For practically every meme that trolls Drake for an unusual behavior or a strange facial expression, he’s usually been able to judo flip his detractors’ criticisms into an advantage for himself. However, his recent battle with Kendrick Lamar found him unable to do so, resulting in his waving the white flag and going on vacation.
His first song back, though, was an unusual one. Riffing on the Plain White Ts’ “Hey There Delilah,” Drake and fellow Torontonian Snowd4y dropped “Wah Gwan Delilah,” leaving fans confused whether Drake was in on the joke or if the relatively unknown collaborator was pulling a fast one with AI.
Part of the problem is that Snowd4y isn’t really a well-known name outside his hometown, and if Drake really is pulling his usual trick of twisting the joke by playing up his status as a punchline (Kendrick’s attack focused on his Canadian-ness), he’s badly misread the room this time around. So…
Who Is Snowd4y?
According to fans on the r/Drizzy subreddit, Snowd4y is a comic performer whose premises often revolve around a satirical parody of the typical Torontonian rudeboy. His social accounts are mostly collections of skits involving his “Toronto man” character, playing up stereotypes unique to this Canadian trope.
@snowd4y Say no more drake #toronto #torontoman
@snowd4y inkaazzzz #tattoo #toronto #islandboys #funny #comedy #gangster #ontario #construction #plumber #electrician
Because of Toronto’s melting pot culture, which finds several different parts of the African diaspora coming together, the city’s inner-city culture is a blend of attributes from its composite parts, with elements of Jamaican and East African slang, language, music, and fashion.
For Americans, this often results in a bit of cognitive dissonance because of the way our cities are more segregated and cultural exchange is usually one way (Black folks make stuff up, white folks steal, etc.). Snowd4y’s comedy plays on the tropes of Toronto culture in a way that’d be familiar to a native, but that would probably throw off a resident of the US.
@snowd4y mr. turn a 2 to a Foreman no cap #toronto #torontoman #torontoaccent #torontohoodman #torontoviral #torontoentertainment #torontojokes #torontolifestyle #construction #electrician #plumber #csa #contractor #apprentice #money #torontomans
@snowd4y which direction u swipin ? #toronto #torontoman #torontoaccent #torontohoodman #torontoraptors #imdifferenthoodie #snowd4y #torontojokes #torontoontario #canada #torontomandem #6ix #funny #fyp #foryoupage #viral
Hence, the Jamaican patois-accented “Wah Gwan Delilah,” which takes from Toronto’s large Caribbean population, and Americans’ confused reactions to it as a parody. You can listen to it and form your own reactions below: