"I am not on it" — Octavian clears up rumors after video of him playing an unreleased Drake song at his show goes viral

Well-known rapper Octavian Oliver Lanoire recently previewed a new song by Drake, which he performed at a concert in March 2024. The performance, recorded on video, shows the artist singing with a DJ in the background alongside the audience clapping and screaming.

The 35-second clip has gone viral on different social media platforms. Oliver Lanoire and Drake have complimented each other in the last few years, so the video led to rumors that the former was a part of the song.

On August 28, 2024, Octavian shared a statement through his Instagram Story to clear all the rumors and said:

"That footage is from a DJ set in March and I played an unreleased drake song my boy produced it's not a feature I'm not on it and shouldn't have even played it tbh."

A glimpse of the statement (Image via Instagram/octavianessie)

Lanoire did not reveal anything else about the song he performed at the event, and Drake did not address the same from his side.

Notably, Octavian and Drake have shared a close bond since 2018. The latter was even spotted singing along to Octavian's song, Party Here, in a video recorded at a Golden Globes afterparty. In 2019, Lanoire appeared for an interview with BBC where he addressed Drake's contribution to his career.

"It was the craziest moment of my life. I really, really root for Drake, so for him to post me and talk about me, and to message me… It's a crazy experience," he said.

When the video went viral, Lanoire received many calls, and he told Highsnobiety that his career took a different direction at this point.

"But I don't personally think it was solely because of Drake that it grew. [All it did] was help the fans that I already had confirm the fact they liked the song," he added.

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Octavian developed an interest in music when he joined the Brit School

The Brockley, London native was thrown out of the house by his mother when he was 14. Oliver Lanoire's behavior was not liked by his mother, including when he did not attend his classes at school. Although he was sent to France to stay with his uncle, the latter also developed a dislike towards him.

He slowly began living with a friend named Jordan Christie. Despite getting a scholarship to the Brit School, he had to discontinue it due to financial problems. The duo started creating some tunes and became familiar with the local areas.

Octavian was still in touch with his friends at Brit School, and they helped release two mixtapes, 22 and Essie World. His first major project was a mixtape titled Spaceman, which came out in 2018. He continued releasing more mixtapes over the next few years. While speaking to BBC the following year, he opened up on why he left Brit School.

"So I wanted to do something I was good at, which wasn't acting or music at the time. It was literally just not doing maths. But they accepted me and I did a course called community arts practice, which is basically teaching the underprivileged the arts. It was lit. It was good. It liked it a lot," he said.

The 28-year-old said he did not have any money after being thrown out of the house, and his condition was so bad that he could not even take a bus. He mentioned that he did not want to sell drugs since he aimed to become successful.

Octavian became popular for his singles, such as 100 Degrees, Stressed, Papi Chulo, Sky High, and Blicky.