On Monday (Sept. 25) evening, Drake brought his “It’s All A Blur Tour” to Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

During the concert, he declared, “Where would any of us be without Atlanta? All the love that you show, all the musicians that you birthed, all the contributions that you give. This is hands down the most important place in rap music. You should be proud of yourselves.”

He continued, “All the artists that I’ve done the greatest work with, all the artists that I love, all the artists that inspire me, the majority of them come from right here in Atlanta. So y’all make some noise for yourselves tonight. We celebrating you.” Notably, Drake’s collaborations support this claim: Tracks with Atlanta-born artists like Future, Young Thug, and Gunna have consistently topped charts and become cultural anthems.

While the audience at the venue heartily agreed with the Toronto native’s homage to the city, reactions were more polarized on social media. Critics argued that Drizzy, who has a history of giving shoutouts to cities during his tours, may have been flexing a bit of strategic diplomacy.

“Aubrey is no different from a politician,” one user commented under State Farm Arena’s post. “He’s got a point. Atlanta has had a hold on rap music for at least 15 years as a collective,” another user countered.

It’s also worth noting that the crowd wasn’t just composed of fans. Among those in the stands at the show were Drake’s “On The Radar Freestyle” collaborator Central Cee, Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.

“Make some noise for my brother Kai Cenat one time in here, you know,” the rapper shared. “And, of course, make some noise for Trae Young in here one time tonight. Real A-Town s**t, wassup!”