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Early life and career

So far gone , thank me later , and nothing was the same, if you’re reading this it’s too late , views , and other releases, scorpion , certified lover boy , and additional recordings, ovo and other projects, 2024 rap feud.

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Drake (born October 24, 1986, Toronto , Ontario , Canada) is a Canadian rap musician who first gained fame as an actor on the acclaimed TV teenage drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation and went on to have a successful and influential music career. His trademark sound, which combines singing and lyrical rapping and juxtaposes braggadocio with raw vulnerability, has won him a large following.

• So Far Gone (2009)
• Thank Me Later (2010)
• Take Care (2011)
• Nothing Was the Same (2013)
• If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)
• What a Time to Be Alive (2015)
• Views (2016)
• More Life (2017)
• Scorpion (2018)
• Care Package (2019)
• Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020)
• Certified Lover Boy (2021)
• Honestly, Nevermind (2022)
• For All the Dogs (2023)

Graham’s parents divorced when he was a small child, and he was raised by his mother. During the summers he often visited his father, a drummer whose family was musically connected. In 2001 Graham was cast as basketball star Jimmy Brooks on the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise. His true interest was music, however, and he began rapping during that time, using his middle name for his “nom de hip-hop.” He self-published his first mixtape, Room for Improvement , in 2006. The follow-up, Comeback Season (2007), includes the single “Replacement Girl,” featuring Trey Songz; the track was highlighted on BET ’s music video show 106 & Park , increasing Drake’s exposure. In 2008 he left Degrassi to focus on his music career.

Drake’s breakthrough came in 2009 with the release of the mixtape So Far Gone and its hit single “Best I Ever Had.” A bidding war between labels soon ensued, and Drake ultimately signed with Lil Wayne ’s Young Money Entertainment, a subsidiary of Cash Money. Later that year the label put out So Far Gone as an EP. It won the Juno Award for rap recording of the year, and Drake was named new artist of the year.

His first full-length studio album, Thank Me Later , was released in 2010 and catapulted Drake to international stardom. The record was followed by the highly praised Take Care (2011). That album won the Juno Award for rap recording of the year and the Grammy Award for best rap album. Drake’s next studio record, Nothing Was the Same (2013), also took a Juno Award.

Those albums, more commercially oriented than his earlier mixtapes, show the influence of his collaborators, notably Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj .

In 2015 Drake announced via Twitter the surprise release of a 17-track mixtape-cum-album, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late . Critics praised the record as a return to the personal, emotional, and melodic style of his earliest production. Like his previous releases, it shot to the top of the charts in Canada and the United States , and the album won the Juno Award for rap recording of the year. Later in 2015 Drake and rapper Future released the mixtape What a Time to be Alive . It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, as did Drake’s fourth studio album, Views (2016), which features the memorable singles “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling.”

In 2017 Drake did not submit that year’s release, More Life , for Grammy consideration . The record, which Drake called a playlist, brought together different sounds from around the world. It also featured such up-and-coming talents as British singer Jorja Smith and South African producer Black Coffee on the song “Get It Together.” Drake also declined to submit the record for consideration for the Juno Awards. Commentators noted that, while the Juno Awards’ governing body had honored him with such awards as rap recording of the year, it had never conferred its most prestigious awards, including artist, single, and album of the year.

Drake’s fifth studio album, Scorpion (2018), features the Billboard Hot 100 single “God’s Plan,” which had first appeared on his EP Scary Hours , released several months earlier. Drake won a Grammy for best rap song for the track in 2019, but the live broadcast cut his acceptance speech short after he criticized the awards. Other tracks on Scorpion respond to the song “The Story of Adidon,” by American rapper Pusha T, who alleged that Drake was hiding a child fathered with artist and adult film star Sophie Brussaux. In “Emotionless” and “March 14,” Drake acknowledged that he had recently become a father and addressed the challenges of co-parenting. Critics largely panned the single “I’m Upset,” however, for its apparent complaint about child support payments.

Subsequent releases include Care Package (2019), a compilation of B-sides, covers, and other tracks; Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020), which features the Billboard Hot 100 single “Toosie Slide”; and the EP Scary Hours 2 (2021), which includes another Billboard Hot 100 track, “What’s Next.”

Drake’s sixth record, Certified Lover Boy , was released in 2021. Later that year he withdrew the album and one of its tracks, “Way 2 Sexy,” from consideration for the Grammy Awards for best rap album and best rap performance, respectively.

In 2022 Drake released a surprise follow-up, Honestly, Nevermind , which features more vocalizing and dance club beats than on his previous albums. Shortly after, he debuted the video for the album’s first single, “Falling Back.”

In addition to creating music, Drake cofounded the Toronto-based collective October’s Very Own (OVO) with his frequent producer Noah (“40”) Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib. It became a record label (OVO Sound) in 2012 and represented such acts as the R&B duo Majid Jordan and Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer PartyNextDoor. Starting with the release of Care Package in 2019, Drake has released all his albums on OVO Sound. OVO has also hosted numerous summer concerts during the OVO Festival (started in 2010) in Toronto.

One of the company’s greatest sources of revenue, however, is its fashion line. It began in 2010 when OVO collaborated with the outerwear brand Canada Goose on a limited-edition bomber jacket. Other partnerships soon followed, including those with Nike and Timberland. The success of the OVO fashion line led to the opening of its first retail location in Toronto in 2014 and subsequent expansion into such cities as Los Angeles, New York , and London .

After leaving Degrassi in 2008, Drake took on a few acting roles, one of which was the voice of a teenage mammoth in the animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012). He later garnered rave reviews for his comedic turn as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and 2016.

In 2019 Drake became an executive producer of the HBO series Euphoria , starring Emmy Award winner Zendaya .

In early 2024 Future and producer Metro Boomin released two collaboration albums containing features by artists such as The Weeknd , A$AP Rocky, and Rick Ross, who all dissed Drake—but none more so than Kendrick Lamar on the track “Like That.” Drake’s response, “Push Ups,” fired back at all his opponents—even Metro Boomin, who produced the diss tracks—while focusing on Lamar.

