Drake has signed on as an investor and collaborator with Los Angeles-based sustainability and financial services startup Aspiration, the company tells Rolling Stone.
The rapper joins other celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., and Orlando Bloom in investing in Aspiration, but Drake’s partnership goes deeper than financial backing: He will use Aspiration’s personal and enterprise services to monitor and cut down his own carbon footprint, the company’s execs say, with the hope of making his personal life carbon neutral. Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg declined to give specifics on how much Drake invested. But, on the collaboration front, Sanberg says his team is working with Drake — whose environmental footprint is larger than the average person’s, given the star’s frequent travel and Hollywood lifestyle — to cut down his environmental footprint.
Aspiration offers environmentally-focused financial services, positioning itself as a sustainable alternative to other banks and fintech companies because it doesn’t invest in fossil fuel companies or other non-sustainable endeavors. It also gives its customers tools to track their carbon footprint and put some of their spending toward tree planting and charitable donations. For example, Aspiration has a credit card with an option to round up every customers’ purchase to the nearest dollar to go towards planting trees. Aspiration currently has five million users and has planted 15 million trees from its users’ financial activity, the company says.
“The way we deliver carbon neutrality for Drake or larger partners of that size is with the extra analysis our team applies to all the things they’re doing in their lives,” Sanberg says. “They give us information with travel and activities that’ll have a carbon footprint, and then we draw on our reforestation program in excess of what we’d do for an everyday consumer. But fundamentally, we’re delivering the same outcome for them as we can deliver for anyone who wants to open an Aspiration credit card, and that’s knowing they’re aligning their money and their values.”
The Drake deal is the latest in a busy celebrity investment cycle, buoyed by artists who have spent the past year looking to other revenue streams and business opportunities while the touring business shuttered.
Through Drake, Aspiration hopes to evangelize its concept to millions of fans and other influential artists who might want to jump on the platform. Drake and Aspiration are currently exploring how to implement the company’s services in his professional life as well as his personal one. (A career as a global music artist carries a hefty physical impact — from printing vinyl and CDs to charting an international tour shipping tons of cargo, flying in jets, and taking buses all over the world.)
“We want this to be the beginning of a trend,” Sanberg says. “Part of our intention here is making the music industry sustainable. This is our first leadership move together with, I’d argue, the most influential artist in the world, and I can’t think of a better partner to open this book that we’re going to write. And I think that kind of audacious vision is exactly what Drake is in for.”
In a statement, Drake said he is excited to partner with a “company that’s found a simple way to offer everyone the ability to reduce their carbon footprint,” and that “Aspiration’s approach to climate change is really inspiring and I hope together we can help to motivate and create awareness.”
PETA has called on Cage The Elephant to temporarily change their name ahead of their upcoming NFL halftime performance in Munich later this week.
The band are scheduled to perform during the New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions game this Sunday (November 15).
Ahead of the show, PETA has asked Cage The Elephant to change their name across their social media accounts to Free The Elephant for one week.
According to a press release from the animal rights group, an elephant named Okha “has spent most of her life forced to perform in the circus under the threat of punishment”. The organisation is now seeking support to “help retire her to a reputable sanctuary”.
PETA also alleges that Okha is “currently being hauled around in a trailer with an exhibitor, Brian Franzen”, who supposedly “has a history of felony cruelty to animals charges” and “was caught on camera yanking and striking an elephant with a bullhook”.
In a letter addressed to Cage The Elephant, PETA wrote: “There ain’t no rest for Okha. We think you’d agree that she deserves the chance to spend her remaining years in peace with care, dignity, and respect.
“Lending a rendition of your iconic name for a short while could… help us come a little closer to ending animal cruelty in circuses.”
PETA added that it has already held more than “30 demonstrations on Okha’s behalf, contacted venues hosting animal acts, and rallied tens of thousands of supporters to call for her retirement”.
The group is also asking the public to “call on venues to stop hosting circuses that use animals and help retire Okha to a reputable sanctuary where she could roam expansive habitats, forage, receive expert veterinary care, and have the companionship of other elephants”.
Cage The Elephant have not yet made a public statement about the request, and NME has reached out to the band for a response. Franzen has also not issued a public response to the allegations made by PETA.
The request follows a previous approach by PETA to Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, asking him to temporarily adopt the name ‘Robert Plant Wool’ to help promote alternatives to sheep’s wool.
PETA has also previously urged Nintendo to redesign the popular Mario Kart World character Cow, claiming that its current appearance encourages animal cruelty.
Meanwhile, Cage The Elephant recently revealed details of their upcoming album ‘Dying In Reverse’, which is set to arrive on February 5, 2027, through Big Loud Rock. Fans can pre-order the record here.
The band are also preparing for a UK and European tour in 2027. You can check out the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
