Down Under, but not out: Drake returns in Australia, dons bullet-riddled hoodie

Drake shares an image of himself on Instagram wearing a smoking, bullet-riddled hoodie while on stage performing in Australia. (@champagnepapi)

TORONTO — Drake has kicked off his tour in Perth, Australia with a message for his detractors: he’s still standing after a historic rap war with Kendrick Lamar.

Videos posted on social media showed the embattled Toronto performer walking into the concert arena on Tuesday night as the instrumental for his song “Over My Dead Body” played.

Drake was dressed in a black hoodie that appeared to be punctured with bullet holes, the mock wounds on his back pouring out theatrical smoke.

His dramatic entrance opened the first of Drake’s 16-date Anita Max Wynn Tour, which will include multiple nights at arenas in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Auckland, New Zealand.

Local media outlet PerthNow reported that Drake performed a 90-minute set of his hits, including “Hotline Bling” and “Passionfruit,” and welcomed Canadian producer Future the Prince as one of his guests.

He closed the show by assuring his fans that “Drizzy Drake is very much still alive.”

His first tour Down Under since 2017 comes as Drake looks to recover from the Lamar fiasco, which popular opinion suggests he lost by a wide margin.

On Sunday night, Lamar’s Drake diss track “Not Like Us” swept all five Grammy categories it was nominated in. Lamar’s next stop is the Super Bowl this weekend where he’ll headline the halftime show.

Drake is expected to release an R&B album with his OVO labelmate Partynextdoor on Valentine’s Day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2025.