The Rock in Rio mega festival, always criticized for decades for presenting the same pop rock and heavy metal groups, tries to escape this stigma and, for certain editions, has included artists from other genres in its programming, like the divas Rihanna (in 2015) and Beyoncé (in 2017). It was now Rio de Janeiro’s turn to welcome Canadian Drake, one of the biggest names in international rap, for his first concert in Brazil.

The show was marked by some controversies before it even started. It turns out that before the show, the star’s production team decided to veto not only the live broadcast on Multishow, but also the event’s official photographers and news agencies. Social networks were merciless, wondering whether the veto was due to legal reasons, ambition or simply the singer’s ill will. Or could it just be the well-known swagger of international rappers? According to a report from Additional, the Canadian thought about canceling the show because he would not have approved the sound and lighting of the show. Amidst so much confusion, the show took place and the event managed to take a few photos, but there was no transmission.

Despite this, the fans, who faced pouring rain, witnessed a great show with many hits and also a lot of discussion. The presentation began with Aquarela do Brasil in the voice of João Gilberto, interrupted by a brief blend of hits from the singer, who quickly stopped the sound to start speaking. He proposed dividing the audience into left and right sides and, like Freddie Mercury in Queen’s memorable show at Rock in Rio in 1985, directing the crowd. Bold maneuver for the first song, but the worst part is that it worked.

If the singer arrived in Brazil by jet it was expensive (around 10 million) the show was economical, Drake was accompanied only by the DJ, without dancers or sets. On the screen, backlit images of the rapper alternated with Christ the Redeemer struck by lightning, which suited the rainy weather perfectly. He didn’t skimp on the auto-tune, so much so that an unwary person would have sworn there were three or four different guys on stage, such was the difference in the tone of the Canadian’s voice.

Coming back to the music, there was no shortage of successes in the presentation. From “Started from the bottom“, “To know itself“, “Crowd Ties” until “work» (partnership with herself, Rihanna). But I don’t know why, when the guy got excited and the show started, the songs were interrupted by talking. This problem was no different even with the mega-hit”Bling Hotline”, cut off before even reaching the chorus. It seemed like one of those little roles where the owner of the company Bluetooth He’s an idiot and he skips the songs, the conversation would take place at that moment when the commercial comes on. I hesitate, Drake, from the first concert in Brazil.

As the rain got heavier and the Olympic City emptied, leaving only a crowd of fans in raincoats singing along to all the songs, the rapper’s ball dropped and his praise for the audience and the wonderful city seemed even more sincere. Truth be told, the Brazilian public is one of the most enthusiastic in the world and it softened the guy, who repeatedly said that it was the best show of his life. The presentation ended with “God’s plan”, is in fact played out from start to finish. Later, at TwitterDrake lamented the broadcast’s cancellation, saying the rainy weather left him uncertain about the show’s outcome.