Drake, Jagmeet, and the NDP’s No-Win Era
What a rap beef can teach us about the NDP’s political bind.
You know it’s a weird time in Canadian politics when the former leader of a federal party issues a public apology … to Drake.
Over attending a Kendrick Lamar concert.
During a rap feud.
No, that’s not a Mad Libs fever dream.
I wish I were making this up.
In case you missed it: Jagmeet Singh was photographed at a recent Kendrick + SZA concert in Toronto. Drake — still deep in his scorched-earth beef with Kendrick — didn’t take kindly to the sighting. He sent Singh a DM calling him a “goof,” then posted a screenshot of the exchange on his Instagram story for millions to see.
Singh responded publicly: “I shouldn’t have gone.”
He clarified that he was there for SZA and pledged his loyalty to Drake. “It’ll always be Drake over Kendrick,” he added — like if he were still on the campaign trail.
Now, you could file this under “silly celebrity politics.”
But I — pop culture aficionado and firm believer that pop culture reveals what we value and how we see ourselves — would tell you it’s more than that.
This moment is a mirror.
A small, weird, viral metaphor for something that’s been true about the federal NDP for a long time:
They are damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
The Kendrick concert is just the latest example.
Support the Liberals through a supply and confidence agreement? You’ve sold out. Try to hold the Liberals accountable? You’re obstructing progress. Secure real wins like dental care, pharmacare, and anti-scab legislation? The Liberals take the credit. Stay out of the fight? You’re irrelevant. Show up to the wrong concert? You’re disloyal to the city.
Like I said — no-win scenarios.
Jagmeet apologizing to Drake might read like a punchline. And let’s be clear — it absolutely is. But it’s also a punchy little parable about what happens when you’re stuck between principle and power, performance and perception. The NDP keeps trying to play the long game. But in a landscape this messy, that game doesn’t always come with highlights.
So let’s zoom out.
In April 2025, the NDP lost official party status after being relegated to 7 seats in the House of Commons. Singh lost his seat, then immediately stepped down as party leader. The party is trying to rebuild, but it’s doing so in survival mode.
And if you’ve been paying attention, you saw this coming.
It didn’t start during the campaign. It didn’t even start with the Supply and Confidence agreement.
It started with a slow erosion of trust. With trying to be both inside the machine and raging against it. With fighting hard behind closed doors — only to have someone else claim the win. With playing nice while everyone else was throwing elbows. With always showing up, but somehow never owning the moment.
It’s the political version of “I shouldn’t have gone.”
Threading the needle between relevance and principle. Optics and outcomes. Drake and Kendrick. And getting roasted from every side.
When Singh apologized for being at that concert, it was kind of a joke. But also? It feels part of a larger pattern:
Apologizing.
Explaining.
Backpedaling.
Trying to clarify the nuance while the others take the win or take the mic.
And when that’s the posture long enough — always responding, carefully hedging, holding the line but rarely shifting it — you don’t just lose the message.
You lose your footing.
So now what?
The NDP has a shot to rebuild. But it has to be bold. Not centrist-bold. Not “one more campaign” bold.
Real bold. The kind of bold that actually risks something.
A full-throated reimagining of what the party is for.
Who it speaks to.
And how it shows up in people’s lives — loudly enough that they know it.
In 2025, we saw a lot of something that we don’t see very often — ridings flipping from orange to blue. From the NDP to the Conservatives.
Let that sink in. People didn’t just stay home. They didn’t just park their vote with the Liberals. Sometimes, they went to the right.
Why?
Because when people feel left behind, ignored, or like no one’s speaking their language, they reach for the people who are at least speaking something. Even if it’s angry. Even if it’s cynical. Even if it’s laced with resentment.
That’s the vacuum the NDP has to reckon with.
You don’t win those people back by scolding them or pandering to them. You win them back by standing for something bigger than vibes. By being present, real, rooted. By fighting visibly for material things and tying those fights to values.
You get bold. You get clear. You get loud.
No more “I shouldn’t have gone.”
No more apologizing for being in the room.
No more doing the work in the shadows while someone else takes the spotlight.
Now is the time to look the chaos square in the face and see it for what it is: an opportunity. A golden one. A moment when the slate is wiped clean — maybe not because you wanted it to be, but because it had to be.
Parties in disarray often focus on survival. But the NDP can do better than survive. It can choose to become something new. Something bolder. Something unmistakably rooted in a future worth fighting for.This is the moment to stop trying to please everyone —
and start standing for something.
🗓️ What to Watch For This Week
The House has risen — but constituency work is picking up. Watch how MPs show up in their ridings over the summer. Are they present? Are they listening?
Leadership chatter: Keep your ear to the ground for early whispers about who might step into the NDP leadership race. (Spoiler: it won’t be Drake.)
That Poilievre by-election: The writ can finally drop soon. I broke down the whole saga — and what comes next — over on Instagram. A topic so nice, I touched on it twice!
Thanks for digging in with me.
We’ll keep tracking how the NDP rebuilds — and what that means for the rest of the political landscape.
Want faster updates between posts? I’ve got quick video explainers every Tuesday on Instagram (@kingsleymalo). Come hang out there, too.
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