Aubrey Drake Graham, also known as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, actor, and R&B singer. He rose to fame through his portrayal of Jimmy Brooks on the teen drama series Degrassi High: The Next Generation. In June 2009, Lil’ Wayne made a public announcement that Drake had become part of his label “Young Money Entertainment.”
Dwayne Carter, also known as Lil’ Wayne, announced in November that Drake’s debut studio album ‘Thank Me Later’ was completed. Originally scheduled for release in March, the album was later delayed until June 15th. It generated significant excitement and anticipation as one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2010. Upon its release, Thank Me Later sold an impressive 400,000 copies in its first week and reached the number one position on the Billboard charts.
Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24th, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is the son of musician Dennis Graham and educator Sandi Graham. He often spent his summers in Memphis, Tennessee, where his father resides.
His unexpected success with his So Far Gone mixtape and EP resulted in winning several awards such as Juno’s Rap Recording of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. In addition to that achievement, he became the first unsigned artist to receive a Grammy nomination.
In recent times, Drake released his second sophomore album titled Take Care which had an impressive debut week sales record of 700,000 copies sold.
Drake grew up in Canada, raised by his mother after his parents split when he was five. While attending Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, he started acting and later played the character Jimmy Brooks on the TV show Degrassi High: The Next Generation from 2001 to 2009.
Drake began rapping at a young age, with his family attributing his talent to his father. He spent considerable time in the studio, observing renowned bands such as The Temptations, The Blue Notes, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and others. In 2007, he released “Replacement Girl,” the official single from his Comeback Season mixtape. The track featured his friend Trey Songz and was produced by Boi-1da and T-Minus. That same year, Drake became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to have his music video showcased on BET. On April 30, 2007, his debut single “Replacement Girl” was featured as the network’s “New Joint of the Day.”
Drizzy dropped his third official mixtape, So Far Gone, on his blog in 2009. The mixtape had joint efforts with Bun-B, Omarion, Trey Songz, and Lil’ Wayne – who was his mentor. In just two hours after its release, it received over two thousand downloads. Standout tracks from the mixtape included ‘Best I Ever Had’, which honored his girlfriend by incorporating elements from Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds’ song ‘Falling in Love’; and ‘Successful’, where he talked about pursuing success while navigating situations involving both his girlfriend and mother.
Following the release of So Far Gone, Drake teamed up with various artists such as DJ Khaled, Young Money, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, Birdman, Trey Songz and Jamie Foxx. This collaboration not only helped him gain popularity but also sparked a competition among Roc Nation, Interescope Atlantic and Universal to sign him (Billboard). Despite initial plans for his official debut album Thank Me Later to be released in late 2009, it faced multiple delays. The album’s launch was first pushed back until March 2010 and then once again to May 25th of the same year. Eventually, Universal Motown confirmed that the album would come out on June 15th after being postponed for three weeks.
The album features collaborations with Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, however, planned duets with Trey Songz and Danny! did not make the cut. On March 9, 2010, Drake released “Over,” the first single from his Thank Me Later album. The single achieved a No. 14 position on the Billboard Hot 100.
On April 29, 2010, Drake finished his album titled Thank Me Later. The second single from the album, “Find Your Love,” was released on May 5, 2010 and reached number 5 on the Hot 100 charts. Then, on June 15, 2010, Thank Me Later was officially launched and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It sold a total of 447,000 copies in its first week of sales. This marked Drake’s first release to achieve such a milestone.
In 2010, both Drake and Eminem accomplished notable achievements in terms of first week sales for hip hop artists. While Drake initially set a record, Eminem quickly exceeded it. Furthermore, Drake organized the inaugural OVO Fest. On November 17, 2010, Drake disclosed that his next studio album would be called Take Care. Subsequently, in January and April of 2011, it was revealed that Drake’s second studio album would hit the shelves on October 24, 2011.
Drake dropped a fresh tune named “Dreams Money Can Buy” on May 20th. On June 9th, he released another song titled “Marvin’s Room,” which was officially available on July 22, 2011, via iTunes. On June 28th, Drake debuted the music video for “Marvin’s Room.” The lead single off his album Take Care is called “Headlines,” and it peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 chart. The latest single from Take Care is the eponymous track “Take Care,” featuring Rihanna.
