*words from Nike.com*

Following his “Laugh Now Cry Later” video, shot on location at Nike WHQ, and the release of the “Certified Lover Boy” album merchandise capsule, Drake and Nike launch a new sub-label, NOCTA (a nod to the artist’s nocturnal creative process). Ahead of the first NOCTA release, Drake shares his thoughts on the spirit of the project. 

This moment is full circle for me.  

I mean, growing up Nike was everything. It felt like every shoe I wanted, every athlete I liked, everything I owned was Nike. It didn’t mean anything unless it had a Swoosh. 

I remember watching all these athletes repping Nike — each doing the unthinkable — and how inspiring it was. I always felt like there was an opportunity for Nike to embrace an entertainer the same way they had athletes. I thought about how crazy it would have been and what it would have meant for an artist to have a flagship Nike deal. 

NOCTA is a realization of all these thoughts and everything I had hoped for — from the culture it’s rooted in to the product and, most important, to the partnership and scale that allows me to share it with the world.

NOCTA is about creating something for people on the move. People who want functional, comfortable fits that are adaptable from one environment to the next. 

But as much as it’s about what we make, it’s also about a mindset: an unforgiving drive, a relentlessness. Characterized by the type who are on the road all day, all night — the grinders, the hard workers — trying to accomplish their goals and taking no short cuts.  

That mindset also includes loyalty and team. Whether you are in Toronto, London or Paris, there’s this uniform look — Nike Tech Fleece, the gloves, the hat — and it has a real team feel. I wanted to take a piece of that culture that I grew up with, that school of thought, and bring the best to it. With NOCTA, we were trying to make the hardest jacket, the hardest tracksuit, the hardest gloves. Just the best of that world.

This opportunity is something that I’ve been waiting on for a really long time. To be associated with the highest level possible — that was always my goal. We put in a lot of hard work, a lot of man and woman hours, during the last two years. To see it all coming to fruition starts an exciting new chapter in my life.