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Orlando & The Freakshow

Review: Drake & J. Cole “It’s All A Blur” Tampa Concert

Author Richie Ortiz

I must admit, when I initially paid for my “it was all a blur” tour tickets, I thought they were a bit expensive. I usually wouldn’t pay a couple of hundred dollars for concert tickets unless it was a for a festival. A part of me wanted to sell the tickets after seeing the resell value of them, but after watching Drake and J. Cole live I can honestly say I was glad I didn’t. The concert was definitely worth the price of admission. Tampa had high expectations for Drake and Cole especially being the 1st stop of the tour, and they delivered.

Drake performing in Tampa with a large bra on stage

If you really think about it your ticket price is an investment. If you’re willing to take a little bit of time and come up with an elaborate scheme of how to tell Drake how hard you worked for your tickets, you had a chance of getting blessed by him during the show.  Just ask the one girl who wore a light up jacket and a sign that said she worked 52 hours for tickets. Not only did Drake notice her, but he gifted her $10,000 just for her troubles. Or the other girl that screamed out she worked 13,000 hours. She was also gifted $10,000. A Drake concert ticket is pretty much a lottery ticket.

Theme:

The theme of the entire show was a football game. The night started out with a comedian acting as ESPN narrating a game Drake and J.Cole were a part of. The main stage made of LED screens sat in the middle of a football field. At one end of the field was a locker room themed stage where Drake started the show that sat next to a large blown up statue of Virgil Abloh. At the other end was another stage where front of house was located with the DJ booth.I was a bit confused by Drake’s wardrobe choice though. I’m not sure if he was inspired by Dinosaur World, but for some reason Drake was wearing what seemed to look like Fossils. Other than that, everything was placed and calculated perfectly. Drake really wasn’t playing any games (all puns intended).

Best Part Of The Show

The show was phenomenal. Drake and J.Cole used the entire arena and utilized every inch they had. Everything from the marching band to the synchronized lights and pyrotechnics. There were spaceships, Travis Scott heads and oversized bras flying around the stage with a perfect medley of vintage and new Drake. If I had to choose one specific point in the show that was my favorite, I would have to say when J. Cole and Drake performed together to close out the show. The two rappers giving each other their flowers was a great moment for everyone to experience. I’m actually thinking about going again to the 2nd show.

Drake And JCole on stage at the Amalie Arena

 

Drake Set List:

Trophy’s (Marching Band Only)

Virginia beach

Marvin’s room

Teenage Fever

Feel no ways

Jungles

Over

Headlines

The Motto

HYFR

Started from the bottom 

Energy

Know Yourself

Nonstop

Daylight

Meltodown

Sicko Mode

Laugh Now Cry Later

Gods plan

Pound Cake

Gave 10k away (worked 52 hours) $10k

Gave another 10k for 13000 hours

Child’s Play

In my feelings

Nice for what

Calling For You

Cameras

Rich baby daddy

Search and rescue 

Controlla

Too Good

Hold on, we’re going home 

Find Your Love

Passion fruit 

Work

One dance

Gently

J. Cole Set:

Middle Child

Wet Dreamz

A Tale Of Two Cities

GOMD

Power Trip

The London

A lot 

Love yours

The Secret Recipe

No Role Modelz

Drake & J.Cole Set:

In the morning

First person shooter 

P**** And Millions

Knife Talk

Rich Flex

IDGAF

You Broke My Heart

Slime You Out

Trophies (Marching Band Only)

Drake: All Of His No. 1 Hits, Ranked

Drake has been cranking out hits for over a decade now, and just recently, the rap star has tied with Michael Jackson in No. 1 hits. Both artists have 13 No. 1 accounted-for hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now, both Drake and Jackson have the fourth most No. 1 songs on the chart by a male artist.

Billboard also notes that the scoring of songs and music has changed drastically because of streaming. “As streaming has become more prominent in recent years, certain acts have been able to achieve impressive Hot 100 feats after releasing high-profile albums. The model contrasts with prior decades, when acts generally promoted one single at a time in the physical-only marketplace and on radio. That shift in consumption helps explain why artists have been able to increase their total number of career entries and top 10s over short spans in recent years,” the website reads.

While there are some logistics to note about how the scoring has changed, that didn’t stop Drake from celebrating this monumental achievement. He posted a photoshopped photo of Michael Jackson wearing an OVO hoodie while taking a mirror selfie.

To add to his celebration, he wore a white crystal-studded glove that emulated MJ’s famed glove that he wore during his 1984 Victory Tour and on stage a year prior at the Grammys when he performed “Billie Jean.”

Drake’s latest studio album, For All The Dogs, also was a top charter debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The project included guest appearances from SZA, Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Bad Bunny, PartyNextDoor, Chief Keef, Sexxy Red, Yeat, and Lil Yachty. The project was released on Oct. 6.

Note only 13 of his 14 No. 1 hits are counted towards his career score as the rapper was not properly credited for one of the songs. That song has been marked with an asterisk (*).

Take a look at Drake’s No. 1 songs ranking:

  • 14. "Toosie Slide" - Drake (2020)

    “Toosie Slide” was Drake’s attempt at creating a viral dance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The song has easy dance movements that he raps throughout the song: “Right foot up, left foot slide/Left foot up, right foot slide.” “Tootsie Slide” was a chart-topper for one week.

  • 13. "What's Next" by Drake (2021)

    Drake gave us Scary Hours 2 to hold us over before he decided to release Certified Lover Boy in 2021. On “What’s Next” the rapper is propelling forward on and anticipating what’s next. “What’s Next” stayed at No. 1 for one week.

