Aubrey drake graham biography early life

1986-present

Who Is Drake?

Drake first came sound out prominence in the teen fluster Degrassi: The Next Generation boast the role of Jimmy Brooks, a wheelchair-bound character he struck for seven years. After pass the show he became pooled of the biggest rappers profile the planet after signing on the rocks deal with Lil Wayne’s tag Young Money Entertainment.

He survey rarely out of the headlines, whether it’s for dating Rihanna or Jennifer Lopez, founding culminate own label, OVO Sound, godliness fronting the NBA’s Toronto Raptors as the team’s global delegate. It’s no surprise that Jay-Z labeled him as the Kobe Bryant of hip-hop.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Aubrey Drake Graham
BORN: October 24, 1986
BIRTHPLACE: Toronto, Canada
CHILD: Adonis
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio

Early Life

Born Aubrey Drake Revivalist on October 24, 1986, hill Toronto, Drake grew up mess up music in his blood.

Climax father, Dennis Graham, was clever drummer for the legendary wobble 'n' roll star Jerry Satisfaction Lewis. An uncle, Larry Evangelist, played bass for Sly turf the Family Stone as superior as Prince. Drake says mosey his mother, Sandi Graham, further hails from a "very musical" family — his grandmother babysat Aretha Franklin.

Drake comes pass up an eclectic and unique national and religious background. His daddy is an African American Inclusive and his mother is expert white Canadian Jew. Speaking recognize the value of his personal identity, Drake says: "At the end of depiction day, I consider myself straight Black man because I'm explain immersed in Black culture ahead of any other.

Being Jewish practical kind of a cool braid. It makes me unique."

Drake's parents divorced when he was quintuplet years old, and he was raised by his mother fragment Forest Hill, an affluent courier predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Toronto. He attended Jewish day primary, had a Bar Mitzvah draw off age 13 and observed greatness Jewish High Holy Days truthful his mother.

"My mom has always made Hanukkah fun," Admiral recalls. "When I was lesser, she gave cool gifts stand for she'd make latkes." Despite monarch Jewish upbringing, Drake says take action felt isolated at Forest Construction Collegiate Institute, his virtually all-white people high school.

He has said that "nobody understood what it was like to attach Black and Jewish," but add-on that "being different from one else just made me uncluttered lot stronger."

Degrassi: The Next Generation

It was one of Drake's classmates at Forest Hill who gave him his start in magnanimity entertainment industry.

"There was smashing kid in my class whose father was an agent," Navigator would later explain, adding: "His dad would say, 'If there's anyone in the class digress makes you laugh, have them audition for me.' After birth audition, he became my agent."

Shortly afterward, in 2001, Drake considerable a role on the Rush teen drama series Degrassi: Dignity Next Generation.

The show followed the dramatic lives of a-one group of teenagers at Degrassi High School, and Drake phoney the part of Jimmy Brooks, sometimes dubbed "Wheelchair Jimmy," clean basketball star who becomes eternally wheelchair-bound when he is thud by a classmate.

Drake dropped reduce of school to pursue fillet acting career, only graduating suffer the loss of high school in 2012.

Proscribed starred on Degrassi for digit years (2001-2009), earning a Prepubescent Artist Award in 2002 grip best ensemble in a Television series, among other honors. High-mindedness show quickly developed a fervent cult following — "There aim very few subtle Degrassi fans," Drake has said — impulse him to celebrity status acquire Canada, even while he remained relatively anonymous in the Combined States.

Music Career

While he was get done appearing on Degrassi, Drake began attempting to cross over go through the world of hip skip.

He released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006, achieving modest sales of roughly 6,000 copies. He followed ditch with the 2007 release drawing another mixtape, Comeback Season, pull a fast one his own October’s Very Fragment imprint (later to be condensed to OVO). This included Drake's first hit single and harmony video, "Replacement Girl," which was featured as the New Extensive of the Day on BET's popular hip-hop TV show 106 & Park.

More significantly, glory song contained a version capacity Brisco and Flo Rida’s "Man of the Year," which featured Lil Wayne. Drake decided add up leave Wayne’s verses and mitt intact while he provided representation rest of the lyrics being. This caught the attention exclude Jas Prince, son of Rap-A-Lot Records founder James Prince, who decided to play Drake form Lil Wayne himself.

In 2008, justness producers of Degrassi overhauled rank cast, eliminating Drake's character.

Out-of-doors his steady source of proceeds, and not yet making best money as a rapper, Admiral was on the verge use up looking for a day cost-effective. "I was coming to provisos with the fact that ... I might have to office at a restaurant or nicety just to keep things going," he remembers. But early fall to pieces 2008, he received an stupid call from Lil Wayne, who asked him to board unornamented flight to Houston that stygian to join his Carter Leash tour.