The feud between Drake and Lamar went viral as the two publicly battled it out over multiple songs. Although the scathing bars began as relatively benign , they quickly devolved into sobering accusations. Notably, Lamar accused Drake of hiding another child, this time a daughter. He also called him a pedophile . Drake vehemently denied both allegations while claiming that Lamar physically abused his own fiancée.

The feud between Lamar and Drake has been compared to previous rap rivalries such as:

• Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
• Jay-Z and Nas

Drake used artificial intelligence (AI) to make his voice sound like that of Tupac Shakur —one of Lamar’s idols—on the diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle.” He was forced to take the track down after Shakur’s estate threatened to sue. Metro Boomin responded to Drake’s attack on “Push Ups” by releasing an instrumental titled “BBL Drizzy,” which features an AI-generated sample. Rappers all over the world took the opportunity to record Drake disses using the instrumental. Eventually, Drake himself rapped over the beat for a feature verse on Sexyy Red’s song “U My Everything.”

Coined by Rick Ross, “BBL Drizzy” is a somewhat unsavory nickname that implies Drake had plastic surgery—specifically, buttock augmentation, also known as a Brazilian butt lift.

Recent technological advancements have made the 2024 feud between Drake and Lamar unique in hip-hop history. Not only have Drake and Metro Boomin used AI to produce diss tracks themselves, but inauthentic AI-generated diss tracks that imitate the principal actors have circulated online. Furthermore, the dominance of audio streaming services has enabled both artists to drop response tracks and reach an enormous audience almost instantly. Listeners have not had to wait months to hear the next installment, unlike in previous rap beefs. Meanwhile, social media serves as a space for hip-hop fans to spread the word following each surprise release as well as to share information as to whether a release is legitimate or an imitation. Of course, social media also hosts endless debates concerning which rapper is on top while providing platforms for content creators who have become de facto authorities on the feud. That both artists have weaponized controversy in addition to lyricism also speaks to a new age of rap beef.

• Born October 24 , 1986 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Birth name Aubrey Drake Graham
• Drizzy Drake
• Champagne Papi
• Height 6′ (1.83 m)
• Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, an African-American musician born in Memphis, Tennessee, and Sandi (Sher) Graham, a Canadian Jewish educator. As a young man, Drake appeared in several commercials, for such retailers as Sears and GMC. In 2001, Drake rose to fame playing the role of "Jimmy Brooks", a character on Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) , a basketball star who is confined to a wheelchair after being shot by a classmate. In 2006, Drake launched his music career by releasing his first mix tape, "Room for Improvement". Three years later, his third mix tape, "So Far Gone", garnered him critical and commercial success, and, the following year, he released his official debut album, "Thank Me Later", to generally positive reviews. Aubrey Drake Graham has established himself as a multi-talented young Canadian, and the entertainment industry has great expectations for him. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Joseph Smith
• Children Adonis Graham
• Parents Sandi Graham Dennis Graham
• Relatives Larry Graham (Aunt or Uncle)
• Bright smile
• Often raps and sings about his relationships, with atmospheric production
• Dysprosody: he, controversially, often adopts pseudo-foreign accents which have included Jamaican Patois ("Views"), Spanish ("What a Time to be Alive"), and British ("More Life").
• Often features voicemails on songs (e.g. "Look What You've Done", "Marvin's Room", "How Bout Now", "Can't Have Everything")
• Deep baritone voice
• Favorite actor is Denzel Washington .
• For 430 weeks straight, or 8 years, until August 2017, Drake had at least one song, whether as lead or featured artist, in the Billboard Hot 100.
• His father is African-American, and his mother, who is caucasian and Canadian, is Ashkenazi Jewish (of Latvian Jewish and Russian Jewish descent). Drake was raised in his mother's faith.
• Drake holds the record for most entries into the Billboard Hot 100 in one week with 20, he had previously matched The Beatles record with 14, a record that was then usurped by Justin Bieber who had 17.
• Can speak Spanish.
• [on Rihanna ] I don't even know if I wrote a rap song in that whole nine months, because I wasn't a rapper anymore. I didn't believe in myself. I was someone else's property. I was a pawn. You know what she was doing to me? She was doing exactly what I've done to so many women throughout my life, which is show them quality time, then disappear. I was like, 'wow, this feels terrible.'
• Real men stay faithful. They don't have time to look for other women because they're too busy looking for new ways to love their own.
• Part of me is being in touch with emotion. That's all I write about. If I didn't write about my emotions, I don't know what else I would write about. Let that be the worst thing in my life please, not something like drug charges and God knows what else. I don't get myself into trouble, so if the negative feedback that I do get is the worst thing that's going to happen to me, then so be it.
• [observation, 2014] To be recognized in any capacity for the music that we make is great, but I don't think Grammys make or break an artist. I don't think anybody should live or die by the Grammys.. If I go home with no Grammys, I still feel great about what we did.
• Rap lyric: 'But do I ever come up in discussion/ Over double-pump lattes and low-fat muffins?'

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Drake Biography

Birthday: October 24 , 1986 ( Scorpio )

Born In: Toronto, Canada

Drake is a Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter, who has emerged as one of the best rappers in recent times. He started his career as an actor in the Canadian TV series 'Degrassi: The Next Generation', but soon switched to music, which has been his passion since childhood. He began his musical journey with a number of self-released mixtapes. As he gained popularity, he released an EP titled 'So Far Gone'. He later went on to release four studio albums, 'Thank Me Later', 'Take Care', 'Nothing Was the Same' and 'Views'. His songs are marked by his egotistical lyrics, often dealing with his personal experiences and relationships with women. Drake, who had a different childhood than most other rappers of African-American origin, feels irritated at the notion that growing up in a neighborhood with guns and drugs makes his peers more "official". According to him, his struggles were no less daunting, but he would prefer that people know him by his music, and not his upbringing.

