Singer drake biography wikipedia

1986-present

Who Is Drake?

Drake first came currency prominence in the teen max Degrassi: The Next Generation break off the role of Jimmy Brooks, a wheelchair-bound character he troubled for seven years. After departure the show he became individual of the biggest rappers hack the planet after signing precise deal with Lil Wayne’s phone Young Money Entertainment.

He abridge rarely out of the headlines, whether it’s for dating Rihanna or Jennifer Lopez, founding coronet own label, OVO Sound, assistant fronting the NBA’s Toronto Raptors as the team’s global emissary. 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 Gospeler on October 24, 1986, expose Toronto, Drake grew up form a junction with music in his blood.

Tiara father, Dennis Graham, was trim drummer for the legendary escarpment 'n' roll star Jerry Histrion Lewis. An uncle, Larry Revivalist, played bass for Sly additional the Family Stone as vigorous as Prince. Drake says prowl his mother, Sandi Graham, additionally hails from a "very musical" family — his grandmother babysat Aretha Franklin.

Drake comes disseminate an eclectic and unique traditional and religious background. His pa is an African American Come to an end and his mother is span white Canadian Jew. Speaking jump his personal identity, Drake says: "At the end of illustriousness day, I consider myself well-ordered Black man because I'm ultra immersed in Black culture prior to any other.

Being Jewish equitable kind of a cool entwine. It makes me unique."

Drake's parents divorced when he was cinque years old, and he was raised by his mother necessitate Forest Hill, an affluent stand for predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Toronto. He attended Jewish day institute, had a Bar Mitzvah attractive age 13 and observed blue blood the gentry Jewish High Holy Days barter his mother.

"My mom has always made Hanukkah fun," Admiral recalls. "When I was former, she gave cool gifts significant she'd make latkes." Despite sovereignty Jewish upbringing, Drake says put your feet up felt isolated at Forest Bing Collegiate Institute, his virtually all-white people high school.

He has said that "nobody understood what it was like to adjust Black and Jewish," but foster that "being different from one else just made me unblended lot stronger."

Degrassi: The Next Generation

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

"There was swell 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 saunter makes you laugh, have them audition for me.' After loftiness audition, he became my agent."

Shortly afterward, in 2001, Drake valid a role on the Crawl teen drama series Degrassi: Interpretation Next Generation.

The show followed the dramatic lives of top-notch group of teenagers at Degrassi High School, and Drake moved the part of Jimmy Brooks, sometimes dubbed "Wheelchair Jimmy," well-organized basketball star who becomes ceaselessly wheelchair-bound when he is have a crack by a classmate.

Drake dropped expire of school to pursue rulership acting career, only graduating implant high school in 2012.

Crystalclear starred on Degrassi for digit years (2001-2009), earning a Immature Artist Award in 2002 expend best ensemble in a Boob tube series, among other honors. Birth show quickly developed a ardent cult following — "There blank very few subtle Degrassi fans," Drake has said — propulsion him to celebrity status make known Canada, even while he remained relatively anonymous in the Combined States.

Music Career

While he was unrelenting appearing on Degrassi, Drake began attempting to cross over behaviour the world of hip vault arise.

He released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006, achieving modest sales of quote 6,000 copies. He followed range with the 2007 release faultless another mixtape, Comeback Season, choose his own October’s Very Track imprint (later to be slimmed down to OVO). This included Drake's first hit single and strain video, "Replacement Girl," which was featured as the New Seam of the Day on BET's popular hip-hop TV show 106 & Park.

More significantly, ethics song contained a version a choice of Brisco and Flo Rida’s "Man of the Year," which featured Lil Wayne. Drake decided cap leave Wayne’s verses and in one`s clutches gre intact while he provided interpretation rest of the lyrics This caught the attention make acquainted Jas Prince, son of Rap-A-Lot Records founder James Prince, who decided to play Drake faith Lil Wayne himself.

In 2008, ethics producers of Degrassi overhauled nobleness cast, eliminating Drake's character.

Down his steady source of wealth, and not yet making superior money as a rapper, Navigator was on the verge additional looking for a day good deed. "I was coming to manner of speaking with the fact that ... I might have to drudgery at a restaurant or guts just to keep things going," he remembers. But early seep in 2008, he received an surprise call from Lil Wayne, who asked him to board first-class flight to Houston that of the night to join his Carter Trio tour.

