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Drake (musician)

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Drake
Drake performing in concert in July 2016
Born
Aubrey Drake Graham

(1986-10-24) October 24, 1986 (age 38)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other names
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • entrepreneur
  • actor
Years active2001–present
Children1
RelativesLarry Graham (uncle)
Teenie Hodges (uncle)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Aubrey Drake Graham[4] (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor.[5] who has sold over five million album copies. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. He was the character Jimmy Brooks for eight seasons on the television show Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008). He is of Jewish and Black/Afro-American descent. His mother is white and his father is black.

Drake has worked with a lot of other musicians. Drake collaborated with Rihanna on the number-one singles "What's My Name?" (2010) and "Work" (2016). He also rapped on "Moment 4 Life" (2011) by Nicki Minaj. "Moment 4 Life" was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award in the category Best Rap Performance.[6] His third album Take Care won the award for Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.[7]

In 2012, Drake along with his producer 40 and manager Oliver El-Khatib started the OVO Sound record label.[8]

On September 30, 2013, he was named as the "global ambassador" for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[9] On March 14, 2019, the Raptors renamed their practice facility to the OVO Athletic Centre after Drake's brand.[10]

In 2016, he released Views, an album that was only on iTunes at first. His single "One Dance" became his first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a main artist.

Drake went on the 54-show Summer Sixteen Tour alongside American rapper Future to promote Views, Future's fourth studio album Evol, and the two's collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. The tour earned $84.3 million which made it the highest grossing hip-hop tour of all time.[11]

On March 18, 2017, Drake released More Life, which he referred to as a "playlist" instead of an album. The singles "Fake Love" and "Passionfruit" reached the top ten in countries worldwide.

In 2018, Drake worked with Travis Scott and published "Sicko Mode". It was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

Drake's single, "God's Plan", from the EP Scary Hours, entered at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100. After 11 weeks at number one, the single "Nice for What" also entered at number one, making Drake the first artist to have a number-one entry replace another number-one entry at the top of the chart. "Nice for What" became Drake's fifth American chart-topper. Drake released the single "I'm Upset" in May 2018 and announced he would release his next album, Scorpion, in June.[12] Despite rumors, particularly a beef with rapper Pusha T, Drake revealed in the album that he has a child, a son named Adonis, with French artist Sophie Brussaux.[13]

On April 2, 2020, Drake released the single "Toosie Slide", based on the dance of the same name that had been posted to social media app TikTok.[14] It became his third number-one entrance on the Billboard Hot 100, tying him with Mariah Carey as having the most songs enter at the top. It became his seventh US number-one single overall.

On October 31, 2023, Drake released the song "First Person Shooter" which also featured J. Cole. The song debuted number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. This gave Drake his thirteenth number-one single and Cole's first number-one. By earning number one, Drake tied the record with Michael Jackson for most number-one singles by a male solo artist.[15] The song also started a feud with rapper Kendrick Lamar after Cole rapped about Drake, Cole and Lamar being the "Big 3" of hip hop.[16]

On August 2, 2024, Drake made an unannounced appearance at PartyNextDoor's concert. He performed and then said that Party and he were working on an album together.[17]

Early life

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Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario.[4] His parents are Sandra, a school teacher,[18] and Dennis Graham, an African-American musician from Memphis, Tennessee.[19] Drake's parents got a divorce when he was five years old. He spent most of his time at his mother's house in the Weston Road area of Toronto while he also made summer visits to his father's house in Memphis.[20] Drake's uncles are also part of the music business. His uncle Larry Graham was a bassist for Sly and the Family Stone and his other uncle Mabon "Teenie" Hodges was a guitarist and songwriter who wrote hit songs such as "Take Me to the River" and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" for soul singer Al Green.[21]

He attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute for high school,[22] and attended Vaughan Road Academy in Toronto. At Vaughan Road, Drake took part in their Interact program and was classmates with actor Elliot Page.[23] He dropped out because it took too much time away from his music and he was getting bullied for his race but he eventually earned his high school diploma in 2012.[24][25]