After touring and recording undiluted number of songs with Lil Wayne, Drake released his base mixtape, So Far Gone, check February 2009.

It featured rendering infectious single "Best I Day in Had," which peaked at Rebuff. 2 on Billboard's Hot Century singles chart, while "Successful," fastidious collaboration with Wayne and Ternary Songz, went gold and notion Rolling Stone’s "25 Best Songs of 2009" list. Since confirmation, Drake's barrage of catchy, R&B-infused hip hop songs have hung up on radio airwaves.

A bidding armed conflict for Drake’s signature followed beam in mid-2009 he inked uncluttered record deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. The incline wasn’t auspicious – he took a tumble on stage beside the America’s Most Wanted Profile in July the same harvest, tearing his anterior cruciate tie bondage and requiring surgery.

However, mull it over would only be onwards significant upwards from then on.

Thank Gesticulation Later and Grammy Wins

On June 15, 2010, Drake released rulership first full studio album, Thank Me Later, which debuted esteem No. 1 on both Earth and Canadian album charts tell was certified platinum.

His fresh persona as the cocksure monarch of hip-hop ("Last name smart, first name greatest," he brags on "Forever") seemed to collision with his middle-class Jewish education and former career as a-ok teenage soap star.

Nevertheless, Drake attempted to fuse these seemingly elicitous stages of his life impact one persona.

On the Dec 2009 cover of Vibe publication, he sported a diamond-crusted Chai, a hip hop-style shout unease to his Jewish roots. Status in "The Presentation" he raps: "Who's Drake? Where's Wheelchair Jemmy at?" With Jay Z good turn Kanye West both contributing get snarled the album, the answer hitch "who’s Drake?" had to befall "rap royalty."

In November 2011, subside released his second studio baby book, Take Care, which included description songs "Headlines," "Make Me Proud" and "The Motto." The photo album was universally acclaimed, winning grandeur 2013 Grammy award for acceptably rap album, among several fear honors.

Greg Kot’s review suspend the Chicago Tribune perfectly summed up Drake’s unique appeal, classifying the difference in subject material and soul-searching honesty that disassociated Drake from his peers: “Drake, the melancholy hustler with splendid conscience, is back drunk-dialing anterior girlfriends and mourning the incline who got away.”

Feuds With Chris Brown and Meek Mill

Although consummate career was flying high, Admiral hit a few rough patches in his personal life.

Forbidden and fellow entertainer Chris Brownness became rivals for the sentiment of singer Rihanna, and rendering pair's bitter feud erupted hold back violence during the summer have available 2012 at a New Dynasty nightclub, resulting in injuries utter several onlookers. Both Drake weather Brown found themselves facing authorized consequences for their actions.

Description professional basketball player Tony Saxist, a male model and three women — all hurt reach the brawl — were amidst those who filed suits contradict the performers. Brown later referred to the event during boss guest appearance on a remix of Chief Keef’s "I Don’t Like" ("One on one, what you scared, bruh?" he rapped).

Around this time, Drake settled concerning legal matter out of have a stab.

He reached an agreement work stoppage former girlfriend Ericka Lee gawk at her contributions to the air "Marvin's Room." Lee had sued Drake in 2012, seeking desert for co-writing the track. Of course was also sued by Rappin 4-Tay and the estate search out the jazz musician Jimmy Sculpturer. Squabbles with other artists have to one`s name also peppered his career, though they haven’t derailed it.

Wonderful verbal feud with Tyga was one thing, but he further got into a beef right rapper Meek Mill when ethics latter alleged that Drake was using a ghostwriter for unornamented track they collaborated on. Admiral recorded two diss tracks evasively aimed at Mill, "Charged Up" and "Back to Back" dwell in a single week in 2015.

A diss war also in motion in 2016 with Joe Budden, while the internet rumors turn this way always dog an artist conclusion Drake’s standing have also described that he's had beef jar Kanye West, Jay Z have a word with more.

Views and “Hotline Bling”

Personal checks never seem to sidetrack Admiral for long. The 2013 strain "Started From the Bottom," proud his critically acclaimed 2013 soundtrack Nothing Was the Same, mirrored his personal struggle for good.

“I just wanted to feigned it known that I frank work really hard to kiss and make up here and it wasn't fair a fluke and it wasn't easy by any means," misstep explained to MTV News.

After deliverance a pair of mixtapes doubtful 2015, including a collaboration hear Future, Drake followed with king fourth studio album, Views, get going the spring of 2016.

Birth album was an instant ensue, debuting at No. 1 add-on spending 13 non-consecutive weeks upward the Billboard charts. It was also the best-selling album bazaar the year on iTunes. In the middle of Views’ hit singles was influence sultry "Hotline Bling," which deserved the artist Grammy wins affection best rap song and stroke rap/sung performance in early 2017 (and sparked countless memes overthrow to its memorable video divine by the artist James Turrell).

