Drake accepts the Top Artist award with his father Dennis Graham during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas.
After Drake revealed his father was battling cancer on Iceman‘s opening track “Make Them Cry,” Dennis Graham clarified toTMZthat it was in the past and he’s doing fine these days.
Paparazzi tracked Graham down early Friday (May 15) outside Jubilee in West Hollywood, where he was asked about his health. “No, that was a while back,” Graham said. “I’m OK now. I’m wonderful.”
It’s not clear when Drake recorded the track. Billboard has reached out to Drake for comment.
Drake’s dad also stated that his “phone’s been going off all night” after the diagnosis was revealed by his son on Iceman. The 71-year-old had a message of appreciation for the OVO fans’ concerns. “Thank you guys for the concern, I love you all. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you,” he continued.
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Fans initially heard Drake make the revelation on the Icemanepisode four livestream on Thursday night (May 14), before the album found its way onto streaming services at midnight Friday. Iceman wasn’t the only Drake album to arrive, as he surprised the world with another pair of projects titled Habibti and Maid of Honour.
“My dad got cancer right now/ We battling stages/ Trust me when I say there’s things I’d rather be facing,” he vulnerably admits on “Make Them Cry.”
Earlier in the track, Drake appears to get candid about his relationship with his father, which isn’t the typical father-son connection, as he looks at him more like an “older brother.” “I have to father my mother and treat my son’s grandfather like my older brother,” he raps.
As for Dennis Graham’s health, his cancer seems to be under control. He told the pap in the video shared by TMZ, “It was lung cancer at first … but fortunately, I got a message that it disappeared,” Graham revealed. “So here I am.”
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Iceman serves as Drake’s ninth studio album, and he’s got another two LPs to stand alongside the project to boast 43 tracks in total and a runtime of more than two-and-a-half hours.