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Canadian Celebrities Born In October

Also Known As: Aubrey Drake Graham

Age: 37 Years , 37 Year Old Males

father: Dennis Graham

mother: Sandi Graham

children: Adonis Graham

Born Country: Canada

Rappers Hip Hop Singers

Height: 6'0" (183 cm ), 6'0" Males

Ancestry: American Canadian

City: Toronto, Canada

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What is drake's most popular song, what inspired drake to pursue a career in music, how did drake get his start in the music industry, what is drake's record label, what philanthropic efforts is drake involved in.

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Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. His father, Dennis Graham, worked as a drummer for legendary musician, Jerry Lee Lewis , and his mother, Sandi Graham, was an English teacher and a florist.

His parents divorced when he was 5 years old, following which he was raised by his mother in Toronto. His father moved back to America and settled in Memphis, where Drake visited him occasionally.

Following his acting fame, he decided to self-release his debut mixtape, 'Room for Improvement'. He followed it with another mixtape the next year, 'Comeback Season', which contained the single 'Replacement Girl' that earned him widespread recognition as a singer for the first time. He founded October's Very Own label to release the mixtape.

In 2009, he released his third mixtape 'So Far Gone' as a free download from the website of his record label. It consisted of tracks like 'Best I Ever Had' and 'Successful', featuring Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, and Lloyd among others, and became a commercial success. He released his debut EP by the same name following the success of the mixtape, which made it to No.6 on the 'Billboard 200'.

His debut studio album, 'Thank Me Later', was released on June 15, 2010. The album, which was under production for the past two years, featured artists like Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. The single 'Find Your Love' reached top-10 on the 'Billboard Hot 100'.

On November 15, 2011, he released his second studio album 'Take Care'. The album contained hit singles like 'Make Me Proud' featuring Nicki Minaj and 'Take Care' featuring Rihanna. He received his first Grammy Award for the album.

His third album, 'Nothing Was the Same' (2013), continued his journey to fame, opening to positive reviews like its predecessors. It was his first full-length album that was released from his own record label, OVO Sound. All of the seven singles of the album became commercially successful.

He released his fourth studio album 'Views' on April 29, 2016. It contained five singles, including the Grammy winning track 'Hotline Bling', 'Pop Style' featuring Kanye West and Jay Z, and 'Too Good' featuring Rihanna. Recently, he released a playlist titled 'More Life' on March 18, 2017.

On 2018, he released an EP titled 'Scary Hours' and his fifth studio album, 'Scorpion'.

In 2019, to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of his third mixtape, 'So Far Gone', he re-released it onto streaming service.

In 2020, Drake released the commercial mixtape 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes'.

His album 'Certified Lover Boy' was scheduled to be released in January 2021, but was postponed. It was released in September the same year.

Till date, Drake has won four Grammy Awards from thirty-six nominations. His album 'Take Care' was named 'Best Rap Album' in 2013, while his song 'Hotline Bling' won two awards in 2017. He has won a total of eighty awards from three hundred and thirty nominations over the years.

Drake has been romantically linked with a number of women from the entertainment industry. However, he is most known for his on-and-off relationship with the Barbadian singer Rihanna . They first met in 2005, following which he had a crush on her. They later became close and worked together a number of times. However, they apparently broke up after Rihanna rekindled her relationship with Chris Brown. 

In June 2012, he got involved in a fight with Chris Brown, reportedly over Rihanna. Brown blamed him on social media and released a song criticizing him. Incidentally, the two later performed together in a comedic skit at the 2014 ESPY Awards, hinting at reconciliation.

In 2012, a girl named Ericka Lee revealed herself to be his ex-girlfriend and claimed that he used her voice in the song 'Marvins Room'. She filed a lawsuit seeking credits and royalties; while Drake's lawyer refuted the claims initially, they reached an out-of-court settlement in 2013.

He started dating singer, Jennifer Lopez, in late 2016. They often post pictures together on their respective social media accounts, however, it has been reported that his attempts at getting Rihanna back has affected his relationship with Lopez.

In 2017, he had a son named Adonis from a French painter and model, Sophie Brussaux. Drake was also romatically linked to Serena Williams . He began dating reality star Johanna Leia in 2021, but they broke up later that year. 

See the events in life of Drake in Chronological Order

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Aubrey Drake Graham, rapper, singer, songwriter, actor (born 24 October 1986 in Toronto , ON). A child actor turned hip hop superstar, Drake first gained attention for his role on the hit Canadian television series Degrasssi: The Next Generation before becoming one of the most popular and influential figures in contemporary hip hop. His musical style is distinguished by his R&B-influenced singing voice and his introspective lyrical approach, which often explores his personal relationships. His atmospheric, ambient sound has proven highly influential. Called “hip hop’s current center of gravity” by the New York Times in 2011, the Juno and Grammy Award winner set the record for the most No. 1 singles on Billboard ’s R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot Rap Songs charts in 2012. He has also had 100 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, ranking him fourth all-time, ahead of James Brown and behind Elvis Presley. In 2013, he was named global ambassador for the National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors .

Early Years and Education

Drake’s parents — Jewish teacher Sandi Graham of Toronto and African American musician Dennis Graham of Memphis, Tennessee — divorced when he was five years old. Drake lived primarily with his mother in the Weston Road area of Toronto. He worked as a child model in commercials and print catalogues, played minor hockey and acted in the Young People’s Theatre. In the summers he visited his father in Memphis, often accompanying him to recording sessions. Drake’s father, who did time in prison during Drake’s childhood, played drums for Jerry Lee Lewis. Two of Drake’s uncles are also successful musicians: famed bassist Larry Graham played with Sly and the Family Stone, and Prince; and Mabon “Teenie” Hodges played guitar and co-wrote several hit songs with Al Green.

