Skepta Responds to Drake’s ‘BBK’ Tattoo by Signing Canadian Rapper

After making a guest appearance with BBK co-founder Skepta at a Section Boyz gig in London on Wednesday night, Canadian rapper Drake announced via Instagram that he was signing to grime label Boy Better Know, which is a good thing considering Drake got a “BBK” tribute tattoo back in October. The news comes just two months before Drake’s new album “Views From The 6” is expected to drop, which means BBK could possibly play a role in the album’s release. Prior to signing Drake, Boy Better Know’s biggest name was Wiley, an English grime MC, songwriter and record producer whose top-selling records were released on a different label.

Drake performed with Rihanna at The Brit Awards on February 24, but rather than attend the after party, the rapper headed to a small venue in east London and made a surprise appearance with Section Boyz. That was exciting enough for all the Drake fans out there, but then the rapper upped the ante by announcing that he was signing to the Boy Better Know label, which is pretty big news for both BBK and Drake, one of the biggest names in hip hop. Headed by grime legend Skepta and his brother Jme, Boy Better Know is an English grime group founded in North London in 2005, and it was established as an independent record label as well so the group could publish its music.

At the time Drake revealed his “BBK” tattoo, which is inked on his left shoulder in lowercase Gothic-style letters, there were hints of a possible collaboration between the Canadian rapper and the north London grime group and record label Boy Better Know. Drake is a longtime fan of BBK founder Skepta and the UK music scene in general, and his decision to get a “BBK’ tattoo last fall seemed like a precursor to Drake eventually joining the crew. Especially when Skepta responded to Drake’s tribute tat with the comment, “More than music. OVO BBK family for Life.”

Following Drake’s Boy Better Know announcement on Instagram, which went something like this: “The first Canadian signed to BBK. Big up my brudda @skeptagram for life yeah. And my section gunners too. GB,” Skepta posted what appeared to be a confirmation of Drake’s big news, an Instagram photo of the back of a T-shirt featuring both the Boy Better Know logo and Drake’s OVO Sound owl logo. Whether the signing deal has been in the works since the fall, or Drake simply took a leap of faith by getting his BBK shoulder tattoo, it looks like it worked out for him in the end!