The Tax Implications of Drake’s “God’s Plan” Giveaway

Hassan S. Ali
5 min readMar 21, 2019

If you have a pulse and an Internet connection, you remember when Drake took his $996,631.90 music video budget for the song “God’s Plan” and gave it all away.

In the 2018 video, which now has almost a billion views on Youtube, the Canadian rapper gives away nearly $1 million in cash, scholarships, and gifts to various people and organizations in Miami. (That million was originally allocated by Drake’s record label, Cash Money / Young Money Records, for making the music video.)

Some of the gifts included $50,000 to a woman’s shelter, stacks of cash and new cars to everyday people, and $20,000 to the Miami Fire Department, among others.

“God’s Plan” was a hit on the charts. It went on to win Best Rap song at the Grammys. Watching the music video, you can’t help but feel good and hopeful and positive. (If there’s one thing about Drake he’s all about those #feels.)

It also revealed more about Drake’s values: He helps others. He relates to everyday people and his fans. And most importantly, he prioritizes his love for…

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Hassan S. Ali
Hassan S. Ali

Written by Hassan S. Ali

I write comedy things. the ha & lol. Also a founding editor of Slackjaw on Medium.