Here's What Pope Francis and Drake Have in Common: Leverage

Pope Francis
Pope Francis

It is likely that you, or your friends, don’t keep tabs on the Pope. To those who were not aware, Pope Francis is in Latin America and this trip is a HUGE deal.
The importance of the Pope’s Latin American trip cannot be understated. And the Pope is using a strategy some rappers have employed throughout the years, to boost his popularity in certain countries. For instance, the Pope plans to make a “guest appearance” in Bolivia, where he will chew on coca leaves (the main ingredient in cocaine) in a calculated effort to gain support.

Why the Trip is Important

Let’s start here to give some context. So Pope Francis is visiting three countries in Latin America. Paraguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia. He is the VERY FIRST Latin American Pope.This is major considering the position has been around since the 1st Century. It is also his first trip to Latin America since taking over back in 2013.He is originally from Argentina (another Latin American country), but he is not going to visit on this trip. Aiight, now that you understand why this trip is such a big deal. Let’s focus on one of his stops…Bolivia.
Of all the countries in South America, Bolivia is second only to Peru in terms of the percentage of the population that is Catholic (77%). However, regardless of if they are Catholic or non-Catholic, most of the people support Coca leaves. Specifically, the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales. He’s been pushing for the legalization of coca since he got in office (2006).Back in 2013, the UN voted to allow the growing of coca leaves legal only in Bolivia…NOT internationally.The reason the UN is so tough on coca is obviously because it is used to make cocaine.Matta’ fact, Bolivia is third in line as the biggest cocaine producers on the planet while Colombia and Peru are 1 and 2.

Let’s pull this all together

So we know that the Pope needs the support of the folks in Bolivia.And we know that Evo (a HUGE champion of decriminalizing coca) has the overwhelming support of his people.

Pope Francis With The Harlem Globetrotters
Great marketing: Pope Francis was recently named an honorary member of The Harlem Globetrotters.

Why WOULDN’T the Pope announce ahead of time that he is going to chew coca leaves when he gets to Bolivia?
The mere thought of the Pope being high was enough to generate headlines that millions of people around the world have read, to the benefit of the Catholic church.Pope Francis is basically co-signing the President to gain the support of the people across Latin America.
It’s the same concept as Drake hoppin’ on Fetty’s latest joint “My Way.” Drake is the Pope that knows he needs the support and love that Fetty (the President of Bolivia) might have, because he is a new artist fresh out the gate with a hit record.
“He was FaceTiming from DC where he was playing ’My Way’ at a club,’ Fetty Wap told The Fader of the urgency the rapper displayed to cut the remix. “He was like, ’Yo, I want to cut the record tonight.’ Next thing I know, I checked my email and it was there.”
The co-sign was mutually beneficial, especially for a newcomer like Fetty Wap.

Drake and Meek Praying from Amen Video

“He was thanking me for putting him on the remix, and I’m trying to tell him like, ’No, thank you. You don’t understand what you’re doing for me,’” Fetty Wap told The Fader.
In Hip-Hop, artists like Diddy, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z have lengthened their careers by appearing alongside and supporting a variety of brand new artists, as a way to gain millions of new followers. Diddy has also done a masterful job cross-promoting his Ciroc agenda with new acts like French Montana, Meek Mill, Rick Ross and others.

This practice is defined as “leveraging.”

The Business Dictionary defines “leverage” as “the ability to influence a system, or an environment, in a way that multiplies the outcome of one’s efforts without a corresponding increase in the consumption of resources. In other words, leverage is the advantageous condition of having a relatively small amount of cost yield a relatively high level of returns.”
It is a basic tactic that’s used in all industries, and it is usually a win-win for both parties.