What the Hell Is Drake Doing at a Mansion in New Jersey?

The Iceman has transformed a five-star Somerset County resort into an extremely vibes-based fortress of Drakitude.Drake at a recreational tennis match held at Nocta Manor.Courtesy of NIkePlot twist: After spending much of the spring and early summer in Toronto as he got his Iceman rollout off, Drake has suddenly popped up in New York City—or nearby, anyway. After being spotted on the city streets Friday night and then attending the World Cup at MetLife stadium along with every other A-list celebrity on Earth, it seems Drizzy decided to stay in North Jersey, planting his flag at the Pendry Natirar, a five-star resort an hour outside Manhattan. When someone texted me Sunday night about a Drake party in—checks notes—Peapack, I thought maybe they were trying to line me up, but lo and behold, Iceman really is thawing out in Somerset County, and has been for the better part of a work week now. So what’s the deal? Is this the next step in living out his insatiable Tony Soprano don fantasies? Is Manhattan a little too hot with so many “opps” in town?The real answer is less interesting but probably more fun: he’s completely taken over the hotel and branded it Nocta Manor, in reference to his Nike apparel line. As such he’s hosting a cadre of famous athlete friends, music friends, and assorted influencers to just…lamp in luxury, I guess? Nocta Manor is the type of place where you might see Drake debut a garish robe while seated at dinner between Devin Booker and Yeat, novelties like knockoff Michael Jackson gloves handed out as party favors, Kevin Durant posing for a prom photo with Sexyy Red, or a special performance by '90s R&B legends Jagged Edge.What’s the peg for this retreat, which actually appears to be the second annual installment of Nocta Manor? I have no idea. With Drake, vibes are the only motivation needed. And in true Drake fashion, the mansion’s halls, courts and the like were adorned with tributes to his greatness and various records—a hermetically-sealed ecosystem for the increasingly paranoid rapper to turn up amongst people who will swear “‘Family Matters’ was the best song in the beef.” Case in point: the festivities eventually devolved into a full-on party where it seemed like the DJ was just running Drake’s new triumvirate of albums top to bottom. In the clips leaking out, he basks, he gloats, he antagonizes. Outside is back to what it was, indeed.Frazier Tharpe is an editor at GQ specializing in dictating entertainment coverage and contributing via his Tap In column, where he weighs in on the pop culture conversation of the moment with his unique perspective. Frazier has written GQ cover stories on Beyoncé, Michael B Jordan and SZA, as well ... Read More