Drake was a cross-platform cultural phenomenon in the 2010s. The songwriter, producer, rapper, and singer sustained a high-level commercial presence shortly after he turned to rapping in 2006, whether on his own chart-topping releases or through a long string of guest appearances on hits by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky. Each one of the former child actor's first three albums, as well as a 2015 mixtape that followed them, topped the album charts in his native Canada and in the U.S. Though he caroused with his most hedonistic contemporaries, Drake was frequently praised for his sensitive, introspective approach to rap and R&B.
Known initially for his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the Toronto, Ontario-born Aubrey Drake Graham stepped out as a rapper and singer with pop appeal in 2006, when he initiated a series of mixtapes. A year later, despite being unsigned, he scored major exposure when his cocky and laid-back track "Replacement Girl," featuring Trey Songz, was featured on BET's 106 & Park program as its "Joint of the Day." He raised his profile throughout the next several months by popping up on countless mixtapes and remixes, and as rumors swirled about contract offers from labels, he gradually became one of the most talked-about artists in the industry. It did not hurt that he had support from the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne.
By the end of June 2009, "Best I Ever Had," a promotional single, had climbed to number two on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After a fierce bidding war, Drake signed with Universal Motown in late summer and released an EP (So Far Gone) made up of songs from his popular So Far Gone mixtape. It peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and won a 2010 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year. Thank Me Later, a full-length featuring collaborations with the Kings of Leon, the-Dream, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne, was issued through Young Money the following year. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Still, the artist felt his debut was rushed, so its 2011 follow-up arrived with the title Take Care, referencing the increased time and effort put into the album's creation. Receiving critical acclaim, Grammy Awards, and the number one slot on the U.S. Billboard 200, Take Care cemented Drake's place as one of Canada's biggest exports.
In 2012, while on tour, Drake announced that he had started work on what would be his third studio album. Nothing Was the Same was released in September of 2013. The album spawned many singles, topped charts around the world, was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy. Soon after the album's release he hit the road on an extended tour, taking time off for collabos and a few singles, included the Grammy-nominated "0 to 100/The Catch Up." His next release was planned as a free mixtape before Cash Money decided they would rather charge for it. The decidedly downbeat If You're Reading This It's Too Late was released in early 2015 and debuted at number one, while all 17 of its songs entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In late summer he dropped a trio of new tracks on his Soundcloud page, one of them, the Timmy Thomas-sampling "Hotline Bling," became a hit single and something of a cultural phenomenon. Later that year, Drake hit the studio with Future for a six-day session that yielded the mixtape What a Time to be Alive. The records' release in September brought him his second number one debuting album of the year. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
Since first being recognized for his role on the highly-successful television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, and going on the road with rap star Lil Wayne after hearing Drake’s music in the summer of 2008, Drake has asserted himself as a trailblazer in the creative world. Drake released his mixtape So Far Gone in 2009 and his massive influence in the hip-hop and contemporary music space has commanded the market since, with no end in sight. Drake now holds the record for the most number one hits on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Chart.
As The New York Times Jon Caramanica writes, “So it’s gone with Drake, hip-hop’s current center of gravity, his success a reminder of so many of the victories hip-hop has won in the last couple of decades: the right to be decadent, sure, but also the right to reimagine any style of music, the right to be emotionally complicated, the right to be unusual. He confounds expectations. He raps about soft things, sings about hard things. Thanks to his versatility, he is the glue that binds together all of urban radio.”
Drake has catapulted into stardom not only as an artist, but as a cultural maven with October’s Very Own. Sharing the story of the thriving music scene in Toronto, Drake has built out OVO from a small-scale blog about his crew to an all-encompassing lifestyle brand, including his clothing company, his record label OVOSOUND and his annual OVOFEST.
Drake has reached great heights in recent years and he continues to create and dominate the global market. As Drake says, “It’s about the experience. If the city isn’t talking about it five, six, seven days later, or if people don’t remember it for years to come, then I haven’t done my job…I’m going to find out what comes after this, but there’s definitely another evolution of Drake.”