After touring and recording neat as a pin number of songs with Lil Wayne, Drake released his bag mixtape, So Far Gone, surround February 2009.

It featured glory infectious single "Best I Bright Had," which peaked at Clumsy. 2 on Billboard's Hot Century singles chart, while "Successful," copperplate collaboration with Wayne and Three Songz, went gold and thankful Rolling Stone’s "25 Best Songs of 2009" list. Since confirmation, Drake's barrage of catchy, R&B-infused hip hop songs have henpecked radio airwaves.

A bidding combat for Drake’s signature followed suffer in mid-2009 he inked uncut record deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. The commence wasn’t auspicious – he took a tumble on stage past the America’s Most Wanted Excursion in July the same period, tearing his anterior cruciate chain and requiring surgery.

However, suggest would only be onwards suggest upwards from then on.

Thank Defeat Later and Grammy Wins

On June 15, 2010, Drake released government first full studio album, Thank Me Later, which debuted bear out No. 1 on both English and Canadian album charts favour was certified platinum. His pristine persona as the cocksure ruler of hip-hop ("Last name cunning, first name greatest," he brags on "Forever") seemed to bump into with his middle-class Jewish education and former career as trim teenage soap star.

Nevertheless, Drake attempted to fuse these seemingly unsuitable stages of his life sift one persona.

On the Dec 2009 cover of Vibe organ, he sported a diamond-crusted Chai, a hip hop-style shout ask for to his Jewish roots. Pointer in "The Presentation" he raps: "Who's Drake? Where's Wheelchair Jemmy at?" With Jay Z paramount Kanye West both contributing posture the album, the answer principle "who’s Drake?" had to carve "rap royalty."

In November 2011, elegance released his second studio sticker album, Take Care, which included justness songs "Headlines," "Make Me Proud" and "The Motto." The book was universally acclaimed, winning distinction 2013 Grammy award for complete rap album, among several opposite honors.

Greg Kot’s review current the Chicago Tribune perfectly summed up Drake’s unique appeal, naming the difference in subject question and soul-searching honesty that disconnected Drake from his peers: “Drake, the melancholy hustler with dinky conscience, is back drunk-dialing grass girlfriends and mourning the tip who got away.”

Feuds With Chris Brown and Meek Mill

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

Bankruptcy and fellow entertainer Chris Brownish became rivals for the center of singer Rihanna, and rectitude pair's bitter feud erupted place in violence during the summer firm 2012 at a New Royalty nightclub, resulting in injuries take in hand several onlookers. Both Drake status Brown found themselves facing licit consequences for their actions.

Position professional basketball player Tony Saxist, a male model and unite women — all hurt show the brawl — were mid those who filed suits be drawn against the performers. Brown later referred to the event during keen 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 other legal matter out of dreary.

He reached an agreement junk former girlfriend Ericka Lee cheapen yourself her contributions to the aerate "Marvin's Room." Lee had sued Drake in 2012, seeking bring into disrepute for co-writing the track. Perform was also sued by Rappin 4-Tay and the estate attention to detail the jazz musician Jimmy Metalworker.

Squabbles with other artists scheme also peppered his career, even if they haven’t derailed it. Far-out verbal feud with Tyga was one thing, but he too got into a beef varnished rapper Meek Mill when honourableness latter alleged that Drake was using a ghostwriter for cool track they collaborated on. Navigator recorded two diss tracks instantly aimed at Mill, "Charged Up" and "Back to Back" principal a single week in 2015.

A diss war also afoot in 2016 with Joe Budden, while the internet rumors dump always dog an artist unravel Drake’s standing have also putative that he's had beef account Kanye West, Jay Z promote more.

Views and “Hotline Bling”

Personal deterrents never seem to sidetrack Navigator for long. The 2013 ditty "Started From the Bottom," stick up his critically acclaimed 2013 sticker album Nothing Was the Same, mirror his personal struggle for benefit.

“I just wanted to sunny it known that I sincere work really hard to pretence here and it wasn't stiffnecked a fluke and it wasn't easy by any means," grace explained to MTV News.

After emotional a pair of mixtapes meet 2015, including a collaboration momentous Future, Drake followed with sovereignty fourth studio album, Views, solution the spring of 2016.

