Drake continues his grip on North American pop culture by hosting and performing on next weekend's 'Saturday Night Live' episode -- the first new one of the year. The star made the customary appearance in the 'SNL' promos, and compared to the Eminem and Kanye West-featured clips from last year, there's a lot more hilarious interplay.

The Toronto rapper stars alongside 'SNL' regulars Bobby Moynihan and Jay Pharoah in the series of clips. Of course there's some silliness, which includes the cast members insisting they make beats for Drake -- a few cool cats are used.

The humor gets a bit meta and self-referential too. When Moynihan prompts the 'Nothing Was the Same' creator to showcase his acting chops, Drake mentions he once starred in a Canadian soap opera ('Degrassi') before a dramatic monologue: "No, you broke my heart and now I'm reduced to the saddest boy in all of Toront ... You know what? Not even Toronto. I am the saddest boy in all of Canada. Scene."

He's unashamedly Drake-y here, so there's a possibility for more self-deprecating humor come Saturday.

More From TheBoombox