In his teen years, Drake transferred to Toronto’s Forest Hill Collegiate, where he had problems fitting in with the largely white, upper middle class student body. At 14 he won the role of basketball player Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation . He then transferred to Vaughan Road Academy’s Interact program, designed for students with outside commitments in the arts and athletics, where his classmates included actor Elliot Page .

Degrassi and Early Mixtapes

While on Degrassi , Drake landed small roles in other Canadian television series, such as Blue Murder (2001) and Soul Food (2002). His interest in pursuing a music career grew exponentially, from writing lyrics and recording in a makeshift studio in his basement to pulling all-nighters and barely making it on time to the set of the teen drama. He was a member of a short-lived group called The Renaissance, which included future Grammy Award-winning Canadian R&B singer Melanie Fiona. Afterwards, he uploaded his songs to MySpace and leveraged social media while he began recording with figures in Toronto’s hip-hop scene.

In 2006, Drake released his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement . The song “City Is Mine” received ample radio play on Toronto’s urban music station FLOW 93.5. He followed this with the free mixtape Comeback Season (2007). The single, “Replacement Girl,” featured US R&B singer Trey Songz and began to stir the interest of record labels. On the set of the single’s video he met another young Toronto actor turned musician, Noah “40” Shebib, who became his main musical collaborator.

In 2008, after appearing in 100 episodes and seven seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation , Drake’s character and several others were written out of the show to make way for a new cast. With the exception of small appearances on the CBC TV series The Border (2008) and Being Erica (2009), Drake began to focus primarily on his music career.

So Far Gone (2009) and Thank Me Later (2010)

Through his connection to Jas Prince, the son of Rap-A-Lot founder J. Prince, Drake got his music to rap superstar Lil Wayne, who immediately asked Drake to join his I Am Music tour. Drake’s association with Lil Wayne and his Young Money label helped build anticipation for his third mixtape, So Far Gone (2009). Produced by Drake and “40,” it was distinguished by its introspective rhymes, R&B melodies and Drake’s often sweet singing voice. The song “Best I Ever Had” topped Billboard ’s R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot Rap Songs charts, and reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, becoming an almost inescapable hit single. The success sparked a bidding war for Drake among record labels that resulted in a deal with Aspire/Young Money/Cash Money Records, with distribution through Universal; Drake received a $2-million advance, retained all publishing rights to his songs and agreed to surrender only 25 per cent of sales revenues to the label as a “distribution fee.”

Drake then began to collaborate with a number of high profile R&B and rap artists including Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Timbaland. He also appeared on “Forever,” a song featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem. Drake eventually signed a record deal with Young Money/Universal and released an EP retail version of the previously free So Far Gone , which earned him Juno Awards for Rap Recording and New Artist of the Year.

His debut LP, Thank Me Later (2010), was preceded by the single “Over” and featured all-star collaborations with the likes of Jay Z, Timbaland, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Described by Pitchfork 's Ryan Dombal as, “mood music inspired by rap and R&B in equal measure,” Thank Me Later sold 447,000 copies in the US in its first week of release. It was certified platinum in Canada and double platinum in the US.

Take Care (2011)

In 2011, Drake was nominated for six Juno Awards but did not win any, despite hosting the ceremony. His follow-up release, Take Care (2011), sold 631,000 copies in its first week of release and went on to be certified double platinum in both Canada and the US. Take Care featured Drake further developing the atmospheric sound of his music with producer Noah “40” Shebib and featured collaborations with Rihanna, Lil Wayne and Toronto R&B singer The Weeknd , whose career Drake helped launch through social media.

The album received a Juno and a Grammy Award, and the single “The Motto” helped to popularize the term “YOLO” (You Only Live Once). In its review of the album, the New York Times called Drake “hip-hop’s current center of gravity.” Allmusic ’s Tim Sendra wrote that Take Care is characterized by “murky beats, layers of dusky synths, and moody guitars that fit Drake’s voice perfectly,” and which “work together to create a thick mood of melancholy.” Referencing the album’s sensitive, reflective nature, Sendra also called Drake “the first emo rapper.”

After the release of Take Care , Drake continued to appear on prominent hip-hop singles by other high-profile artists in 2012 including “F--kin Problems” by A$AP Rocky and “Poetic Justice” by Kendrick Lamar. Also that year, he and “40” co-founded the record label October’s Very Own (OVO), named for Drake’s October birthday; and he returned to acting with a voice role in Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012).

Nothing Was the Same (2013)

In February 2013, Drake released "Started From the Bottom," the lead single from his third album, Nothing Was the Same (2013). The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2014 Grammy Awards. "Started From the Bottom" has been certified a platinum digital download in Canada and double platinum in the US. Released in August, the album's second single, "Hold On, We're Going Home,” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 's Hot 100 and was named the best song of 2013 by Pitchfork . “Hold On, We’re Going Home" has been certified platinum in Canada and triple platinum in the US.

Nothing Was the Same was released on 20 September 2013 and sold 658,000 copies in its first week. Like Drake’s previous two albums, Nothing Was the Same debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart. The album features collaborations with Majid Jordan ("Hold On, We're Going Home”) and Jay Z ("Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2”). The bonus track, "All Me,” included on the album's deluxe edition, features 2 Chainz and Big Sean.

Nothing Was the Same drew positive reviews from critics, with many praising Drake's confidence and anthemic writing style. Speaking of the album, Allmusic ’s Tim Sendra observed that “Drakehas become a star while making records that are mostly joyless and twisted up by emotions,” while also noting that “there aren't many other rappers who do gloom as well as Drake and that's something worth supporting, if only because it's something different than the hip-hop norm in 2013.”