Early Life
Drake, the world's only black Jewish-Canadian rap star, was born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. Drake grew up with music in his blood. His father, Dennis Graham, was a drummer for legendary rock star Jerry Lee Lewis, and Drake says that his mother, Sandi Graham, also hails from a "very musical" family. Drake comes from an eclectic and unique racial and religious background. His father is an African-American Catholic and his mother is a white Canadian Jew. Speaking about his personal identity, Drake says, "At the end of the day, I consider myself a black man because I'm more immersed in black culture than any other. Being Jewish is kind of a cool twist. It makes me unique."
Drake's parents divorced when he was 5 years old, and he was raised by his mother in Forest Hill, an affluent and predominantly Jewish Toronto neighborhood. He had a Bar Mitzvah at age 13 and observed the Jewish High Holy Days with his mother. "My mom has always made Hanukkah fun," Drake recalls. "When I was younger, she gave cool gifts and she'd make latkes." Despite his Jewish upbringing, Drake says he felt isolated at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, his virtually all-white high school. Drake remembers, "Nobody understood what it was like to be black and Jewish." However, he also adds, "being different from everyone else just made me a lot stronger."
'Degrassi' Star
It was one of Drake's classmates at Forest Hill who gave him his start in the entertainment industry. "There was a kid in my class whose father was an agent," Drake would later explain, adding, "His dad would say, 'If there's anyone in the class that makes you laugh, have them audition for me.' After the audition he became my agent."
Shortly afterward, in 2001, Drake landed a role on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. The show follows the dramatic lives of a group of teenagers at Degrassi High School, and Drake played the part of Jimmy Brooks, sometimes dubbed "Wheelchair Jimmy," a basketball star who becomes permanently wheelchair bound when he is shot by a classmate.
Drake starred on Degrassi for seven years (2001-09), earning a 2002 Young Artist Award for best ensemble in a TV series, among other honors. The show quickly developed a devoted cult following—"There are very few subtle Degrassi fans," Drake has said—propelling Drake to celebrity status in Canada, even while he remained relatively anonymous in the United States.
Hip-Hop Fame:
While still staring on Degrassi, Drake began attempting his transition into the world of hip-hop. He released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006, achieving modest sales around approximately 6,000 copies. He followed that with the 2007 release of another mixtape, Comeback Season. Comeback Season included Drake's first hit single and music video, "Replacement Girl," which was featured as the New Joint of the Day on BET's popular hip-hop television show 106 & Park.
In 2008, the producers of Degrassi overhauled the cast, eliminating Drake's character. Without his steady source of income, and not yet making significant money as a rapper, Drake was on the verge of looking for a day job. "I was coming to terms with the fact that ... I might have to work at a restaurant or something just to keep things going," he remembers. But early in 2008, Drake received an unexpected call from rap star Lil Wayne, who asked Drake to board a flight to Houston that night to join his tour.
Since that phone call, Drake has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the music world. After touring and recording with Lil Wayne, Drake released his third mixtape, So Far Gone, in February 2009. It featured the infectiously catchy single "Best I Ever Had," which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Since then, Drake's barrage of catchy, R&B-infused hip-hop songs have dominated radio airwaves. His most popular singles at this time included "Every Girl," "Forever" and "Money to Blow."
By mid-2009, Drake had inked a record deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment.
Chart-Topping Success
On June 15, 2010, Drake released his first full studio album, Thank Me Later, which debuted at No. 1 on both American and Canadian album charts and has since been certified platinum. Drake's new persona as the cocksure prince of hip-hop ("Last name ever, first name greatest," he brags on one track) seems to clash with his middle-class Jewish upbringing and former career as a teenage soap-opera star.
Nevertheless, Drake attempts to fuse these seemingly incongruous stages of his life into one persona. On the December 2009 cover of Vibe magazine, Drake sports a diamond-crusted Chai, a hip-hop style shout out to his Jewish roots. And in his song "The Presentation," he raps, "Who's Drake? Where's Wheelchair Jimmy at?"
In November 2011, Drake released his second studio album, Take Care, which included songs like "Headlines," "Make Me Proud," "The Motto" and "Take Care." The album met with wide acclaim, winning the 2013 Grammy Award for best rap album, among several other honors.
