OVO Sound

History

The label's roots can be traced back to 2006, when Drake's first official mixtape, Room for Improvement, was released under the unofficial record label "All Things Fresh" which eventually became "October's Very Own". Drake later raised the profile of the label by prominently featuring OVO throughout his music, regularly mentioning the label in songs and on stage, as well as promoting OVO merchandise.

The record label was officially founded in 2009 by Drake and long-time collaborators Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib following the success of Drake's second studio album Take Care. According to Billboard, Drake signed a five-year partnership deal with Warner Records, which was extended in 2017.

Drake was signed as a solo artist to Republic Records through Young Money and Cash Money for nine years. Drake's 2018 release Scorpion was his last project under Young Money/Cash Money. On the other hand, the artists Drake signs to OVO Sound through Warner have their content distributed through the latter.

Upon founding the label in 2012, Drake and 40 signed frequent collaborators Boi-1da, T-Minus, and Mike Zombie to the label as in-house producers (the latter two are the only active signees in the label to come outside of Canada). In April 2013, it was reported that Drake was close to signing the label's first recording artist, PartyNextDoor, which he ended up revealing shortly thereafter. In August 2013, Drake announced that he signed Toronto music duo Majid Jordan to OVO Sound. OB O'Brien and iLoveMakonnen would soon sign in 2014, with the latter being the first non-Canadian act and second non-Canadian signee after to Mike Zombie. Makonnen would eventually leave OVO Sound in April 2016, wishing to pursue his interests as a solo artist with Warner. Canadian rap artist Roy Woods and R&B duo Dvsn, composed of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, soon joined the label in 2015 and 2016, with each act releasing an EP and studio album respectively.On June 10, 2017, newest signee Plaza's project, Shadow EP, debuted on OVO Sound Radio episode 45. In 2021, Canadian rapper Smiley was signed to the label.

On January 20, 2023 OVO announced the signing of Dutch-Caribbean singer, Naomi Sharon, becoming the first female artist on the label.

On January 23, 2024 Santa Anna Label Group, a subsidiary of Sony Music, announced an investment and partnership with OVO Sound, stating that they'd take over distribution for the label alongside provide new and existing A&Rs for the label.

Roster

Current acts

Former acts

In-house producers

OVO Sound Radio

OVO Sound Radio was a radio program that aired on Beats 1, fortnightly on Saturdays. The show primarily aired newer material, with at least one song premiering in each broadcast. The show's initial airing was on July 11, 2015, and it was hosted by Drake and Oliver El-Khatib. The show is notable for debuting hit Drake singles, such as platinum-selling "Hotline Bling", and chart-topping "One Dance". The show ended on October 27, 2018.

Sound 42

On March 4, 2021, Drake announced that he and Oliver would debut their new 24 hour radio station, "Sound 42" on Sirius XM featuring the return of OVO Sound Radio that same night. In an interview with GQ, Drake spoke on the partnership saying "It's something that Scott [Greenstein] from SiriusXM was extremely passionate about from the inception of our partnership. He's been so supportive with us as far as Sound 42 goes. And Sirius offers us the opportunity to be heard far and wide, right? Sirius is just the closest thing we have to those days of glory radio moments and I still get a massive amount of joy premiering music when I know that everyone is listening at the same time."

OVO Clothing

OVO Clothing was launched in 2011. The series of clothing began with a series of collaborations between Roots Canada and OVO, which produced several parkas, jackets and other collaborations. In 2013, merchandise for the OVO figurehead included collaborations with the Toronto Raptors, which coincided with Drake becoming the franchise's Global Ambassador. OVO has since morphed into a clothing line in itself, releasing a slew of clothes during every season of the year. T-shirts, sweatshirts, varsity jackets, baseball hats, and knit beanies are seasonal installations. OVO Clothing oversaw the opening of the first OVO store for the brand's clothing in downtown Toronto, opening on December 6, 2014. Exactly a year after the opening in Toronto, OVO stores expanded to the United States, opening a flagship store in Los Angeles, California. Its New York store opened in December 2016 on Bond Street, and its Chicago store in August 2019 on Walton Street in Gold Coast. OVO also opened its first location in Vancouver in December 2018.

Its pre-2016 collection was composed of basketball shorts, OVO jerseys, track jackets, and baggy hoodies.

