Toronto rapper, Drake, is getting a lot of attention after the release of his video for his first single of 2018, “God’s Plan.” The video, which has been on YouTube since Feb. 16, depicted Drake performing charitable acts such as surprising students with scholarships and footing the bill for everyone in a grocery store. Drake’s label, OVO, provided his production team with almost $1 million to create what was expected to be a typical music video, but Drake turned into a philanthropic venture.

The video has gained more than 18 million views in less than a week and has taken social media by storm, promoting the 24-Hour Joy Challenge. In his Instagram story, Drake reached out to his fan base, encouraging them to do a kind deed for someone, and post it online in order to spread generosity and keep the positivity created from the video going. He specifically did not create a hashtag or request the song be played in the video because he only wanted to “see all the love being spread” he expressed in his Instagram story.

Drake has opened the conversation on what it means to be a celebrity with a platform, and how to use that platform to improve communities. But there are some who question his true intentions with this “God’s Plan” video. Could it be a marketing ploy to ramp up views for his single? It also seems convenient that this video comes with a matching social media challenge that would help spread the word about the song. Maybe Drake isn’t as kind-hearted as people think, and is just doing good business.

But the truth is, this isn’t the first time Drake has used his platform for good. It’s just the first time he has done it on his own, and it’s received this much attention. According to Billboard, after filming the video for “Find Your Love” in 2010, Drake donated $30,000 to the Jamaican Learning Center to combat the poor living conditions he saw when he visited the island. In 2011, after winning the Allan Slaight Award, he donated his $10,000 honorarium to Dixon Hall, an organization dedicated to helping low-income families in Toronto. In 2014 and 2015, Drake hosted a celebrity-rostered sporting event for people to pay to watch and donated the money to the Houston Food Bank and Houston’s Urban Youth Academy: and these are just a few highlights.

For those who question Drake’s intentions with this recent video video, his generous resume proves that this was not just to get a quick buck. And even it was, he gave away $1 million learn AP style on dollar amounts, as we discussed in class to people in need, which can never be a bad thing. Every time “God’s Plan” plays on the radio, people won’t only think of Drake, but of how he used his platform to change lives and that was truly a great plan.