Drake calling himself “Baby Gaza” might be the most unexpected flex in his recent run, and it lands in the middle of a short film that already has people talking.
In his new project “Fomo,” he previews an unreleased track where he spits, “Worl’ Boss home and a play with Gaza / Me brand new nickname ‘Baby Gaza’ / Done know the Killy dem crazy barber,” making his admiration for Vybz Kartel about as explicit as it gets.
This is not a one-off either. Drake already gave Kartel an honorable mention on “New Bestie,” a track off his recent album “Made of Honor,” so the pattern is clear.
The Canadian rapper has been leaning into his dancehall connections for a while now, but adopting a nickname rooted in Kartel’s own “Gaza” brand is a different level of tribute entirely.
Vybz Kartel, who goes by “Worl’ Boss” and built the Gaza movement into one of the most loyal fanbases in Caribbean music history, was released from prison after years of incarceration, and Drake’s bars directly reference that.
The line “Worl’ Boss home and a play with Gaza” reads like a celebration of Kartel’s freedom, not just a name-drop for cultural clout.
The short film itself brings in another Jamaican cultural figure, model and television personality Winnie Harlow, who is shown walking through the streets in what sounds like a cinematic, narrative-driven visual.
Harlow has Jamaican roots and has been vocal about her Caribbean heritage, so her presence in “Fomo” feels deliberate rather than decorative.
From a dancehall perspective, reactions to Drake’s Gaza cosign are going to be mixed. Hardcore Kartel fans have historically been protective of the Gaza identity, and some will question whether Drake adopting “Baby Gaza” as a nickname is genuine love or a well-packaged aesthetic move.
Others in the dancehall community will see it as a major platform moment for Kartel’s legacy reaching mainstream global audiences at a time when the Worl’ Boss is rebuilding his public presence post-release.
Drake’s relationship with Caribbean music goes back years, from his early Afrobeats and dancehall-influenced records to collaborations with artists across the diaspora.
But shouting out Kartel specifically, repeatedly, and now building a short film around imagery and bars that echo the Gaza universe, suggests this is more personal than a genre trend. Whether Kartel himself responds, or whether the two eventually release something together, is the question a lot of people are sitting with right now.
The unreleased track teased in “Fomo” has no confirmed release date yet, and it is unclear if it features Kartel directly or simply pays homage.
Given how deliberately Drake has been building this connection across multiple projects, it would be surprising if the story stopped here.
