By Marisa Taché
Staff Reporter
How would you spend almost $1,000,000 on creating a new music video for your latest hip-hop single? Would you travel to a different country, show yourself living the life of luxury? Would you donate all the money to individuals less fortunate than yourself?
Canadian rapper Drake chose to give back in the music video to his latest hit single, “God’s Plan.”
Drake was given an exact budget of $996,631.90 by his label for the video and decided to travel to Miami and give it away to help those in need of financial support.
“We gave it all away,” wrote Drake in the video. “Don’t tell the label…”
Some of the things Drake did was hand out stacks of cash to individuals on the street, present a scholarship check to a pre-dental student at the University of Miami, purchase full carts of groceries for families at a local grocery store, donate a check to the City of Miami Fire Department and more.
The music video for “God’s Plan” demonstrates how Drake made a positive impact through his donations to community members in Miami who are financially struggling.
Not only did Drake touch the lives of the individuals whom he directly impacted, but he has also impacted his fans who are proud of the efforts he has made as an artist: to not just make music, but to give back and help those who are less fortunate than himself.
“I think the music video is really great. There aren’t many rap artists using their platforms to convey a positive message nowadays,” said sophomore Elija Brown. “Although there are a handful of artists who do, most of the time it’s just lyrics that glorify drugs and violence… but because it has a good beat we listen. With that being said, it’s refreshing to see someone like Drake who influences such a vast demographic of people, to promote decent works, acts of charity, and getting an education.”
Many of Drake’s fans express that they are continuously stunned by his efforts to give back and continue to create great works of music.
“Besides the fact that I think Drake is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), I think that the fact that he spent all his money on other people says a lot about his character. There are so many celebrities and musicians out there with more money than Drake that should be doing the same thing,” said junior Patricia Anen. “Many celebrities should take advantage of the money they have and give back to others, just like Drake.”
The music video for “God’s Plan” has been trending on social media and most of his fans reactions to both the single and the video have been positive and uplifting.
“The video was so good it made me and my roommate cry,” said freshman Avi Afflitto. “I honestly don’t know one person that didn’t like the video or love the song.”
According to Billboard, “God’s Plan” is the fastest single to climb to No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Charts since 1999. With over 75 million streams in the US alone, “God’s Plan” is causing record-breaking numbers in the R&B/Hip-Hop genre.
Since the release, “God’s Plan” has consistently stayed at No. 1 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
“’God’s Plan’ is another hit by Drake, but it is also an answer for society,” said junior Nick Simmons. “As stated in the song, ‘and still, bad things, it’s a lot of bad things,’ we live in a society where we are surrounded by bad things. Drake took the question posed to the industry on what he is going to do to give back, and made the effort to not just donate to a charity, but to physically go into the city and give directly back to the community in Miami… and that’s God’s Plan.”