In 2014, Nothing Was the Same was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and was nominated for Album of the Year and Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards, winning the latter. It was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards. In January 2014, Drake hosted Saturday Night Live and was the musical guest. Since its release, Nothing Was the Same has gone platinum in Canada and triple platinum in the US.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)

Without any prior promotion, Drake released his fourth album, If You're Reading This It's Too Late , on 13 February 2015. Originally planned as a free mixtape, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was streamed on Spotify over 17.3 million times in the first three days, breaking the site’s first-week streaming record. In 2015, the album was nominated for a BET Hip Hop Award for Album of the Year and a Billboard Music Awards for Top Rap Album. Named the third best album of the year by Rolling Stone , If You're Reading This It's Too Late was nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Ithas since been certified platinum in Canada and double platinum in the US.

In July 2014, OVO Sounds announced the title of what was planned to be Drake's fourth album, Views From the 6. A nickname for Toronto coined by rapper Jimmy Prime, “the 6” (sometimes written as “the 6ix” or “the Six”) is considered to be a reference to the number six that appears in Toronto's downtown area codes (416 and 647), and to the six municipalities of Toronto before their amalgamation in 1998. Soon after the album's announcement, “the 6” became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter and quickly became a popular nickname for Toronto. Throughout If You're Reading This It's Too Late , Drake refers to Toronto as “the 6” including in the tracks "6 God," "6 Man," "You & the 6," and perhaps most famously, in “Know Yourself,” which includes the line: “Runnin’ through the 6 with my woes.”

“Hotline Bling” (2015)

On 31 July 2015, Drake released "Hotline Bling,” an R&B slow jam which features him singing over a sample of Timmy Thomas’s 1972 song, “Why Can’t We Live Together.” The video for “Hotline Bling,” directed by Toronto's Director X and financed by Apple, features Drake dancing by himself and with female dancers in front of a colourfully lit background. Borrowing heavily from the installation work of American artist James Turrell, the video gained attention for its striking set design and lighting. It quickly went viral, inspiring numerous parodies and memes, most of which make fun of Drake's dance moves.

Following the video's release, "Hotline Bling" reached No. 2 on Billboard 's Hot 100 chart and remained in the Top 10 for 19 weeks. It was certified a platinum digital download in Canada and became Drake’s highest-charting solo single in Canada and the UK, reaching No. 3 on the pop charts in both countries. The Village Voice , Billboard and Rolling Stone named “Hotline Bling” the first, second and third best song of 2015, respectively.

Though generally very well-reviewed, "Hotline Bling" was also criticized for what many saw as an underlying sexist attitude, with some claiming that Drake slut-shames the song’s central female character. Bullett ’s Allyson Shiffman, for example, called the song “degrading” and a “sexist anthem,” while the Guardian ’s Tony Naylor called it “a pile of dreary sexist horses—t.”

What a Time to be Alive (2015) and VIEWS (2016)

Drake and rapper Future released a collaborative mixtape entitled What a Time to be Alive in September 2015. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified platinum in the US.

Drake's long-awaited fourth studio album, originally announced as Views from the 6 , was released on 29 April 2016 under the revised title VIEWS . It received mixed reviews from critics but sold more than 600,000 copies in its first 24 hours of availability. A promotional single, "Summer Sixteen," was released in January 2016 and debuted No. 1 on Billboard ’s Hot R&B/Hop-Hop Songs chart. One of the album’s singles, “One Dance,” proved to be one of Drake’s biggest hits, becoming his first song as a lead artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. VIEWS also went on to top the Billboard 200 album chart for seven straight weeks.

Record-Setting Achievements

In between the release of Take Care and Nothing Was the Same , Drake collaborated with such artists as Rihanna, DJ Khaled and Young Money label-mate Nicki Minaj, among many others. This helped Drake break the record for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart with 11 in February 2012. He also broke Jay Z’s record for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart when he achieved his 10th in August 2012.

In February 2015, Drake became the first rapper to reach No. 1 on Billboard ’s Top 100 Artists Chart with the release of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late . He then had 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart week of 7 March 2015, tying a record set by the Beatles for the most simultaneous Hot 100 hits. Drake tied his own record by appearing with 14 hits in the chart week of 17 October 2015. (The record was later broken by Justin Bieber , who had 17 songs on the chart in the week of 23 November 2015.)

Also that fall, Drake notched his 100th hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ranking him fourth all-time, behind Elvis Presley at No. 3 and ahead of James Brown at No. 5. In the chart week ending 10 October 2015, Drake, Bieber and The Weeknd occupied the top four positions on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time in history Canadians held the top four spots.

Controversies

Drake has an ongoing, very public feud with Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill. In July 2015, Mill, via Twitter, accused Drake of not writing his own raps. In response, Drake released two new songs that month, “Charged Up" and "Back To Back," the lyrics of which address Mill's accusation. "Summer Sixteen” is another track that is said to be directed at Mill. Fifteen minutes after the release of "Summer Sixteen," Mill released his own diss track called "War Pain."

Along with Mill, Drake is rumoured to be involved in feuds with Tyga, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar and Common. In 2012, Drake and hip-hop artist Chris Brown were allegedly involved in a physical altercation in a Manhattan nightclub. Also that year, rapper DMX stated publicly that he didn't like Drake and found it disrespectful that he sampled vocals from Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash in 2001 .

In 2012, Drake was sued by his supposed ex-girlfriend, singer Ericka Lee, over her contributions to his song “Marvin's Room.” It was reported that she was looking for credit as a co-writer as well as compensation for the use of her voice, which she claimed Drake used without her permission. The matter was settled out of court.

In 2014, Drake was sued for $300,000 by the estate of jazz singer Jimmy Smith. Drake was accused of not obtaining the proper license to sample Smith's 1982 song, "Jimmy Smith Rap," as heard on Drake's track "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2." Also that year, rapper Rappin' 4-Tay alleged that lyrics from his 1994 song "Playaz Club" were copied by Drake in his collaboration with YG on the track "Who Do You Love." Drake's label settled the claim for $100,000.

Drake has also been labeled a misogynist due to what many see as the sexist representation of women in his songs. In 2015, the Toronto Star characterized Drake, along with Bieber and The Weeknd, as a "sensitive misogynist,” noting that they “have managed to glaze over the general sexism of their oeuvres with a veneer of regretful, tormented sensitivity.”

