Rapper Drake is rumoured to be Hackney’s latest trophy home buyer
(Picture: ES Composite)A multi-million pound mansion in Hackney renovated by one of the owners of a hipster mini chain of bars has sold on social media, with rumours circulating that the buyer is none other than Drake.
Grant Bates, an agent at Hamptons, attracted a buyer via Instagram and the listing was only advertised online once the sale was completed.
While Mr Bates would not reveal who the buyer of the six-bedroom property is, the Hackney rumour mill is wild with speculation that Drake could be moving into the area.
It would not be the Canadian rapper’s first foray into the east London borough. The Hotline Bling singer stunned grime fans back in 2016 when he made a surprise appearance on stage with Section Boyz at Village Underground in Shoreditch.
He also hit the red carpet at the Hackney Picturehouse in 2019 for the premiere of Netflix series Top Boy, on which he was an executive producer.
The lavishly decorated mansion went on the market with an asking price more than 10 times the local average, according to Rightmove, after a renovation that almost doubled its size and added a cinema, swimming pool, steam room, sauna, games area, bar and gym.
The period property also has off-street parking and a garage, which would come in handy for the rapper’s car collection, said to include a Rolls Royce, McLaren and a Bentley, although the luxury motors may not fare so well in Hackney’s LTNs.
Nick Verdi, head of sales at Savills east London, said the price tag was “way above” the average local sale price, with very few houses above £5 million. “I’ve worked in east London for 18 years and I’ve never seen a house like that. I don’t actually think another one exists.”
While competing rumours suggest the buyer is a venture capitalist, Mr Verdi said he “wouldn’t be hugely surprised” if Drake was the buyer. “The sort who just wants to put their bags down and move straight into somewhere that’s turnkey ready is definitely a prominent type of buyer.”
While the house may be extravagant by Hackney standards, it pales in comparison to Drake Manor, the former Cash Money Records superstar’s 50,000sq ft Toronto mansion.
The world’s “fourth richest rapper” (according to Forbes) gave Architectural Digest a tour in 2020, revealing its nightclub-style interiors, described by Drake as “overwhelming high luxury”.
The images show a home dripping in marble and enormous chandeliers, a full-sized indoor basketball court, two-storey Birkin bag-filled closet and a bespoke Bösendorfer concert grand piano.
In 2012 he also bought the “YOLO Estate”, an $8 million mansion in California’s Hidden Hills gated community, which boasts an outdoor pool, wine cellar and tennis court.