  • 12. "Slime You Out" Drake feat. SZA (2023)

    We finally got a collab between Drake and SZA after all this time. The song is the lead single to Drake’s For All The Dogs which is his eighth studio album. In the song, Drake speaks on the childish ways of a woman he’s seeing after she tries to replace him with someone new. “Slime You Out” was No. 1 for one week.

  • 11. "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future & Young Thug (2021)

    Drake called trap kings Future and Young Thug for “Way 2 Sexy.” The song is on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy , which dropped in 2021. “Way 2 Sexy” samples Right Said Fred’s 1992 hit “I’m Too Sexy.” The rappers boast about their good looks in the song and the music video shows off the rapper’s comical side. Future scored his first No. 1 with the record, and it was Young Thug’s third leader. “Way 2 Sexy” was a chart leader for one week.

  • 10. "First Person Shooter" by Drake feat. J. Cole (2023)

    “They act like two legends cannot coexist,” Cole raps on “Middle Child.” Here, they prove they can coexist on “First Person Shooter.” The North Carolina rapper takes over a majority of the rapping on the track, but Drake matches Coles’ energy from the jump. The pair make a great duo and this marks their third collaboration. “First Person Shooter” was the 13th– accounted for — No. 1 hit of the Toronto rapper which matched Michael Jackson. This was also Cole’s first career chart leader. The record stayed atop the chart for one week.

  • 9. "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake feat. 21 Savage (2022)

    Most fans found Honestly, Nevermind as a letdown as they expected the surprise drop to be rap-heavy. The album was more experimental as the Toronto rapper sang and rapped on house music beats. “Jimmy Cooks” was the saving grace for many on the project as it brought back “Drake the rapper.” The record is also the only one on the album that has a feature which Drake graciously gave to 21 Savage. “Jimmy Cooks” stayed No. 1 for one week.

  • 8. "SICKO MODE" Travis Scott ft. Drake** (2019)

    While “SICKO MODE” doesn’t count towards Drake’s career No. 1’s, it still is a phenomenal track. Billboard explained that SICKO MODE didn’t count because Drake was not “properly credited” on the song. The record is found on Scott’s 2021 album Astroworld. It was nominated for “Best Rap Song,” and “Best Rap Performance.” “SICKO MODE” was Scott’s first No. 1 song.

  • 7. "In My Feelings" by Drake (2016)

    In 2016, Drake had everyone in their feelings. You could not go around without someone singing,”Kiki, do you love me?” over the infectious beat created by Cleveland producer TrapMoneyBenny, New Orleans producer BlaqNmilD, and Drizzy’s longtime producer 40. “In My Feelings” stayed at No. 1 on the chart for ten weeks.

  • 6. "Nice for What" by Drake (2018)

    “Nice For What” is found on Drake’s Scorpion and was the album’s second promotional single. Unlike most of the songs on this list, “Nice For What” is sample heavy but still Drake makes it his own. The song samples Lauryn Hill’s song “Ex-Factor” (1998) which itself samples Wu-Tang Clan’s “Can It Be All So Simple” (1993), “Drag Rap” by the Showboys (1986), “Get Your Roll On” by Big Tymers (2000). You can also hear Big Freida on the track. “Nice For What” was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. It stayed for eight weeks at No. 1 on the chart.

  • 5. "What's My Name?" by Rihanna feat. Drake (2011)

    While the duo didn’t work out romantically, Rihanna and Drake definitely know how to make a hit together. “What’s My Name?” is from Rihanna’s album Forever which was released in 2011. In the song, the two sing/rap about their love interests, and in the music video they are each other’s. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. “What’s My Name?” is also Drake’s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • 4. "Wait for U" by Future feat. Drake & Tems (2022)

    The song uses a sample of Tems’ “Higher” but Future gave the Nigerian songstress a feature credit to highlight her contribution to the song. The song won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Rap Song. “Wait For U” stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week.

  • 3. "God's Plan" by Drake (2018)

    “God’s Plan” is about Drake giving back but also recognizing that not everyone has good intentions. The song plays into Drake’s doubts about people who try to get close to him in order to benefit off of his success. As for the charitable efforts he displays in the music video, the Toronto rapper also replicated the act in real life. According to Genius, the music video’s budget was $996,631.90, and they took that money and donated to schools and several charities. “God’s Plan” won Best Rap Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards and was nominated for Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 11 weeks.

  • 2. "Work" by Rihanna feat. Drake (2016)

    Drake and Rihanna owned 2016’s summer with “Work.” In the song, Rihanna sings about wanting a relationship and Drake is only interested in a “friends-with-benefits” package. The two also had a memorable steamy performance at the 2016 BRIT Awards. It was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record Of The Year. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks.

  • 1. "One Dance" by Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla (2016)

    As we previously mentioned, 2016 was one of Drake’s most popular years. He was tapped into his afrobeats and dancehall vibe with “One Dance” where he grabbed Wizkid and Kyla for the assist. “One Dance” was Drake’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard charts. The song stayed atop the chart for 10 weeks.

 

Rich grew up in the Bronx, NY but moved to Tampa in 2006 to attend the University of Tampa. Even though he completed 4 years at the University for Sports Management, Ortiz realized his true passion for radio after taking a couple of classes to fulfill his communications minor and volunteering at UT's WUTT radio station as a sports director. Rich also worked at several clubs in Tampa as a host/promoter where he would meet and work alongside Davy Rolando, who would be the one who would help him get a job at WiLD 94.1. From there, Rich worked his way up from Promotions assistant to promotions coordinator, to eventually full-time on-air. Rich loves to write about his favorite Tampa food spots, concert reviews, and the WiLDest Florida man/woman stories.

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