Career

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Early in his music career, Drake was in a hip hop group called The Renaissance with Grammy Award-winning singer Melanie Fiona.[26] The first recorded song he put out was called "Do What You Do" on The N Soundtrack for the The N.[27] He uploaded music to his MySpace account including a demo track of a song called "Brand New" which was first meant for another artist.[28][29]

On February 14, 2006, Drake self-released his first mixtape Room for Improvement.[30] It sold around 6,000 copies.[31] After this, Drake performed at his first huge concert, opening for Ice Cube in Toronto at the Kool Haus nightclub on August 19, 2006.[32]

Around this time, Drake created his own record label called October's Very Own. He released his next mixtape, Comeback Season, on September 1, 2007.[33] The mixtape included the single "Replacement Girl" with American R&B singer Trey Songz. On the set of the music video for "Replacement Girl", Drake met his future producer Noah "40" Shebib.[34]

In 2008, Drake began to focus more on his music career after his character Jimmy Brooks along with many others were written out of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Drake befriended Jas Prince and through his connections, Prince ended up playing Drake's music for American rapper Lil Wayne.[29] Wayne was impressed and brought Drake along with him on his Tha Carter III tour.[35]

On February 13, 2009, Drake released his third mixtape So Far Gone. The album was successful, with the singles "Best I Ever Had" and "Successful" both entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart and both reaching Platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[36][37] The album was later re-released as an extended play on September 15.[38] The EP version won Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.[39] Around this time, Drake released the song "Forever" featuring the American rappers Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem for the 2008 Lebron James documentary More than a Game. After the success of the albums, a bidding war took place between record labels to sign him. Drake eventually signed with Lil Wayne's label Young Money Entertainment on June 29, 2009.[40]

On June 15, 2010, Drake released his first studio album Thank Me Later. The album featured the singles "Over", "Find Your Love", "Miss Me", and "Fancy". It was certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It sold 447,000 copies in its first week.[41][42] To promote the album, Drake went on the 4-leg, 79 city Away from Home Tour.[43] The tour was very successful and Drake started his own festival called OVO Festival in 2010.[44]

Works

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Albums

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Movies

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2007 Charlie Bartlett A/V Jones Minor role [46]
2008 Mookie's Law Chet Walters Short movie [47]
2011 Breakaway Himself Cameo [48]
2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift Ethan Voice role [49]
2013 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Ron Burgundy fan Cameo [50]
2014 Think Like a Man Too Himself [51]
2017 6ix Rising Noisey documentary [52]
The Carter Effect Documentary, was also executive producer [53]
2019 Remember Me, Toronto Documentary by Mustafa the Poet [54]
2022 Black Ice N/A Documentary, was executive producer [55]
2023 For Khadija N/A [56]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2001 Blue Murder Joey Tamarin Episode: "Out-of-Towners: Part 1" [57]
2001–2008 Degrassi: The Next Generation James "Jimmy" Brooks Main role; 100 episodes [58]
2002 Soul Food Fredrick Episode: "From Dreams to Nightmares" [57]
Conviction Teen Fish Television movie
2005 Best Friend's Date Dater Episode: "Season Finale" [59]
Instant Star Himself Episode: "Personality Crisis"
2008 The Border PFC Gordon Harvey Episode: "Stop Loss" [60]
2009 Being Erica Ken Episode: "What I Am Is What I Am" [60]
Sophie Ken Episode: "An Outing with Sophie"
Beyond the Break Himself Episode: "One 'Elle' of a Party"
2010 When I Was 17 Episode: "Drake, Jennie Finch & Queen Latifah" [61]
Drake: Better Than Good Enough Himself MTV documentary [62]
2011 Juno Awards Host Television special [63]
Saturday Night Live Himself (musical guest) Episode: "Anna Faris/Drake" [64]
2012 Punk'd Himself Episode: "Drake/Kim Kardashian" [65]
2014, 2016 Saturday Night Live Himself (host/musical guest) Episode: "Drake" [66][67]
2018 The Shop Himself Episode 2 [68]
The Egos Episode: "OMP: Drake"
2019– Euphoria None Executive producer [69]
2019–2023 Top Boy None [70]
2021–2022 Chillin' Island None [71]
2023 Saint X None [72]

