Canadian native rapper Drake, is throwing a very particular apology party for anyone named Janice, NOW Toronto reports.
According to Virgin Radio Toronto, the 39-year old rapper has planned an exclusive gathering this Sunday at the Cactus Club on Adelaide Street West from 1 to 4 p.m., open only to people who can prove their first name is Janice with valid ID.
The event is framed as a mea culpa after Drake named one of his Iceman tracks “Janice STFU,” a title that references a vocal sample and carries a confrontational edge that might have upset some Janices.
The party is just at tip of the iceberg, as Drake teased similar “Janice” events in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.
He shared an Instagram story showing a bin full of envelopes and wrote, “All my Janice's in NY, LA, HOU, MIA, TO. Look out for my invitation for Sunday,” suggesting he is personally inviting people who share the name across multiple cities.
The apology stunt arrives amid the frenzy around Drake’s recent output. The song “Janice STFU” is a breakout from his surprise May trilogy, Iceman, Maid of Honour and Habibti, that surged to the top of both the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
In Canada it held the No. 1 spot for three weeks, beating “Jimmy Cooks” to become Drake’s longest-running chart-topper in the country this decade.
Part of the song’s catchiness is its chorus, which in part interpolates Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers” and helped the track go viral on TikTok. Lykke Li herself told Rolling Stone she found the record “potent,” praising its raw, revenge-tinged hip-hop energy.
The Janice parties are the latest in a string of high-profile promotional stunts from Drake. In April he drew global attention in Toronto with a giant ice sculpture that concealed his album date, staged a controlled explosion, and even took over the CN Tower.
Fans reacted, @compass_daddy04, posted, “Lol W Marketing too funny” and @jaann.o2, commented, “My real name is Janice but he ain’t coming to Dubai”