On November 9, 2020, it was revealed via the OVO Clothing Instagram account that NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky would be a model for the Fall and Winter 2020 collection. Gretzky and OVO Clothing founder Drake are both native to southern Ontario, Canada. Also featured in the collection was former Canadian Olympian Ross Rebagliati, who won a gold medal in Giant Slalom Snowboarding in the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

OVO Collaborations

Since its inception, OVO has collaborated with various sports franchises, athletes, sports apparel companies, fashion brands etc; here is a list of some of the collaborations:

• Red Bull Racing
• NFL (Fanatics, Inc.)
• SMEG
• Yale University
• Air Jordan
• NCAA
• FaZe Clan
• NBA
• Clarks
• Canada Goose
• FC Barcelona
• NHL
• Toronto RaptorsOVO Athletic Centre sponsorship

In April 2025, OVO Sound partnered with Chelsea FC and rapper Central Cee to release a limited-edition capsule collection.

OVO Fest

OVO Fest is a music festival founded in 2010 by Drake, Noah "40" Shebib, and Oliver El-Khatib. Typically held annually in Toronto, the festival has featured performances from OVO Sound artists alongside prominent guest artists.

The inaugural OVO Fest in 2010 featured guest appearances by Jay-Z and Eminem. The festival subsequently became known for its lineup of high-profile artists. Following an annual run, the festival was put on hiatus after 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2022 for a "October World Weekend" event that featured a Young Money reunion. In May 2025, Drake announced the festival's annual return for summer 2025.

Throughout its history, OVO Fest has included special guest performances from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, Nas, Kanye West, and Lauryn Hill.

OVO Fest has been used to promote the OVO Sound label and its roster of artists. The festival is known for its connection to the city of Toronto and has attracted attendees from around the world.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Soundtrack albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Notes

