Drake’s Role In Netflix’s Top Boy Revival Explained

Summary

Drake played a behind-the-scenes role as an executive producer for Netflix's Top Boy revival, helping to bring the show back after it was canceled by Channel 4.
Drake's most hands-on role is promoting the show and using his fame to bring in new audiences, while he leaves the direction and writing to the original creative team.
Despite not acting in the show, one of Drake's songs, "Behind Barz," appears on the Top Boy soundtrack. It gained over 40 million streams prior to its official release and generated attention for the show.

Rapper and actor Drake played a prominent role in Netflix’s Top Boy revival. The British crime drama Top Boy tells the story of Dushane and Sully, two best friends who partake in drug dealing and gang violence in the Summerhouse estate of the London Borough of Hackney. The first two seasons aired in 2011 and 2013 with only four episodes each. In 2014, Channel 4 canceled the series. However, Netflix revived the show, providing three more seasons.

When Netflix announced Top Boy's revival, the characters in Top Boy. After the final season released on September 7, many fans became confused about Drake's part in the series. As it turns out, he played a behind-the-scenes role in the show Top Boy.

Drake Is An Executive Producer For Netflix's Top Boy Revival

Jamie at a diner with another in Top Boy.

Drake became a massive fan of Top Boy while on tour, experiencing disappointment when he learned Channel 4 canceled the show. The rapper decided he wanted to help bring the show back. He met up with the show's creator and writer, Ronan Bennett, to discuss a revival plan. After they came to an agreement about their path forward, the pair pitched to Netflix, making a deal only an hour later (via The Guardian). Their success was undoubtedly because of Drake's fame and reach.

Rather than directing or acting in the show, Drake works as an executive producer on Top Boy. Actor Michael Ward told Cosmopolitan UK that Drake's most hands-on role is promoting the show, using his extensive reach to add bring in new audiences. While executive producers often have a say in the show's creation and writing, Drake does not play this role, leaving it to the team who made the original series. Other tasks TV executive producers usually perform include managing the creative team and overseeing day-to-day production (via NFI).

Top Boy's Soundtrack Also Features Drake Music

Drake the rapper looks down while standing in front of a wooden door.

While Drake doesn't act on Top Boy, one of his songs does appear in the soundtrack. In order to promote the revival, Drake dropped the freestyle rap "Behind Barz" on the music promotional platform Link UP TV. The rapper didn't officially release the track at that time, waiting to include it on the soundtrack, which came out on September 13, 2019. Drake's music garnered a fair amount of attention for Top Boy, with "Behind Barz" gaining over 40 million streams prior to the official release (via HypeBeast).