In modern times, Drake is closer to being a myth than a man. The 34-year-old artist has laid claim to ten projects that debuted at No. 1, and he has outsold all of the “greats” of rap music, including Tupac, Jay-Z, and Eminem. He is the unlikely sovereign of rap music. Most recently, he released his sixth album titled “Certified Lover Boy,” which was met with widespread acclaim from music critics and commercial success on an unprecedented scale. Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is one of the world’s best-selling music artists and has won four Grammy Awards. He has also broken several streaming records. How was it possible for a Canadian child actor who had previously dated Rihanna to go on to win four Grammys, break several records that had been previously held by The Beatles, and surpass even his own mentors?
Early life and background
Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24,1986 in Toronto, Canada. His father, Dennis Graham, is an African American and a former drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis. His mother, Sandi Graham, is a white Canadian who worked as an English teacher and florist. Drake has an older brother, Darrell, and a younger sister, Stephanie.
Drake’s parents got a divorce when he was five years old, and he was raised by his mother in the wealthy and predominately Jewish area of Forest Hill in Toronto. He went to a Jewish day school, had his Bar Mitzvah when he was 13, and observed Jewish holidays with his mother, including the High Holy Days. Drake reflects, “My mom has always made sure that Hanukkah is a wonderful time.” “When I was younger, she would prepare latkes and give me cool gifts,” said the author.
Drake claims that despite having a Jewish upbringing, he had feelings of alienation while attending his practically all-white high school, Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. He has expressed the sentiment that “nobody knew what it was like to be Black and Jewish,” yet he has also stated that “being different from everyone else only made me a lot stronger.” He attended Jewish day school before transferring to Vaughan Road Academy for the arts. He later dropped out of high school to pursue his music career full time.
Drake spent his childhood split between two different communities. He attended Weston Memorial Junior Public School up until the fourth grade, where he played minor hockey with the Weston Red Wings, and he lived on Weston Road, which is located in the working-class west end of Toronto, until the sixth grade.
Drake was a promising right winger who made it to the Upper Canada College hockey camp. However, after receiving a devastating cross-check to the neck from an opposing player during a game, Drake’s mother convinced him to leave the camp and pursue other opportunities. [36] After that, in the year 2000, he relocated to one of the most prosperous areas of the city, which was called Forest Hill.
When asked about the change, Drake gave the following response: “We could occupy one of the two floors of the property that we owned. We were given the bottom half of the pie while the other people took the top half. My mother occupied the first floor, and I had the basement all to myself. It was not a large space, and it did not have a sumptuous feel.
It was all that we could manage financially.” At the age of ten, Drake showed an interest in the arts by participating in a comedy sketch that was broadcast during the 1997 NHL Awards. The sketch was a spoof on Martin Brodeur and Ron Hextall and their record as being the only goalies to have scored numerous goals.
After graduating from high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, Drake continued his education at Vaughan Road Academy, which is located in the multicultural Oakwood–Vaughan neighborhood of Toronto. Drake has stated that Vaughan Road Academy is “not by any means the easiest school to go to.” Drake was ridiculed at school because of his racial and religious heritage.
Drake began his acting career in 2001 with a small role in the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who becomes wheelchair-bound after he is shot by a classmate. Drake continued to appear on Degrassi until 2009 and his character’s story arc was widely praised by critics.
After he came to the conclusion that his academic schedule was holding him back from developing his acting career, he decided to drop out of school. After that, in October of 2012, Drake received his graduation.
Inspiration and music
Drake is one of the best in the business at what he does. He has also been quoted as saying that past experiences are a key to his inspiration, things that have happened when he was younger and as he grew up with females and friends were big inspiration to his music success.
Drake gets his inspiration from a song called “Tom’s Dinner” from the late 80s, early 90s written by Suzanne Vega. It uses the same beat, but something that is really similar between the two and makes me feel that is where he got his inspiration from is both Suzanne as well as Drake happens to use “I” a lot in the song which means both of them were talking about themselves and their own experiences and thoughts. Also, Drake is heavily inspired by Lil Wayne, Jayz, and Clipse.
Careers
Aubrey Drake Graham, better known as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He first gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation in the early 2000s. Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper, he departed the series in 2007 following the release of his debut mixtape Room for Improvement. He released two further independent projects, Comeback Season and So Far Gone, before signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.
Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian actor and rapper. He began his acting career in 2001, with a small role in the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. In 2006, he appeared in the film Hallowed Ground and had a starring role in the 2007 drama film Brick.
Graham’s big break came in 2009, when he was cast as Jimmy Brooks on the popular television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He played the role for seven years, until the show ended in 2015.
In 2010, Graham made his film debut in the sports drama Homecoming. He has since appeared in several films, including The Five-Year Engagement (2012), This Means War (2012), and White House Down (2013).
In addition to his acting career, Graham is also a successful rapper. He released his debut album, Thank Me Later, in 2010. His second album, Take Care, was released in 2011 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. His third album, Nothing Was the Same, was released in 2013 and also topped the Billboard 200 chart.
Music
Drake’s music career began in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape Room for Improvement. The tape featured collaborations with Trey Songz and Lupe Fiasco among others and was well received by critics. His second mixtape Comeback Season was released in 2007 to similar acclaim; it spawned the hit single “Replacement Girl”, which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2009, Drake released his highly anticipated third mixtape So Far Gone. The tape featured his breakout single “Best I Ever Had”, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped to launch his career.
Since then, Drake has gone on to release four studio albums—Take Care (2011), Nothing Was the Same (2013), Views (2016), and Scorpion (2018)—and multiple chart-topping singles including “Hotline Bling”, “One Dance”, “God’s
Popular Songs
Drake most popular songs as of today on Spotify. Laugh Now Cry Later, Passionfruit, Girls want girls, and wants and needs.
Volunteer and services
Drake helps theses charities Thorn which helps people from Children, Human Rights, Rape/Sexual Abuse, Slavery & Human Trafficking.
Discography
Studio albums
- Thank Me Later (2010)
- Take Care (2011)
- Nothing Was the Same (2013)
- Views (2016)
- Scorpion (2018)
- Certified Lover Boy (2021)
- Honestly, Nevermind (2022)
Collaborative albums
Awards and nominations
Drake is the highest-certified digital singles artist ever in the United States, having moved 142 million units based on combined sales and on-demand streams. His highest-certified single is “God’s Plan” (11× Platinum), followed by “Hotline Bling”, which was certified 8× Platinum. He holds several Billboard Hot 100 chart records; he has the most charted songs of any artist (258)
Drake has won four Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. He was named Artist of the Decade at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
Conclusion
Drake became a prominent figure in pop culture, Drake is often praised one of the most influential figures in hip hop. Aubrey Drake Graham is one of the biggest names in music today. He’s a chart-topping rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer with several Grammy Awards to his name. But Drake is more than just a successful musician. He’s also an actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. In short, Drake is a multi-talented individual who has achieved massive success in multiple areas of his life.