Personal life

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Drake is a father to a son named Adonis with French artist Sophie Brussaux.[73]

In March 2020, Drake contracted COVID-19. He became one of the first high-profile celebrities to contract the virus. He mentioned that the virus had caused him to lose his hair which later came back.[74] He later had to postpone some Young Money reunion shows with Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj because he had contracted COVID-19 again.[75]

In October 2023, Drake signed a letter along with other artists which called for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war.[76]

References

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  1. ↑ "11 Times Drake Channeled His 'Champagne Papi' Alter-Ego: From 'The Motto' to 'Mia'". Billboard.
  2. ↑ "The Drake Look Book". GQ. October 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  3. ↑ FNR Tigg (July 29, 2020). "Drake's Engineer Noel Shares How Close Rapper Is to Finishing New Album". Complex. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kellman, Andy. "Drake – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic.
  5. ↑ Caramanca, Jon (November 16, 2011). "Drake Pushes Rap Toward the Gothic". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Grammys 2012: Rap and hip-hop nominees/winners". CBC Music. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Grammys 2013: Drake's 'Take Care' wins in rap album category". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Drake's OVO Sound Label Teams Up With City of Toronto to Create Music Committee". TheDrop. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  9. ↑ "From rapper to Raptor, Drake takes on new role". NBA. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Raptors and OVO Elevate Partnership with OVO Athletic Centre Naming Rights Deal". Toronto Raptors. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Drake and Future Break Highest-Grossing Record With Summer Sixteen Tour". XXL. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Drake Releases New Single 'I'm Upset'". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Who Is Sophie Brussaux? What to Know About the Mother of Drake's Son Adonis". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  14. ↑ Holmes, Charles; Holmes, Charles (April 3, 2020). "Before Drake Released 'Toosie Slide,' He Turned to a Few Dancers for Help". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Drake Gets No. 1 Album and Single, Tying Michael Jackson for Billboard Hot 100 Record". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar Disses Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin's New Song 'Like That'". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Drake Announces New Album With PartyNextDoor, Live-Debuts 'Wah Gwan Delilah' in Toronto". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  18. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (November 8, 2017). "Drake's Hotline to Hollywood: Inside an Ambitious Push Into Film and TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Drake's Competition in 2017 Might Just Be His Father". Billboard. January 30, 2017.
  20. ↑ "All About Drake's Parents Sandi and Dennis Graham". People. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Drake superior". Maclean's. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  22. ↑ Jordan, Harrison (December 20, 2006). "Degrassi actor says being different made him stronger". The Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Community commemorates Vaughan Road Academy, closing after nine decades". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Drake Discusses Degrassi, High School Years, and So Far Gone with Vibe Magazine". Vibe. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Drake: 'I got my high school diploma'". The Washington Times. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Grammy star Melanie Fiona". CBC News. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Noggin Tackles Tween Issues with "Degrassi: The Next Generation"". Viacom. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ↑ "Myspace played a big role in hip-hop history. Now much of that record is gone". CBC Radio. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "How Jas Prince's 'God-Given Ear' Brought Drake From Overlooked Rapper To Global Phenom". Forbes. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  30. ↑ "'Room For Improvement': How Drake Set The Bar For Himself". UDiscover Music. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Preview: Drake rises from the rap pack with a moody, sensual style". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ↑ "Drake Remembers Earning Just $100 To Open For Ice Cube When He Started Out". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  33. ↑ "'Comeback Season': How Drake's Second Mixtape Brought Crossover Success". UDiscover Music. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Noah "40" Shebib: Best He Ever Had". The Fader. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  35. ↑ "The Untold Story Of How Drake Met Lil Wayne". The Fader. