By Luc Olinga
Bitcoin just got its biggest shoutout in pop culture yet 鈥 from Drake.
In a surprise drop on the night of July 4th, the hip-hop titan unleashed his latest track, 鈥淲hat Did I Miss.鈥 More than just another reflective banger, the Canadian superstar鈥檚 new song injects Bitcoin, the world鈥檚 most famous cryptocurrency, directly into the mainstream cultural conversation, sixteen years after its inception.
The track, which premiered during a YouTube stream titled 鈥淚CEMAN EPISODE ONE鈥 where Drake plays a worker on his lunch break, delves into the raw emotions of betrayal. In the aftermath of his seismic 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar, a rivalry that gripped the world, Drake turns his attention to those he once considered allies. He likens their shifting loyalties to the unpredictable volatility of Bitcoin, giving the digital asset an unexpected, high-profile shoutout.
The song鈥檚 chorus immediately sets the stage for Drake鈥檚 disillusionment:
鈥淟ast time I looked to my right, you n****s was standing beside me. How can some people I love hang around pussies who try me? Let鈥檚 go. What did I miss?鈥
It鈥檚 in the first verse, however, that Drake explicitly draws the parallel to Bitcoin, using its infamous price swings to illustrate the sudden turns of his former friends. One moment they鈥檙e with him, the next they鈥檙e against him, a stark reflection of Bitcoin鈥檚 rollercoaster trajectory.
The pivotal lines read:
鈥淵ou switched on the guys and supported a hater, let鈥檚 go. What鈥檚 the getback for niggas? It鈥檚 TBD. I look at this shit like a BTC. Could be down this week, then I鈥檓 up next week.鈥
DRAKE “WHAT DID I MISS?”pic.twitter.com/MCSd6NxucZ 鈥 Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) July 5, 2025
This isn鈥檛 Drake鈥檚 first dance with Bitcoin, although his relationship with the cryptocurrency has been more about high-stakes gambling than long-term investment. While his personal BTC holdings remain unconfirmed, Drake has a well-documented history of making massive Bitcoin wagers on major sporting events. In 2024 alone, he lost over $1 million in BTC after two ill-fated bets on the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. He famously backed the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA title and the Edmonton Oilers for the NHL鈥檚 Stanley Cup, both of whom lost to the Boston Celtics and the Florida Panthers respectively.
Drake also maintains an endorsement deal with the crypto gambling platform Stake, where he frequently places large bets using Bitcoin, further cementing his direct ties to the digital asset.
鈥淲hat Did I Miss?鈥 serves as a potent reflection, with Drake confronting the shifting loyalties and betrayals he experienced following the intense rap feud of 2024. He questions how individuals he once championed through collaborations, tours, and personal connections ultimately aligned themselves with his adversaries. The repeated refrain, 鈥淲hat did I miss?鈥, powerfully conveys both his disbelief and a profound introspection, as he attempts to grasp when and why these relationships fractured.
Drake doesn鈥檛 need to say he鈥檚 a crypto influencer. His lyrics do the work. Bitcoin as betrayal. Crypto as chaos. A decentralized stand-in for loyalty lost and regained. It鈥檚 also a major pop culture moment for Bitcoin, which has long sought mainstream validation beyond tech bros and Twitter charts. Now, it has one of the biggest rappers in the world referencing it to explain his pain.
With one verse, Drake might have done more to make Bitcoin emotionally legible than most crypto CEOs have in years.