Ahead of the performance, screens at the venue showed Wallen backstage walking alongside Drake, also known as Drizzy. As they stepped onto the stage together, the crowd erupted in cheers. The two artists previously collaborated on the 2023 track You Broke My Heart.
However, the unexpected pairing sparked a range of responses online. Some users joked that Drake was “embracing his white side,” referencing his appearance at a country music concert. Others were more critical, questioning his alignment with the controversial Wallen.
Wallen faced backlash in 2021 after being filmed using a racial slur, as reported by USA Today. One user on X commented, “In what world did Drake think it was a good idea to associate himself with Morgan ‘N Word’ Wallen?”
There were also comparisons to Drake’s ongoing tension with Kendrick Lamar, following the success of Lamar’s Grand National Tour. One commenter noted, “Not a white man showing Lawbrey how a stadium show looks and feels like,” referencing Wallen’s stadium-level performance.
Wallen’s tour officially kicked off on June 20 in Houston. During that show, he addressed past controversies by displaying negative headlines on a screen before theatrically pouring gasoline over them and setting them ablaze, launching into the title track I’m the Problem.
His fourth studio album of the same name, released in May 2025, features 37 tracks and has topped the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks.
The moment has reignited debates over celebrity accountability, reputation management, and the optics of genre-crossing collaborations in today’s music industry.
