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A little more than a week ago, the city of Houston officially declared June 10 "Drake Day," an honor the Canadian MC received after "dedicating his time to Houston through his passion and enthusiasm for music and our city." This proclamation from the city of the purple Sprite—which took place before a Houston Astros game—kicked off Drake's Houston Appreciation Weekend, a four-day event the rapper put on that included a handful of concerts, a pool party, and a basketball tournament. The craziest part is that Drake is, you know, Canadian. Talk about influence.
Drake isn't the only rapper with his own honorary day. Bun B, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, and more have earned the respect of a whole city for making a positive change in the community. Here are 11 Rappers With Honorary Days.
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Bun B
City: Houston, Texas
Date: August 30, 2011
Bun B is originally from Port Arthur, Texas, but when he rose to popularity as a member of UGK, it was Houston that claimed them. On August 30, 2011, Mayor Annise Parker made it official by proclaiming the day to be "Bernard 'Bun B' Freeman Day."
At the honorary ceremony, Bun said, "I do believe that regardless of your status, or tax bracket, or where you reside, we all have a civic duty to help our fellow citizens. I resign myself to that notion faithfully and I try to do my best to instill these principles into the next generation." —Ashley Reed
Pharrell
City: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Date: June 7, 2014
Before the hat-donning icon was dominating airwaves with hits, Pharrell was growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mayor Will Sessoms presented him with a key to the city on June 7, 2014, and declared it "Pharrell Williams Day" in the state of Virginia. In typical Pharrell fashion, the musician stayed humble and said, "I'm unbelievably honored to receive a key to my hometown." —Ashley Reed
Puff Daddy
City: Chicago
Date: October 13, 2006
Puff Daddy is a lot of things: rapper, producer, mogul, frequent name-changer. Since 2006, he's been able to add honoree of a city holiday to that list. Although Puffy is originally from Harlem, his work with charitable organizations in Chicago earned him the prestigious accolade of having his own day in the Windy City. Mayor Richard Daley also gave him a set of cuff links emblazoned with the Chicago seal. Big homie style.—Ashley Reed
Mac Miller
City: Pittsburgh
Date: September 20, 2013
The rapper born Malcolm McCormick fell in love with hip-hop in his home city of Pittsburgh. Raised by his family in the Point Breeze section of the Steel City, Miller attended Taylor Allderdice high school and surged into the iPods of teenagers across the country with the help of fellow ‘Burgh creatives E. Dan and Big Jerm. After accumulating hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, selling hundreds of thousands of albums, and touring the world, Mac was awarded his very own day by the city of Pittsburgh. How’s that for full circle? —Alex Siber
Three 6 Mafia
City: Memphis
Date: April 1, 2006
Three 6 Mafia established themselves in hip-hop for their dedication to hardcore underground music. That dedication translated to album sales in the millions, an Academy Award, and even "Three 6 Mafia Day" in Memphis. —Alex Siber
J. Cole
City: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Date: March 1, 2012
J. Cole returned to his home of Fayetteville, North Carolina in 2012 to launch Dreamville Weekend, a three-day event that raised money for children. Upon his arrival, Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans officially declared March 1 "J. Cole Day" for the rapper's efforts helping his community. —Ashley Reed
Wiz Khalifa
City: Pittsburgh
Date: December 12, 2012
Then-City Councilman William Peduto named December 12, 2012 "Wiz Khalifa Day" at a ceremony attended by the rapper, his mother, Amber Rose, and several others. However, the holiday wasn't without controversy. Some people felt the weed-smoking Wiz wasn't the best candidate for his own honorary day and took to social media to complain. Haters aside, the proclamation still stands.—Ashley Reed
Mistah F.A.B.
City: Oakland, California
Date: February 8, 2012
Bay Area artist and renowned battle rap legend Mistah F.A.B. may have garnered fame and fortune as one of Oakland’s most prized talents, but a new honor bestowed upon him just months ago likely tops everything before it. Jean Quan, the mayor of Oakland, awarded F.A.B. his very own day.
“It is such a huge honor for me to be recognized by the Mayor!” F.A.B. said. “I’m so proud to be from Oakland and I think it’s important for those of us who have been successful to come back and help to uplift the community." —Alex Siber
Rick Ross
City: Miami
Date: August 8, 2010
Born in Mississippi before relocating to the Miami subsection of Carol City, MMG head honcho Rick Ross rarely fails to show love to the 305, and the city showed love back by declaring August 4 "Rick Ross Day." It was a well-earned honor for Ross too, whose annual “Rick Ross Be Out Day” gives back to the community through live musical performances and free school supplies for kids. —Alex Siber
Slim Thug
City: Houston, Texas
Date: February 25, 2014
The etymology of the word thug has long been a point of contention in the media, and rapper Slim Thug was frequently used as an example. He aired his grievances on Houston radio station 97.9 The Box, saying, "I’m sure that the reason I don’t get no day from the mayor is because my name."
When Mayor Annise Parker got wind of this she quickly rectified the situation, naming February 25 "Slim Thug Day." —Ashley Reed