“One of my biggest concerns in my career is just to figure out how to exit gracefully,” Drake recently told LeBron James on HBO’s The Shop, saying he didn’t want to “overstay [his] welcome.” It’s hard to believe that’d ever be the case in light of his relentless record-breaking, but Drizzy seems to already be pursuing an escape plan. His way out? Esports.
Forbes reports that Drake has joined Scooter Braun, the manager behind Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, as a co-owner of 100 Thieves, a relatively new esports company founded by professional gamer Matt “Nadeshot” Haag. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans owner Dan Gilbert have also invested millions into the organization, bringing its total funding up to $25 million.
Weirdly, esports—which typically take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions—have become the ideal vessel for building malleable lifestyle brands. 100 Thieves was a clothing brand before it was an esports company, apparently, and Drake and Braun see the potential to build out its name that much more more.
All this is to remind you that Drake really loves Fortnite, and that, yes, the gamers are now unstoppable. Just please, please keep him away from the hashtag that must not be named.