How Much Is Drake Worth to Toronto?

Largely a humdrum city by world standards until recently, Toronto was yanked onto the world stage by the late mayor Rob Ford for his narcotic tendencies, but it wasn’t until Drake’s meteoric rise to global fame that The 6, as it’s since become known, has gained widespread recognition thanks to the rapper’s many references to the city in his songs and TV appearances.

However, in this age anything can be given a monetary value, and The Toronto Star set out to calculate what Drake’s value is to Toronto by enlisting researchers at ZenithOptimedia to compile the equivalent advertising spend that would be required to achieve his 32.5 million Twitter and 23 million Instagram followers, as well as billions of views on YouTube. The figure of $300 million USD was then multiplied by 10, as Drake is an “A-list celebrity who is a huge influencer on other A-list celebrities who admire him.” The final result: a whopping $3 billion USD.

However, because his love for Toronto and rampant promotion of his city comes from a place of authenticity, which is then recognized by his fans, Drake’s value is essentially priceless and “impossible to replicate.” Read the rest of the report online here, and don’t miss our op-ed on Drake’s role as Toronto’s cultural ambassador.