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Fake Drake blew up in Miami as an impersonator, making upwards of $5,000 per appearance. Now the real Drake says the gig has gone on long enough and sent a cease-and-desist letter.
Last year, Akademiks shared videos online of a man who looks startlingly similar to Drake playing his songs at a club in Miami. At the time, IzzyyDrake told news outlets he was showing up to events as Drake, with the real Drake’s approval–though that source on that approval was dubious. Drake’s actual feelings about the impersonator have now aired, and he’s not happy. His lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the faux OVO rapper.
“Dear IzzyyDrake, this letter serves as notice of your unauthorized use of the trademark, ‘OVO’ to promote your brand as likeness, as well as your unauthorized fabrication of media which is Per Se damaging and defamatory to our brand. Your conducted actions are unwarranted, unwelcome, and inacceptable,” the letter continues.
“In addition, this shall serve as a pre-suit letter demanding that you provide us written assurance within 7 days that you will cease and desist from making any further factually untrue statements involving OVO SOUND and/or Drake, and that you will no longer fabricate media that portrays the aforementioned trademarks,” the letter concludes.
“Happy birthday to the greatest artist in history and my biggest inspiration,” the impersonator wrote with an image of the C&D letter sent by OVO SOUND. “I got this cease and desist letter from OVO couple days ago and as a respectful b-day gift to @champagnepapi I chaned my name from IzzyyDrake to Izzyyfamous. More life my OVO brother.”
Fake Drake also claimed in August 2022 that Drake offered to slap him for free on the We in Miami podcast. “I pulled up to Drake’s hotel with my management. Let’s just say it wasn’t very inviting,” Fake Drake says. ‘They just tried coming at us, so I ended up texting him, telling him about the fight, and he said he’s gonna pull up and slap me for free.” Welp. Thus ends the fake Drake saga.