Ludacris has always felt a special bond with Canada, dating all the way back to his days filming Max Payne in Toronto with Mark Wahlberg, one of Luda’s early film roles as the Dirty South rapper continued his transition from Grammy-winning artist to Hollywood actor.

“I have this life connection with Canada, all these different connections,” he says, pointing out that he’s worked with Justin Bieber “probably four or five times at this point,” including a recent feature on Justin’s star-studded “Peaches” remix. He’s also been a Drake supporter from the jump, he says, their brief mid-2010s beef notwithstanding: “I remember being there from the beginning, just congratulating him and just making sure that he knew I was there to support in any way I could.”