References

References

1. (January 23, 2024). "Santa Anna Label Group to Partner With Aubrey "Drake" Graham, Noah "40" Shehib, Oliver El-Khatib and Mr. Morgan's OVO Sound".
2. (August 5, 2013). "Drake's OVO Sound Label Teams Up With City of Toronto to Create Music Committee".
3. "Drake's OVO Sound Releases Three-Piece Merch Collection".
4. (December 4, 2012). "Drake's OVO partners with Warner Bros. Records".
5. (May 3, 2017). "Drake's OVO Sound Label Extends Deal With Warner Bros.".
6. "Report: Lil Wayne's UMG Deal Includes Drake and Nicki Minaj's Masters".
7. (December 5, 2012). "Drake's OVO Label Flies To Warner Bros. Records – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com.
8. Ugwu, Reggie. "Drake's OVO Record Label Inks Deal With Warner Bros.". BET.
9. (August 12, 2013). "10 Artists That Should Sign To Drake's OVO Sound – Page 7 of 11 – XXL". Xxlmag.com.
10. (April 22, 2013). "Listen to PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake's New Artist Signing to OVO (Soon) – XXL". Xxlmag.com.
11. (August 7, 2013). "Drake Wants New Single To Be Played At Weddings". XXL.
12. Carissimo, Justin. (October 24, 2016). "Drake announces 'More Life' project, shares four new songs on OVO Sound Radio". [[The Independent]].
13. Morgan Britton, Luke. (October 24, 2016). "Stream three new Drake songs from 'More Life' project". [[NME]].
14. Willis, Jay. (October 24, 2016). "Drake Just Dropped Four New Songs Off More Life as an Early Birthday Gift". [[GQ]].
15. "OVO Sound Official Site Artists".
16. (2021-07-23). "Drake Signs Toronto Rapper Smiley To OVO Sound + Blesses Him With A Verse".
17. Pavlakos, Louis. (January 20, 2022). "Drake Announces New OVO Sound Signing Naomi Sharon: "I Been Waiting For This Day"". Complex.
18. (January 20, 2023). "Drake Introduces Ovo Sound's First Female Artist: 'Been Waiting for This Day'".
19. Samuels, Keithan. (June 2, 2025). "Dvsn Signs to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings".
20. "Boi-1da Shares Stories Behind Drake's "Started From The Bottom" {{!}} Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop {{!}} HipHop DX".
21. "Listen to Drake's OVO Sound Radio on SiriusXM's SOUND 42 Channel".
22. (January 23, 2023). "How Drake and OVO Are Reinventing Radio with Sound 42".
23. "How the OVO Clothing Label Evolved With Drake's Career".
24. "Drake Opens Flagship OVO Store in Totonto".
25. Ori, Ryan. (July 17, 2019). "Rap star Drake's streetwear brand to open Gold Coast store". Chicago Tribune.
26. Rooney, Kyle. (August 10, 2016). "OVO Apparel Line Pre-fall collection".
27. "October's Very Own on Instagram: "The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. October's Very Own® / FW2020"".
28. "October's Very Own on Instagram: "OVO X ROOTS / FW2020 Featuring Ross Rebagliati Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist"".
29. (11 June 2025). "OVO X Red Bull Racing 06.13.25".
30. (13 December 2024). "We Can't take our eyes off the new NFL x OVO Buffalo Bills collab".
31. "NFL OVO second collaborative capsule collection release info".
32. (16 October 2024). "SMEG and OVO Collaborate for Exclusive Appliance Collection".
33. (25 September 2024). "Drake's "OVO" clothing brand launches Yale merchandise".
34. (24 October 2017). "Drake OVO Air Jordan collaborations history".
35. (27 October 2023). "OVO Launches Limited College Collection with Texas, Kentucky & More".
36. (2 January 2023). "FaZe Clan x OVO new clothing collaboration".
37. (27 September 2021). "Drake's OVO Unveils New NBA Collaboration With Bobby Shmurda-Fronted Campaign".
38. (26 May 2017). "Drake's OVO Collaboration With Clarks Is Here (But Probably Just Sold Out)".
39. (23 November 2015). "Canada Goose Addresses Drake's Coat Infidelity Issues".
40. (20 October 2022). "The importance of Drake's collaboration with Barcelona".
41. (22 November 2024). "William Nylander models for latest Maple Leafs x OVO clothing collaboration".
42. (27 October 2023). "OVO's Original Six NHL Capsule is Cold".
43. (14 March 2019). "Raptors and OVO Elevate Partnership with OVO Athletic Centre Naming Rights Deal".
44. (2025-04-15). "OVO‑Chelsea FC collaboration – Central Cee Collection 2025". Casawi.
45. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/drake-brings-out-jay-z-eminem-for-ovo-festival-957086/
46. https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-went-to-drakes-ovo-fest-and-all-i-got-was-a-stupid-surprise-kanye-performance-1/
47. https://www.cbc.ca/music/the-8-most-memorable-ovo-fest-moments-ever-1.5230270
48. https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/entertainment/ovo-fest-2022
49. https://raptv.com/article/drake-confirms-ovo-fest-2025-what-we-know/
50. "Drake – Chart History: Canadian Albums".
51. "PartyNextDoor – Chart history: Canadian Albums".
52. "Majid Jordan – Chart History: Canadian Albums".
53. "Dvsn – Chart history: Canadian Albums".
54. "Roy Woods – Chart History: Canadian Albums".
55. "Drake – Chart History: Billboard 200".
56. "Majid Jordan – Chart History: Billboard 200".
57. "Dvsn – Chart history: Billboard 200".
58. "Roy Woods – Chart History: Billboard 200".
59. "Gold & Platinum".
60. "Gold & Platinum – RIAA".
61. "Instagram post by dvsn • Aug 1, 2017 at 10:03pm UTC".
62. "The Space Between by Majid Jordan on Apple Music".
63. "Instagram post by ROY WOOD$ • Aug 1, 2017 at 9:01pm UTC".
64. Minsker, Evan. (February 28, 2020). "PARTYNEXTDOOR Announces New Album PARTYMOBILE, Shares New Song: Listen".
65. Ivey, Justin. (April 16, 2020). "dvsn Returns With 'A Muse In Her Feelings' Album".
66. (August 2, 2021). "dvsn and Ty Dolla $ign Announce Joint Album 'Cheers to the Best Memories'". [[Rap-Up]].
67. Yoo, Noah. (August 1, 2019). "Drake Announces New Care Package Compilation Album". [[Pitchfork (website).
68. (August 11, 2019). "Drake Achieves Ninth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Care Package'".
69. (September 11, 2019). "The tracklisting for Drake's 'Top Boy' soundtrack has been revealed".
70. (September 12, 2019). "Drake & OVO Sound Present "Top Boy" Soundtrack".
71. (December 20, 2019). "Popcaan Releases New Mixtape Vanquish: Listen".
72. (May 2020). "Drake's 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes': Stream It Now".
73. Saponara, Michael. (June 18, 2019). "Drake's 'Best in the World Pack' Serves as First Release Without Young Money or Cash Money Records".
74. (May 15, 2020). "Dem Times – EP".
75. Moore, Sam. (March 4, 2021). "Drake is releasing 'Scary Hours 2' tomorrow". [[NME]].