Drake's Viral Dinner Was Inspired By A Black Woman

Drake hosted his third annual “Strong Women, Stronger Drinks” dinner this week and the video from the girlies in attendance have been doing numbers.

Of course, his inspiration for starting this event was a Black woman. That Black woman is Shannae Ingleton, boss babe extraordinaire and founder of leading agency, Kensington Grey. Ingleton created “What Women Want,” a networking event where women gathered to connect and celebrate the beauty of being bosses. Drake attended in 2007, and it left a lasting impression. 

Black Women Are Always The Blueprint

Addressing the guests, Drake shared that the experience stuck with him for nearly twenty years, ultimately inspiring him to bring a version of it to Toronto. He addressed the crowd, saying, “It was essentially women gathering to network, to socialize and to be a man at the event, you had to work. I always loved that aspect of it. We would show up and work the event because that’s what the event was about.” The rapper explained that the evening was designed to bring together changemakers from different industries. He said the goal was to create a space where ambitious people at every stage of their journey could network, inspire one another, share ideas, and build genuine connections over dinner.

Essentially, Strong Women, Stronger Drinks is far more than just another star-studded party—it has transformed into a gathering that honors phenomenal women, bringing entrepreneurs, creators, executives, founders, and community leaders all under one roof.

One For The Books

Social media was flooded with clips of the OVO rapper hanging out with everyone and giving out some pretty wild gifts. Even though it’s still invite-only, it’s definitely becoming one of the biggest highlights on his calendar every year. And with it taking place in Toronto at Casa Loma, a castle-like venue, it’s absolutely giving Hometown Hero energy.

Every touchpoint was intentionally curated thanks to event producer Shantel Clarke of Reserved X Events, who brought Drake’s vision for the evening to life inside the dreamy castle. Behind the scenes, That Good, led by founder Catriona “Coco” Smart, played a key role in supporting the experience. 

The Oprah-Like Giveaways

The evening’s generosity was legendary, with guests reportedly receiving $1,000 just for attending. As the night unfolded, Drake began drawing winners for even more extravagant prizes, awarding ten women $50,000 each and gifting others luxury items ranging from crocodile Birkin bags to G-Wagons. Among the night’s biggest winners was TSN reporter Kayla Grey, who took home both a $50,000 cash prize and a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63 SUV, valued at over $200,000. Not to mention, his Degrassi castmate Andrea Lewis, who played Hazel Aden—his on-screen girlfriend—took to Instagram to share,  “My TV boyfriend stays blessing me!”

According to HipHopWired, Drake has been highly active in Toronto, and this event serves as another prime example. Rather than restricting his presence to typical concerts or promotional tours, he has focused on crafting unforgettable experiences that honor his hometown. Over the last few months alone, the artist has made appearances at multiple community-focused events across the city, hosted the OVO Golf Classic charity tournament, and kept up his well-known Janice “STFU” apology brunches, ultimately leaving fans and attendees with lasting memories.

Drake’s Viral Dinner Was Inspired By A Black Woman—Here’s the Story was originally published on hellobeautiful.com