Views rapper and self-described “Champagne Papi” Drake may hail from north of the border—he’s a proud Toronto boy—but that didn’t stop him from paying public tribute to exiting president Barack Obama following POTUS’s farewell speech in Chicago on Tuesday night.
“As a Canadian that calls America home for part of the year I will always carry your words and the memory of your time in office with me as inspiration,” he wrote as a caption on his post. “Big up yaself O.”
The image itself—a Photoshopped shot of Drake’s distinctive facial hair and fade superimposed on Obama’s face—is intended to be an homage to the departing leader.
This isn’t the first time Drake has expressed admiration for Obama; in 2012 the former Degrassi actor mentioned an interest in playing the politician in a movie. “Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel. I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice,” he said then.
And while Obama—a known hip hop and rap enthusiast—has admitted a slight preference for Kendrick Lamar‘s incisive verses over Drake’s chiller rhymes, he’s also confessed he (and his daughters) love Drake, calling the rapper “unbelievably talented.” Plus, he was spotted breaking it down to the smash hit “Hotline Bling” at a BET event in October.
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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com