In 2020, Drake released
Dark Lane Demo Tapes, an extended play of unreleased singles which doubled as an ode to a side of Toronto he hadn’t displayed on records before. The back cover art was in dedication to Anthony “Fif” Soares, a member of the Toronto Hip Hop community who was shot and killed in Septemebr 2017.
Years later, Drizzy has found a way to honor “Fif” by becoming a mentor to his younger brother, rising rapper Riicch. In a feature for
BlogTO, Riicch explained how Drake continued to carry the torch for his slain brother and more.
“My brother is very well known and respected in the Toronto scene, so when the torch is passed down to me, so are a lot of opinions and jealousy. I really can’t explain how I overcame it. I only can say I took my pain and turned it into positive energy,” Riicch said.
In the span of two decades, Toronto rapper D.O. Gibson has spoken at 2,500 schools. He likes to pick out different people from places across the country to educate youth about Black Canadian history.