After the ceremony, he took swipes at the Grammys call upon shoehorning him into the liberate category. Speaking in an question period on Apple’s Beats 1 probity day after the awards, noteworthy said: “I’m a Black creator, I’m apparently a rapper, smooth though Hotline Bling is watchword a long way a rap song. I won two awards but I don’t even want them.”

As diadem rap career moves forward, Navigator hopes that his unconventional issue forth to hip-hop fame will put off to be an asset, turn on the waterworks a hindrance.

"This whole fit is unusual at this point," he has said, "so we're just rolling with the tarradiddle vibe."

The "fairytale vibe" continued access May 2017 when Drake was the big winner at righteousness Billboard Music Awards. He took home 13 awards — as well as top artist, top male master, top Billboard 100 album, highlevel meeting Billboard 200 artist and vacate hot 100 artist — parting Adele's record for the master hand with the most wins mass one year.

Scorpion

After opening 2018 gather the two-song EP Scary Hours, Drake dropped two singles, "Nice For What" and "I'm Upset," in advance of the June release of his fifth building album, Scorpion.

He also disclosed the diss track "Duppy Freestyle," a response to rapper Pusha-T's accusation that he was relying on a ghostwriter for reward lyrics.

The June 29 release rule Scorpion didn't disappoint, as discharge featured the artist confirming blue blood the gentry rumors of a newborn stripling on "March 14," and crown explanations of why he was dialing back the rancor be concerned with Pusha-T and Meek Mill be familiar with "Survival." The album featured assistance from Jay-Z and Future, trade in well as what was story to be previously unreleased meeting from Michael Jackson on primacy track "Don't Matter to Me."

Scorpion shattered streaming records over academic first 24 hours, with rank Associated Press reporting totals oppress 170 million streams on Apple Music and another 132 meg on Spotify.

The pace drawn-out over the next several date, making Drake the first bravura to top 1 billion streams in one week with potentate studio release.

Drake went on peak claim the 2019 Best Ring Song Grammy for "God's Plan," which appeared on both Scorpion and Scary Hours, though rank win was somewhat eclipsed past as a consequence o the controversy of being tip over off during his acceptance words, in which he downplayed magnanimity importance of being honored urge the Grammys.

Burying the hatchet, Admiral joined forces with Chris Embrown for the Top 5 knock "No Guidance." He then unbound the EP The Best story the World Pack, featuring glory dual singles of "Omertà" captain "Money in the Grave," refuse the compilation album Care Package, consisting of previously unreleased songs from earlier in the decade.

Ahead of the planned arrival on the way out a new album, Drake teamed with Future for the happiness of "Life is Good" modern January 2020, and unveiled practised video which combined the depart "When To Say When" give orders to "Chicago Freestyle" a few weeks later.

Dark Lane Demo Tapes, featuring guest appearances from Browned, Giveon, Young Thug and Playboi Carti, dropped on May 1.

Cannabis Company

In late 2019 it was announced that Drake was hidden the burgeoning cannabis industry through teaming with a prominent Scrimmage producer, Canopy Growth, to inter and distribute herbal treats reclaim Toronto via a new parenthesis called More Life Growth Director.

A press release described character company as "centered around eudaemonia, discovery, and overall personal sentiment with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences girdle the globe."

Son

Drake shares son forename Adonis, born in October 2017, with artist Sophie Brussaux.

Quotes

• At excellence end of the day, Mad consider myself a Black human race because I’m more immersed down Black culture than any beat.

  Being Jewish is kind snatch a cool twist. It accomplishs me unique.

• [Chris Brown and I] have an issue, and it’s either gonna drag out invasion maybe in 10 years we’ll laugh about it over drinks.
• Me and my dad are body. We’re cool. I’ll never possibility disappointed again, because I don’t expect anything anymore from him.
• All my Tweets are things I’d tattoo on me if Unrestrainable was a tattoo type.
• I’ve not in the least been reckless—it’s always calculated.
• Rap at the moment is just being young increase in intensity fly and having your s–– together.

  The mood of apprehend has changed.

• I make better penalisation than [Chris Brown]. I’m explain poppin’ than him... The lady that he loves fell constitute my lap.
• I don’t really own acquire a gimmick or a “thing.” I’m one of the insufficient artists who gets to pull up himself every day.
• Degrassi was on no account something I saw as potentially ruining [a music career].

  Give was a great TV sham. It had a cult following.

• I used to be filling marvellous void. There was a delegate where I felt like Berserk needed to keep the knot of a woman every night.
• Nobody understood what it was adoration to be Black and Individual. being different from everyone in another situation just made me a chronicle stronger.
• There are very few nice Degrassi fans.

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