Toronto Raptors Ambassador

In September 2013, Drake was named a global ambassador for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors .He was subsequently involved with the rebranding of the team, including the adoption of the “We the North” marketing campaign, as well as a new logo and uniform design. During the 2013–14 season, the Raptors began hosting Drake Nights where attendees receive limited edition Drake and OVO merchandise. Drake also helped to promote and host the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, and served as the coach of Team Canada in the All-Star Celebrity Game. During the NBA All-Star Game weekend, Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, presented Drake with a key to the city.

Canadian Pride

Throughout his career, Drake has been vocal about his love for Canada and his allegiance to Toronto. He has a tattoo of the CN Tower on one of his biceps, and another of Toronto’s “416” telephone area code on his right torso. He filmed part of the video for Take Care ’s first single, “Headlines,” inside the CN Tower’s high-speed elevator and the adjoining Rogers Centre — two of Toronto’s most visible landmarks and tourist attractions. The video for “Started from the Bottom” opens with children playing over top of a City of Toronto logo and features Drake working as a clerk at a Shoppers Drug Mart , while the album cover of VIEWS features a picture of Drake sitting atop the CN Tower, which the New Yorker ’s Hua Hsu described as “an apt, if melodramatic, image of loneliness at the top.”

Since 2010, Drake has held an annual OVO Fest concert in Toronto at the Molson Amphitheatre on the August long weekend, timed to coincide with Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival Parade (formerly Caribana ). The concert has built a reputation for surprise guest appearances, including such superstars as Eminem, Jay Z, Stevie Wonder and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Juno Awards

• Rap Recording of the Year ( So Far Gone) (2010)
• New Artist of the Year (2010)
• Rap Recording of the Year ( Take Care ) (2012)
• Video of the Year (“HYFR”) (2013)
• Rap Recording of the Year ( Nothing Was the Same) (2014)

Grammy Awards

• Best Rap Album ( Take Care ) (2012)
• Best Rap Song ( Hotline Bling ) (2017)
• Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ( Hotline Bling ) (2017)

MTV Video Music Awards

• Best Hip Hop Video (“HYFR”) (2012)
• Best Hip Hop Video (“Hold On, We're Going Home") (2014)
• Allan Slaight Award for Achievement by a Young Canada, Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards (2011)
• Global Inspiration Award, SOCAN Awards (2014)

Music of Drake

External Links

We The 6: Why The Name Drake Gave Us Is Here to Stay Read this Globe and Mail article on Drake's role in Toronto's newest nickname.

Deciphering Drake lyrics Highlighting connections to Toronto in Drake’s song lyrics. From thestar.com.

"High Times at the YOLO Estate" Read this extensive 2014 profile of Drake in Rolling Stone magazine.

"Views From The 6: Inside Drake's Toronto" Read this Pitchfork feature exploring Drake's lyrical relationship with his hometown.

"Drake, the Raptors, and the value of a 'Global Ambassador'" Read this in-depth analysis of Drake's role with the Raptors, from Complex.

Take Care Watch the Drake video Take Care. From YouTube.

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In an era where rappers can achieve commercial success through so many platforms, Drake has conquered the hip-hop landscape like no rapper ever has. Outselling the competition has become second nature to the Canadian prodigy, as evidenced by his staggering record sales, long list of accolades, and utmost dominance on the charts.

The mainstream supremacy is no front, though: Drake’s songs showcase a mastery of rap elements like rhyme, flow, and imagery. Throughout his prolific career, Drake has crafted a sound that the industry has never heard before. As a result, he has opened the hip-hop door wider than ever before, bringing in scores of new fans to appreciate the genre.

Quick Facts

Early Years

The man fondly known as Drizzy was born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. Drake comes from mixed heritage: his father, Dennis Graham, was an African-American musician with roots in Memphis, while his mother, Sandra Graham, was a Canadian Jew who worked as a schoolteacher.

When Drake was five years old, his parents divorced; he ended up staying with his mother while his father dealt with legal issues in the U.S.

Musical connections in Drake’s family foreshadowed his future career. His father, Dennis, was a drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis, and his uncle Larry was a bassist for the San Francisco-based band Sly and the Family Stone. For what it’s worth, his maternal grandmother Evelyn Sher was reportedly a babysitter for the legendary Aretha Franklin.

Acting Career

Drake’s first foray into the world of entertainment came by way of an acting career. He first displayed his acting chops as a student of Toronto’s Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. At the age of 15, he dropped out of school altogether to pursue acting.

Through the help of an agent, Drake secured a main role in the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation.  As disabled basketball star Jimmy Brooks, Drake appeared in 100 episodes across seven seasons of  Degrassi . His final appearance on the series was in 2008.

Aside from Degrassi , Drake appeared in various other television programs during the 2000s. These include the Showtime series  Soul Food , the musical series Instant Star , and the CBC sitcom  Sophie . He also had a bit part in the 2007 film  Charlie Bartlett (which had a cast that included Robert Downey, Jr. and Kat Dennings).

The Jump to Hip Hop

Though  Degrassi  was a highly successful television venture, Drake’s acting career would soon take a permanent backseat to his ambitions in the music industry.

As a matter of fact, the producers of the show took notice of Drake’s frequent tardiness and lack of focus during his final year on the set. This was because his music career was already starting in earnest. In no time at all, it would become Drake’s entire life.

In 2006, he had already released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement , via self-distribution. Featuring production work from Frank Dukes and Boi-1da (who would go on to be a frequent Drake collaborator, Room for Improvement  sold exactly 6,000 copies.

The following year, Drake put out his second mixtape, Comeback Season , which would lead to his big break in the hip-hop world.

Impressed by Drake’s rapping and singing abilities on the mixtape, music executive Jas Prince played songs from Comeback Season  for Lil Wayne during a car ride in Houston. According to Prince, Lil Wayne decided right there and then to fly Drake to Texas, as Houston was going to be one of the first stops of his Tha Carter III tour.

