a show in 2006. Keep it goin ✨ pic.twitter.com/zQx78dmvqO
— Modern Notoriety (@ModernNotoriety) October 19, 2022
Someone who worked the show recalled Drake’s star power even back then. “I remember working guestlist at this show, Drake may have only been paid $100 but he brought in half the city for free,” wrote the commenter.
Drake has come a long way from being paid $100 to selling out arenas across the globe as one of music’s top earners. His last tour, 2018’s “Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour” with Migos, grossed a whopping $111 million.
He is set to return to the stage when he headlines the Apollo Theater in New York on Nov. 11. The concert, which is presented by SiriusXM, marks the first time he has performed at the iconic theater.