Drake Fans' OVO Takeover At Kendrick Lamar's Toronto Concert Canceled By Police

BY Bryson "Boom" Paul 10.2K Views
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Jun 13, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Recording artist Drake watches with Toronto Raptors fans as they cheer on their team in the NBA Finals against Golden State Warriors at the Jurassic Park watch party at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images
Drake's OVO fanbase include the rap star's most devoted fans. OVO stands for October's Very Own. OVO's mascot is an owl.

An OVO takeover was anticipated at Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour stop in Toronto to support the hometown hero, Drake.

However, the planned gathering was quickly dispersed by Toronto police as concert goers arrived at Rogers Centre. The OVO takeover was meant to be a peaceful gathering in support of the Drizzy. Fans participating in the takeover informed social media that they were forced to leave after authorities received concerning calls.

In a statement shared on social media, the organizers of the OVO takeover wrote the following:

"Unfortunately, we have to cancel the OVO Takeover. We genuinely just wanted to bring people together, have some fun, and create good vibes for the city. But unfortunately, some people decided to report us, falsely claiming we were planning to "start trouble" or cause chaos. Because of those reports, police were already on high alert and were quick to shut down anything that even looked like a crowd forming - including us."

The statement would share that the gathering wasn't expected to draw large numbers. It originally began as a joke that quickly transformed into a movement. It would even draw local media attention.

OVO Takeover

"We didn't expect things to blow up the way they did," the organizer wrote. "What started as a joke turned into a full-on movement, and y'all made that happen. Shoutout to the media outlets that pulled up - CTV, CityNews, CP24, Virgin Radio, MuchMusic - and most importantly, shoutout to every single one of you who showed love and made this real."

Thankful of the united support of Drake fans across Toronto, the organizer's statement would request fans that attended the gathering to message them on social media and organize another outing.

The statement continued: "To make sure your time wasn't wasted, if you pulled up at all, DM us any videos or photos you took - we'll be mailing out hoodies to everyone who came through. Just give us a few days to process everything. We'll also be running a few giveaways over the next couple days to get the rest of the hoodies out. We're honestly disappointed it had to end like this — it was all meant for the culture, for the city, and for the fun of it. But the fact that so many of you cared enough to show up means the world. Thank you for turning something spontaneous into something unforgettable. We'll be back."

Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour in Toronto has helped the city become one of the top five stops on the tour based on tickets sales, according to StubHub. The OVO takeover's disperse follows the postponement of Drake and Kai Cenat's livestream set for Thursday evening (June 12) at 8 PM EST.

About The Author
Bryson "Boom" Paul has been a contributor for Hot New Hip Hop since 2024. A Dallas-based cultural journalist, he is a CSUB graduate and has interviewed 50 Cent, Jeezy, Tyler, The Creator, Ne-Yo, and others.