Here's Every Toronto Landmark in Drake's "What's Next" Video

It starts at home. Drake begins his hometown tour at his palatial Toronto mansion, nicknamed “the Embassy.” It’s not the first time he’s shown off his 50,000 square feet-boasting place of dwelling in a music video, if you’ll recall the quarantine-friendly visuals for “Toosie Slide.”

In the lead-up to the oft-delayed and hugely anticipated Certified Lover Boy, Drake has been consistently referencing Drake albums past, including promo shots that directly cite former album covers and subtle riffs on earlier eras of his aesthetic. “What’s Next” follows suit by bringing Drake back to the top of the CN Tower, where he was last immortalized on the cover of his underrated sophomore album Views. Instead of an overcast afternoon, Drake’s there this time around in the dark of night, the skyline lit up beneath him in neon-hued tones like classic sci-fi. Gonna tell my kids this was Cyberpunk 2077. 

Image via YouTube/Drake

From Yonge-Dundas Square, Drake and his crew evidently headed down the steps on the corner to board a TTC subway car. The modern cars seen here, introduced to the city about a decade ago now, are strung together without doors or dividers, which is why you can see behind Drake way off into the distance of the back of the car. The subway in Toronto is usually a bit busier—and less moodily lit—but otherwise this is pretty much the quintessential Toronto experience. It may also be the first time Drake’s taken public transit in the city since his Degrassi days.

Where is Drake headed on the subway, you ask? At least between Broadview and Castle Frank stations on the east-west line: we catch a glimpse of the car heading outdoors along the Prince Edward Viaduct, a bridge that spans the Don River Valley and gives the subway-bound a momentary return to regular cellphone and data service. It’s also notably the most New York-esque stretch of the Toronto subway system and looks appropriately cinematic on camera.

Just along the lakeshore from the Bentway, and directly beneath the CN Tower where Drake was seen hanging out earlier in the video, is Ripley’s Aquarium, from the people who brought you Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! and sundry other attractions. Built in 2013, it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, and Drake shows off exactly why: perfect photo opps, incredible lighting, lots of sea animals. If you hope to head there as soon as it’s open again to recreate some of these shots, keep in mind you’ll have a hard time finding a gap between groups of visiting schoolchildren. 

Drake’s final stop on his citywide tour takes him to a high-rise in the heart of downtown—from the looks of it a building in the middle of the Financial District, whose huge bay windows offer enviable views of the rest of the downtown core and the CN Tower. (The views are similar to those you’ll find at the upscale Financial District restaurant Canoe.) Hanging with him in the background of these shots are the OG members of the OVO crew: Oliver El-Khatib, Noah “40” Shebib, and Niko.