It’s been roughly a week since fans were left puzzled and amused by the release of “Wah Gwan Delilah” by Toronto’s own parody king, Snowd4y. The surprise wasn’t the song itself — Snowd4y had teased it in a Waveroom segment a few months ago — but the fact that it arrived on SoundCloud with a feature from Drake.
Almost immediately articles popped up questioning whether the verse was actually Drake, or an AI-generated deepfake. Billboard ran the story, “Are the Drake Vocals on ‘Wah Gwan Delilah’ an AI Deepfake?,” while VIBE reported that “Plain White T’s Do Not Believe Drake’s ‘Wah Gwan Delilah’ Song Cover Is Real.”
Real or AI, one thing is for sure, Drake shared the song on his IG story with the message, “@snowd4y wake up the city.” That doesn’t confirm or deny it, but Drake clearly doesn’t mind people thinking it’s legit either way. The fact that it was originally posted to SoundCloud instead of a major DSP added fuel to the speculation that the verse wasn’t real.
Regardless, the SoundCloud upload (now deleted) has cracked 700K streams, while the lyric video on YouTube is now at 1.2 million views.
The Sean O’Keefe and Ariel Rechtshaid-powered “Wah Gwan Delilah” is a tongue-in-cheek take on the 2006 hit “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s. It blends a heavy dose of satire with a playful nod to Toronto slang and a TikTok hot topic, the Toronto accent. Drake, known for his genre-bending escapades, delivers a verse in an exaggerated accent that feels more like an inside joke for Torontonians than a serious musical endeavour.
The unexpected collaboration is a baffling yet brilliant cultural mashup that pokes fun at the intricacies of identity and regional pride. While some fans are left scratching their heads over the sincerity of the track, others see it as a hilarious parody that highlights Drake’s willingness to experiment and play along with the internet’s whims.
Whether it’s a clever commentary or just a goofy indulgence—or AI-generated, “Wah Gwan Delilah” is already making waves as a quintessentially modern meme-track that is sure to get played throughout the summer.
