Drake helps launch Apple Music with conference appearance

Rapper Drake teamed up with Apple bosses on Monday (08Jun15) to officially launch the technology giant's new music service.

The Best I Ever Had hitmaker was recently reported to have dropped out as an artist owner of Jay Z's revamped Tidal streaming service to align with Apple, and he made the partnership official as he appeared at the firm's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California this week.

Introduced to the stage by Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, Drake addressed attendees as he promoted Apple Connect, a new social media platform which allows users to collect their posts on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram into one place.

The Toronto, Canada native admitted Apple's technology had been key to his own rise to fame, revealing, "As a kid growing up, I always wondered if my city or even my country would have somebody break into the global scene as a true superstar. The dream of being an artist like myself and connecting directly with an audience has never been more close and reachable than right now."

He added, "As an artist I can say for all those kids at home it is truly amazing to be part of something I can believe in, this is something that simplifies everything for the modern musician like myself and the modern music consumer like you. I hope you enjoy Apple Music and Connect. My name is Drake, and thank you for your time."

The hip-hop star is expected to help guest-curate playlists for Apple Music's streaming radio service once it goes live on 30 June (15).

He wasn't the only musician on hand to celebrate the big unveiling - Drake's collaborator The Weeknd also hit the stage to debut his new song, I Can't Feel My Face, at the end of the event.