While touring, Drake and Lil Wayne recorded several songs, including the track “Forever.” Initially a collaboration with Lil Wayne and Kidd Kidd, “Forever” would go on to be a popular cut from the soundtrack of More than a Game , a 2009 LeBron James documentary.

The soundtrack version featured cutthroat verses from Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West , and Eminem . “Forever” ended up being one of Drake’s early successes, as the track was certified 6x platinum.

Signing with Young Money

The hits just kept coming for Drake. Through his own record label October’s Very Own (OVO) website, he released his third mixtape, So Far Gone, in February 2009. Featuring appearances from Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, and Bun B ,  So Far Gone was a smash hit in terms of volume of digital downloads. Because of this, the mixtape was re-issued as an EP in October 2009; the EP went on to be certified gold.

That same year, various record labels were in the running to sign the red-hot Drake. There were no surprises, however, when his signing with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment was confirmed. As a member of Young Money, Drake joined the America’s Most Wanted Tour, which kicked off in July 2009.

On this tour, he performed alongside other Young Money talents such as Nicki Minaj, Young Jeezy, and Soulja Boy. However, disaster struck when he suffered an ACL injury during an on-stage accident in New Jersey. After undergoing surgery and rehab, Drake picked up steam once more as he resumed work on his very first studio album (which he had begun putting together earlier in 2009).

A Terrific Trifecta

On June 15, 2010, Drake released his debut album, Thank Me Later.  This initial full-length outing showcased the full extent of Drake’s abilities at that point: infectious dance tracks, romantic beats, and sensual tunes.

In addition, the album featured several big names in hip hop: Jay-Z , Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and T.I. (along with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz on the production end).  Thank Me Later  became Drake’s first platinum-certified album, while the single “Best I Ever Had” received two Grammy nominations in 2010.

The gap between Drake’s first and second albums can be attributed to one of his defining traits: his highly prolific work as a recording artist. Barely a year and a half after the release of Thank Me Later , Take Care  took the hip hop industry by storm.

On  Take Care,  Drake achieved an even smoother sound, thanks to the impeccable fusion of R&B and pop-rap. The title track (a collaboration with his on-again, off-again love interest Rihanna) exemplifies his beautiful downbeat approach, while singles such as “Headlines” and the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Make Me Proud” spice up the album with well-placed hip hop swagger. As such, Take Care  was certified 6x platinum and was named Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

Then, less than two years later, Drake released his third studio album, Nothing Was The Same . Once again, he brought out the big guns: Jay-Z, Big Sean, and Jhené Aiko contributed verses and vocals, while his long-time OVO producer Noah “40” Shebib handled the bulk of production duties.

With Drake’s bravado at an all-time high,  Nothing Was The Same asserted his supremacy in the rap game. “Started from the Bottom,” the album’s first single, celebrates his journey to the summit of hip hop; while his other singles (such as “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2”) are likewise oozing with supreme confidence.

Certified 4x platinum,  Nothing Was The Same  was named 2014 Album of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards and Rap Recording of the Year at the 2014 Juno Awards.

Feuds, Feuds, Feuds

The early 2010s established two major themes that would follow Drake throughout his career: massive success and animosity from peers.

As Drake was reveling in the accomplishments of the first two albums, he was also engaging in beefs with fellow rappers. In 2010, right around the release of Thank Me Later , Drake claimed in an interview that he had mastered the punchline style of flow prevalent in rap at that point.

To prove his point, he used a Ludacris lyric—something that the Atlanta-based rapper didn’t appreciate. Ludacris would then respond with the diss track “Bada Boom.”

The following year, Common took aim at Drake on his song “Sweet,” to which Drake responded by delivering scathing liens of his own on the Rick Ross single “Stay Schemin’.” Then, in 2012, tensions rose between Drake and Chris Brown, presumably due to their love triangle with Rihanna.

Their respective groups even got involved in a physical altercation between their respective camps at a Manhattan nightclub. (Brown later posted a picture of a chin injury that he supposedly sustained in that melee.)

For what it’s worth, Drake has buried the hatchet with all three of these hip-hop artists. Drake and Chris Brown even went on to collaborate on the 2019 song “No Guidance,” which was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

In addition, the intense beef between Drake and Meek Mill (which started in 2015) has also come to an end, with the two teaming up on the song “Going Bad,” which was released in 2019. (However, there seems to be no such peace pact between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, whose competitive back-and-forth started in the early 2010s as well.)

Memes Made, Records Broken

For the rest of the 2010s, Drake’s music career remained extremely productive, as seen in his high volume of singles and mixtapes released (along with two studio albums).

In February 2015, with no marketing or announcement beforehand, he dropped the mixtape If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late on iTunes. As if to punctuate Drake’s commercial power, the surprise project would go on to break Spotify’s first-week streaming record. The mixtape also got a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album in 2016 (among other nominations in the same category that year).

Five months after the release of  If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late , Drake put out four singles, including the wildly popular “Hotline Bling.” While the pop/R&B-influenced track is a sensational listening experience in and of itself, the music video for “Hotline Bling” took on a life of its own.

Inspired by the work of artist James Turrell and helmed by Director X, the “Hotline Bling” video inspired hundreds of memes around the Internet. As such, “Hotline Bling” underscores Drake’s immense influence in the digital age of the music industry.

In September 2015, Drake released his second mixtape of the year: the aptly titled  What a Time to Be Alive.  Just like If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late , this collaborative project with Future reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200.

As such, Drake became the first rapper since Jay-Z to have two projects take the number one spot in the same year. In addition, these projects marked the beginning of a four-year pattern for Drake: from 2015 to 2018, he released at least one mixtape and at least one studio album in alternating years.

In 2016, his fourth album (which went from being named Views from the 6  to simply Views ) came out.  Views was a bold experiment regarding musical style, as it fused genres as varied as dancehall, West African music, and trap.

