Drake unites the largest battle rap institution, URL (Ultimate Rap League) with Caffeine, a burgeoning live-streaming app.
Anything with 's name attached to it is sure to be a huge success, or is at least sure to attract loads of attention. The Canadian rapper's latest venture is a multiyear partnership with live-streaming platform, Caffeine. The deal was officially announced on Tuesday, along with details about the first project that Drizzy and the app will be pursuing.
The world's largest battle rap outlet, URL (Ultimate Rap League), will be brought onboard to kick-start a new initiative to make Caffeine a hub for battle rap viewing. In collaboration with these new partners, Caffeine will live stream and co-produce the Rap Battles.
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In a statement, Drake explained how he's been a fan of URL, which has been promoted by Troy "Smack White" Mitchell out of Queens, New York for years. "I’ve always loved URL and admired what Smack and his team have been able to create, it just wasn’t easily accessible," Drake said . "It’s exciting to be in a position where I’m able to bring Caffeine to the table and help provide URL with the tools they need to elevate the viewing experience and make it more accessible to fans." Smack White, who also co-founded of URL, echoed this sentiment, calling Caffeine "the perfect strategic partner."
URL was first popularized through the distribution of DVDs - referred to as "S.M.A.C.K. DVD" for Street Music, Arts, Culture & Knowledge - in the early 2000's. Bringing this tradition of raw battle rapping to a live-streaming app seems like an ideal way to revamp it for a new and wider audience. This partnership actually marks an interesting turn of events because Drake was infamously called upon to participate in a URL event in 2015, but declined.