After his Laugh Now Cry Later music video with Lil Durk, which was shot on location at Nike Headquarters, and the release of his “Certified Lover Boy” merch together with Nike, which is meant to create extra hype around the release of his new album, Drake and Nike are now launching a new sub-label called NOCTA. In the run-up to the first NOCTA release, Drake shares his view on how this project came about.
“Finally this moment has come together for me,” Drake said. I mean, growing up with Nike was everything to me. It felt like every basketball shoe I wanted, every athlete I liked, everything I thought was dope was Nike. It meant nothing to me unless it had a Swoosh.
I remember how all these athletes represented Nike in their own way, each doing something new to stand out, and how inspiring that was for me. I remember when LeBron James decided to go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers and there were huge posters all over the city; that made so much impact at the time that I went straight out and bought 4 pairs of Lebron James basketball shoes. I always felt that Nike had the ability to embrace an entertainer the same way as athletes. I thought about how crazy it would have been and what it would have meant for an artist to have a big Nike deal.
NOCTA is a realization of all these thoughts and everything I had hoped for, from the culture in which it is produced to the product itself; most importantly, it is the scale at which I can share it with the world.
NOCTA is about creating something for people who are on the move a lot. People who want functional, comfortable fits that can adapt from one environment to the next. That way we want basketball players with a Nike Basketball to be just as comfortable as us rappers. We do this for the culture.
The NOCTA mentality also includes loyalty and teamwork. Whether you’re in Toronto, London or Paris, there’s this uniform look, for example the Nike Tech Fleece, the gloves, the hat, and it has a real team feeling. I wanted to take a piece of the culture I grew up with, that way of thinking, and make the best of it. With NOCTA we tried to make the hardest jacket, the hardest tracksuit and the hardest gloves. Simply the best of that world.
This opportunity is something I’ve been waiting for for a very long time. To be associated with the highest possible level - that was always my goal. We’ve worked hard over the past two years, lots of man- and woman-hours. Seeing it all come together as a final product, an exciting new chapter in my life begins.