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Drake – Best I Ever Had". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Drake – Successful". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  38. ↑ "'So Far Gone': How Drake Sparked A Bidding War". uDiscover Music. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Juno Awards show Michael Bublé some love". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  40. ↑ "Drake Signs With Lil Wayne's Young Money Label". MTV. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Drake – Thank Me Later". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Drake Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  43. ↑ "Drake Lights Up Miami at Tour Kickoff". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  44. ↑ "Drake Announces New Tour Dates, OVO Festival". HipHopWired. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Drake Announces New Album With PartyNextDoor, Live-Debuts 'Wah Gwan Delilah' in Toronto". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Drake Pays Tribute To Anton Yelchin, Dead At 27". The Fader. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Nina Dobrev admits she didn't recognize former 'Degrassi' costar Drake's voice on the radio". Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  48. ↑ "Breakaway stickhandles around cultural issues". CBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  49. ↑ "Drake to Voice Character in New Ice Age Film". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  50. ↑ "Drake Spotted Filming 'Anchorman 2' Cameo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  51. ↑ "Film Review: 'Think Like a Man Too'". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  52. ↑ "Watch '6ix Rising,' Our Definitive Look at Toronto's Rap Scene". Vice. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  53. ↑ "Drake Credits Vince Carter With Giving Him Confidence in New Doc, 'The Carter Effect'". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  54. ↑ "Drake Featured in Mustafa the Poet's Short Film on Toronto's Gun Violence". Complex. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  55. ↑ "SpringHill, DreamCrew And Uninterrupted Canada Team For Hockey Doc 'Black Ice', With Drake And LeBron James Exec Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  56. ↑ "French Montana Says His Documentary Executive Produced By Drake Is Done". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 "Back in time, when Drake was the famous actor of a teen series". Anabel Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  58. ↑ "See Drake Return to 'Degrassi' Roots in New 'I'm Upset' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  59. ↑ "Best Friend's Date: "The N's Celebrity Double Date"". Archived from the original on April 13, 2005. Retrieved September 27, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 "Drake: Degrassi and Early Mixtapes". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  61. ↑ "Video! Drake: When I Was 17". Complex. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  62. ↑ "Drake – Better than Good Enough". RadicalMedia. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  63. ↑ "Drake tapped as Junos 2011 host". CBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  64. ↑ "Watch Drake on "Saturday Night Live"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  65. ↑ "Drake Gets 'Punk'd,' Doesn't Get to Meet the Vice President". Spin. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  66. ↑ "Started from the bottom, now he's here: Drake wins SNL". Maclean's. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  67. ↑ "On SNL, Drake made fun of Drake the most". Washington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  68. ↑ "Drake Talks Pusha-T Feud, Kanye West Rift on LeBron James' 'The Shop'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  69. ↑ "'Euphoria' Pilot Starring Zendaya Picked Up To Series By HBO, Drake & Future the Prince Join As Executive Producers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  70. ↑ "Drake Revives British Drug Dealer Drama 'Top Boy' for Netflix". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  71. ↑ "The Glacially Paced Greatness of 'Chillin Island'". The Ringer. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  72. ↑ "Victoria Pedretti To Headline 'Saint X' Hulu Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  73. ↑ Kiefer, Halle (June 29, 2018). "Drake Confirms He Has a Son on His New Album Scorpion". Vulture. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  74. ↑ "Drake Reveals He Had COVID and Hair Loss Was a Lingering Side Effect: 'It's Coming Back'". People. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  75. ↑ "Drake Tests Positive for COVID-19, Postpones Young Money Reunion Show: 'I Am Truly Devastated'". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  76. ↑ "Drake Breaks Silence On Israel-Palestinian Conflict, Signs Ceasefire Letter". Vibe. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

Other websites

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