Drake Pays Tribute to Mac Miller During Concert

Drake commemorated Mac Miller at his show on Saturday night, dedicating the entire set to the late rapper.

Drake went out on stage for the second night of his Aubrey and the Three Migos tour on Saturday, in Boston’s TD Garden. He managed to keep the energy up while memorializing Miller, who had passed away just over 24 hours before hand.

“Tonight, I wanna dedicate this show to my late friend Mac Miller, who was always a kind man to me through this whole journey,” he said.

The two rappers never worked together professionally, a fact that Miller bragged about on “Here We Go,” the second track on his 2014 mixtape Faces.

“I’m still playing it out the same speakers / I did it all without a Drake feature,” he rapped triumphantly. He was likely referencing all the other contemporary acts who had gotten notoriety from their association with Drake.

Miller and Drake were often associated, however, as two of the most popular Jewish rappers in music. Both made frequent references to their faith. Miller had a well-documented respect for Drake, as he explained to MTV News and KYLD94.9 in 2014. he believed that the Toronto-based rapper had found the secret to reaching the next level of success.

“This is the name of the game for 2014: D.A.D.D.: Do As Drake Does,” Miller declared. “Because Drake got the game on lock. If you wanna watch how anyone releases music and puts out an album, watch Drake.”

“If you look at a Drake, you can say he’s kind of been knocking down this door,” he explained further to MTV. “Like, ‘I wanna be accepted on a level as a Jay Z and a Kanye.’ And he’s probably been feeling that way for a long time, but it just happens when it’s supposed to happen. Now, finally, you see Drake and Kanye, putting him up where he’s supposed to be.”

The tribute to Miller was not the only emotional surprise at Drake’s show on Saturday. He also brought out fellow rapper and former opponent Meek Mill for a few songs. The two had a long-standing feud when Mill was dating Nicki Minaj, even trading insults in diss tracks such as “Back to Back.” However, it all seemed to be behind them in Boston on Saturday.

“Meek Mill, that’s my brother,” Drake proclaimed. He later posted an photo of the performance on Instagram.

“This really gave me peace of mind tonight,” he captioned it. “Healing and moving forward created one of the most electric and gratifying moments of my career. @meekmill I’m happy that you are home and that we could find our way back to our joint purpose.”