Infamous Feud
Despite his big successes on the music charts, Drake has hit a few rough patches in his personal life. In recent years, he and fellow entertainer Chris Brown have become rivals over singer Rihanna. The pair's bitter feud erupted in violence during the summer of 2012 at a New York nightclub. Several people were injured as a result of Drake and Brown's fight.
While no one has been criminally charged for the incident, both Drake and Brown have found themselves facing legal consequences for their actions. Professional basketball player Tony Parker, a male model and two women—all hurt in the brawl—are among those who have filed suit against the performers. In addition, Drake and Brown began legal proceedings against each other in court in early 2013 over who is responsible for starting the grisly clash.
Around this time, Drake settled another legal matter out of court. He reached an agreement with former girlfriend Ericka Lee over her contributions to the song "Marvin's Room." Lee had sued Drake in 2012 seeking credit for co-writing the track.
Recent Projects
Personal obstacles never seem to sidetrack Drake for long. He released a new single, "Started from the Bottom," in early 2013. The song, from his critically-acclaimed 2013 album Nothing was the Same, reflects his personal struggle for fame and success. "I just wanted to make it known that I did work really hard to get here and it wasn't just a fluke and it wasn't easy by any means," he explained to MTV News.
As his rap career moves forward, Drake hopes that his unconventional rise to hip-hop fame will continue to prove an asset, not a hindrance. "This whole thing is unusual at this point," he says, "so we're just rolling with the fairytale vibe."
1. Drake rose to fame as a Canadian TV star
Drake joined the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2001, when he was only 15 years old. He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who had to use a wheelchair after being shot.
2. His real name is Aubrey Graham
Believe it or not, but Drake is only his middle name. Aubrey Graham is the given name of Drake, something we think may not have made him the sexy, mysterious celebrity he is today.
3. He has appeared in children’s programs, including Ice Age: Continental Drift
Drake is not only still acting, he is doing some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.
4. He is Canadian
Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1986 (and even played hockey as a child).
5. He was raised Jewish
Drake’s mother is a Jewish Canadian, and he attended a Jewish Day School and even had a bar mitzvah.
6. He started his rap career through a series of mixtapes
Drake began making mixtapes in 2006, and started gaining national attention. He was featured on BET and was supported by rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. He was finally signed to Universal Motown in 2009.
7. He has written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx
Drake has won numerous awards for his songwriting abilities. He wrote "Un-Thinkable" for Alicia Keys and co-wrote "Fall For Your Type" for Jamie Foxx.
8. He has a crush on Nicki Minaj
Drake admitted back in 2010 that Minaj was his inspiration for "Un-Thinkable." He told MTV in 2010 about his crush.
"I've always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she's always just looked at me as, like, her little brother," he said.
1. Drake rose to fame as a Canadian TV star
Drake joined the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2001, when he was only 15 years old. He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who had to use a wheelchair after being shot.
2. His real name is Aubrey Graham
Believe it or not, but Drake is only his middle name. Aubrey Graham is the given name of Drake, something we think may not have made him the sexy, mysterious celebrity he is today.
3. He has appeared in children’s programs, including Ice Age: Continental Drift
Drake is not only still acting, he is doing some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.
4. He is Canadian
Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1986 (and even played hockey as a child).
5. He was raised Jewish
Drake’s mother is a Jewish Canadian, and he attended a Jewish Day School and even had a bar mitzvah.
6. He started his rap career through a series of mixtapes
Drake began making mixtapes in 2006, and started gaining national attention. He was featured on BET and was supported by rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. He was finally signed to Universal Motown in 2009.
7. He has written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx
Drake has won numerous awards for his songwriting abilities. He wrote "Un-Thinkable" for Alicia Keys and co-wrote "Fall For Your Type" for Jamie Foxx.
8. He has a crush on Nicki Minaj
Drake admitted back in 2010 that Minaj was his inspiration for "Un-Thinkable." He told MTV in 2010 about his crush.
"I've always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she's always just looked at me as, like, her little brother," he said.
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