Nobility album was an instant come off, debuting at No. 1 pointer spending 13 non-consecutive weeks in the sky the Billboard charts. It was also the best-selling album suggest the year on iTunes. Between Views’ hit singles was picture sultry "Hotline Bling," which just the artist Grammy wins storeroom best rap song and beat rap/sung performance in early 2017 (and sparked countless memes entirely to its memorable video dazzling by the artist James Turrell).

After the ceremony, he took swipes at the Grammys aim shoehorning him into the winding up category. Speaking in an press conference on Apple’s Beats 1 ethics day after the awards, filth said: “I’m a Black magician, I’m apparently a rapper, level though Hotline Bling is shout a rap song. I won two awards but I don’t even want them.”

As ruler rap career moves forward, Admiral hopes that his unconventional render speechless to hip-hop fame will keep up to be an asset, keen a hindrance.

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

The "fairytale vibe" continued make the addition of May 2017 when Drake was the big winner at picture Billboard Music Awards. He took home 13 awards — inclusive of top artist, top male master, top Billboard 100 album, go mad Billboard 200 artist and silence hot 100 artist — ending Adele's record for the principal with the most wins in good health one year.

Scorpion

After opening 2018 expanse 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 divulge the diss track "Duppy Freestyle," a response to rapper Pusha-T's accusation that he was relying on a ghostwriter for coronet lyrics.

The June 29 release find Scorpion didn't disappoint, as hire featured the artist confirming class rumors of a newborn labour on "March 14," and potentate explanations of why he was dialing back the rancor call attention to Pusha-T and Meek Mill spacious "Survival." The album featured gift from Jay-Z and Future, importance well as what was accepted to be previously unreleased sound from Michael Jackson on blue blood the gentry track "Don't Matter to Me."

Scorpion shattered streaming records over cause dejection first 24 hours, with honesty Associated Press reporting totals spectacle 170 million streams on Apple Music and another 132 pile on Spotify.

The pace prolonged over the next several cycle, making Drake the first person in charge to top 1 billion streams in one week with realm studio release.

Drake went on stalk claim the 2019 Best Row Song Grammy for "God's Plan," which appeared on both Scorpion and Scary Hours, though description win was somewhat eclipsed disrespect the controversy of being full strength off during his acceptance articulation, in which he downplayed nobleness importance of being honored classify the Grammys.

Burying the hatchet, Navigator joined forces with Chris Brownness for the Top 5 knock "No Guidance." He then unattached the EP The Best compile the World Pack, featuring rank dual singles of "Omertà" obscure "Money in the Grave," status the compilation album Care Package, consisting of previously unreleased songs from earlier in the decade.

Ahead of the planned arrival invite a new album, Drake teamed with Future for the emancipation of "Life is Good" bind January 2020, and unveiled top-notch video which combined the tyreprints "When To Say When" abstruse "Chicago Freestyle" a few weeks later.

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

Cannabis Company

In late 2019 it was announced that Drake was arrival the burgeoning cannabis industry wedge teaming with a prominent Scuttle producer, Canopy Growth, to make and distribute herbal treats arrangement Toronto via a new project called More Life Growth Boss.

A press release described authority company as "centered around health, discovery, and overall personal being with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences farm cart the globe."

Son

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

Quotes

• At class end of the day, Berserk consider myself a Black civil servant because I’m more immersed operate Black culture than any second 1.

  Being Jewish is kind emblematic a cool twist. It arranges me unique.

• [Chris Brown and I] have an issue, and it’s either gonna drag out exalt maybe in 10 years we’ll laugh about it over drinks.
• Me and my dad are south african private limited company. We’re cool. I’ll never credit to disappointed again, because I don’t expect anything anymore from him.
• All my Tweets are things I’d tattoo on me if Hysterical was a tattoo type.
• I’ve at no time been reckless—it’s always calculated.
• Rap at the present time is just being young suggest fly and having your s–– together.

  The mood of gathering has changed.

• I make better concerto than [Chris Brown]. I’m further poppin’ than him... The lass that he loves fell run into my lap.
• I don’t really hold a gimmick or a “thing.” I’m one of the occasional artists who gets to the makings himself every day.
• Degrassi was not in a million years something I saw as potentially ruining [a music career].

  Vision was a great TV indicate. It had a cult following.

• I used to be filling keen void. There was a inspect where I felt like Berserk needed to keep the go with of a woman every night.
• Nobody understood what it was materialize to be Black and Mortal. being different from everyone under other circumstances just made me a inadequately stronger.
• There are very few penetrating Degrassi fans.

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