Though Views was one of Drake’s weaker projects in terms of critical reception, its nevertheless attained commercial success as it was certified 6x platinum. In 2017, Drake released the mixtape More Life (which featured his father, Dennis Graham, on the cover).

Doubling down on the dancehall flavor that characterized Views, More Life was certified 2x platinum. That same year, Drake also set a record for most wins at the Billboard Music Awards (13) in a single year.

Scorpion and the Secret Son

2018 was marked by the release of his fifth studio album, Scorpion . This double album deconstructs the primary elements of Drake’s signature style: its first disc is essentially a hip-hop project, while its second disc underscores his mastery of pop and R&B.

While critics took aim at the length of the project (all in all, it contains 25 tracks), Scorpion  conquered major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This led to another record for Drake: he became the first artist to amass more than a billion streams within a week of his album’s release.

As if  Scorpion ‘s sensational performance wasn’t headline-grabbing enough, one of the songs on the tracklist delivered a bombshell heard ’round the world. Prior to the album’s release, Drake’s heated rival Pusha T claimed (via the diss track “The Story of Adidon”) that the Canadian icon had a secret son.

On “Emotionless,” the fourth track of Scorpion , Drake confirmed the child’s existence. (In March 2020, Drake posted the first public photos of his son, two-year-old Adonis Graham, on Instagram.)

Staying Busy

Entering the 2020s, Drake showed no signs of slowing down. After putting out an EP, a compilation album, and a mixtape between 2019 and 2020, he launched his sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, in 2021. Though the album earned distinctions that are to be expected of Drake—number one on the Billboard 200, impressive streaming numbers—it became the subject of controversy as well.

In December 2021, Drake asked the Recording Academy to withdraw the album’s Grammy nominations: Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance for the Young Thug- and Future-assisted “Way 2 Sexy.”

His motivation for this request is unclear, though he had been at odds for quite some time with the Academy due to their questionable categorization of his music (as well as other dubious decisions, such as The Weeknd’s snubs in 2021).

No matter what his intentions were in these circumstances, Drake remained focused on maintaining a high level of productivity. On June 16, 2022, he gave the world a single-day notice for an album drop. Sure enough, his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, was released the day after. The album’s foray into house music indicates that Canada’s biggest hip-hop icon is far from finished in terms of finding new ways to make worldwide hits.

In a 2017 YouTube video for HipHopDX, rapper Murs neatly laid out the niches occupied by the three biggest rappers in the game today: Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole. According to the 3 Lane Theory outlined by Murs, Drake is the king of the hip hop industry’s “pop lane.”

This means that, when it comes to chart-toppers and commercial blockbusters, Drake’s music is second to none. The “pop lane” appears to be the polar opposite of the “hip hop lane” occupied by J. Cole, whose opus “2014 Forest Hills Drive” prioritized pure lyricism and artistic vision over mainstream appeal. (For what it’s worth, Kendrick Lamar was categorized in the “hip-pop lane,” which aspires to merge a strong hip-hop aesthetic with a radio-friendly approach.)

This framework is arguably the most eloquent way of explaining Drake’s legacy in hip-hop history. While he has taken plenty of flak for hollow lyrics and a pop-heavy style, he has essentially conquered a niche of the rap game that was previously bannered by the likes of Nelly and Flo Rida. Drake doesn’t just rightfully belong to the pantheon of hip hop greats.

Along with the likes of Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and his former flame Rihanna, Drake has become one of the most successful musicians of the 21st century.

Why is Drake influential?

Drake’s mastery of digital technology is a significant factor in the expansion of his influence. He and his creative team have an uncanny knack for coming up with lyrics, melodies, dance moves, and videos that take the Internet by storm.

The popularity of the “YOLO” (You Live Only Once) mantra can be traced to Drake’s song “The Motto,” a bonus track on his second album, Take Care . Drake also got countless fans dancing to “Hotline Bling” and “In My Feelings,” as evidenced by hundreds upon hundreds of clips on TikTok and YouTube. In short, when it comes to building a buzz and creating a worldwide trend on social media, Drake is a master like no other.

Answer: To date, there have been no reports of Drake tying the knot with anyone. His dating history, on the other hand, has been well-publicized. Drake has been romantically linked to Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Kat Dennings, Tyra Banks, Zoe Kravitz, and Serena Williams, among others. (To add: the mother of his child Adonis is painter and former model Sophie Brussaux.)

Answer: In 2012, Drake was sued by singer (and alleged ex-girlfriend) Ericka Lee over co-writer royalties, supposedly stemming from her involvement in the production of the song “Marvin’s Room.” A settlement between Drake and Lee was reached the following year. Drake has also been on the receiving end of lawsuits pertaining to fair use and copyright infringement, though he has mostly made it through unscathed. In one instance—wherein he supposedly failed to ask permission for sampling a song from jazz artist Jimmy Smith—Drake actually won the lawsuit.

Answer: In 2008, Drake co-founded the lifestyle brand October’s Very Own (OVO) with Oliver El-Khatib and Noah “40” Shebib. Aside from Drake’s music pursuits (his record label and radio station), OVO produces clothing, accessories, and art. In 2016, he launched Virginia Black Whiskey, a collaborative venture with entrepreneur Brent Hocking. Aside from these, Drake has had a host of endorsements (including Apple Music, Sprite, and Burger King); and he is a fervent supporter of the NBA team Toronto Raptors.

Bottom Line

Answer: If hip hop were a school community, Drake would be that charismatic classmate whose every move charms a horde of onlookers. Though his peers have outdone him in certain elements of the craft (particularly the art of lyricism), he has undoubtedly risen above all of them as the most popular representative of the rap genre.

Music fans can do anything with Drake’s work: they can sing and rap along, dance to the beat, or just soak in the heartfelt emotion conveyed by each smash hit. In this sense, Drake has achieved something far greater than any of his commercial triumphs: the satisfaction of an artist whose masterpieces are genuinely appreciated by the world.

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