Toronto, Canada experienced record-breaking storms on July 17, 2024, resulting in severe flooding that affected numerous residents and high-profile figures such as rapper Drake. According to multiple sources including The Guardian and Hollywood Reporter, Drake's Toronto mansion located in the Bridle Path district was among the properties hit hard by the floodwaters.
The storm brought heavy rainfall that exceeded four inches in some areas, causing urban flooding and leaving approximately 167,000 customers without power according to Toronto Hydro. Emergency services were kept busy with numerous callouts to rescue people trapped in lifts and from flooded motorways.
David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, stated that multiple storms had occurred in Toronto, surpassing the previous reality of river flooding. He described the situation as a new urban flooding reality for the city.
Drake shared footage on Instagram of ankle-deep muddy water rushing into his mansion. The rapper attempted to keep Mother Nature at bay by closing doors and using a broom to guide the water away, but was unsuccessful. No further details were provided regarding damage or motives behind the flooding incident.
The Toronto mansion, which covers 50,000 sq ft and is known as The Embassy, has been in the news recently due to a high-profile beef with rival Kendrick Lamar. In May 2024, a security guard was shot and seriously injured outside the property. A man was arrested for attempting to break into the mansion that same day, and two other trespassing incidents were reported that week.
The motive behind these incidents is unknown but occurred in the wake of Lamar using an aerial image of Drake's mansion as artwork for his diss track Not Like Us. The song reached No 1 in the US charts, making it the most successful in a series of tracks where both rappers levelled serious allegations at each other.
Drake described The Embassy as 'overwhelming high luxury' and a monumental structure that would stand firm for 100 years. It includes an NBA size indoor basketball court, a recording studio, an awards room, indoor swimming pool, modern Art Deco interiors and more.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(982x420:984x422)/Drake-rapper-071624-1ae3a26b7d6649308b4576916d6f0e80.jpg)