Drake (1986-…) is a popular Canadian rap music performer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his collaborations with other rap artists and singers. Drake’s songs and albums have become big hits in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He has won a number of Grammy Awards for his music. Drake has also won a number of Juno Awards. Juno Awards are presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements. In 2019, Drake became the first solo artist to be listed more than 200 times on Billboard magazine’s weekly “Hot 100,” the music industry standard record chart for songs in the United States.
Aubrey Drake Graham was born on Oct. 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario. He studied acting as a child. Drake gained fame for his portrayal of Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian television teenage drama “Degrassi: The Next Generation” from 2001 to 2009. Brooks was a basketball star who came to use a wheelchair after being shot by a classmate. Drake dropped out of high school but later graduated in 2012.
In 2006, Drake released a mixtape called Room for Improvement. A mixtape is an informal collection of pieces of music, usually by a number of artists. On the mixtape, Drake rapped over the music of other artists. He later released the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009). So Far Gone was a critical and commercial success and featured guest vocals by a number of artists, including the American rap star Lil Wayne. The mixtape included the hits “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful.” Later that year, the mixtape was released as an EP with the same title. EP stands for extended play and is a type of musical recording that includes several songs but is not considered a full-length album.
Drake’s first studio album, Thank Me Later, was released in 2010. It featured Lil Wayne as well as the Trinidadian-born American rap star Nicki Minaj. Its single “Find Your Love” became a hit. Drake won his first Grammy Award in 2012, for best rap album, for his second album, Take Care (2011). Its title song, featuring the Barbadian singer Rihanna, became a hit. The album also featured the Canadian rhythm and blues singer The Weeknd and other guest performers. Drake’s third studio album, Nothing Was the Same, was released in 2013. It featured the hits “Started from the Bottom” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Drake’s other studio albums include Views (2016), Scorpion (2018), Certified Lover Boy (2021), and Honestly, Nevermind (2022).
Drake has also been featured on hit songs recorded by other artists, including “Right Above It” (2010) by Lil Wayne and “For Free” (2016) by the American record producer DJ Khaled. Drake released two mixtapes in 2015, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and What a Time to Be Alive. His 2020 mixtape, Dark Lane Demo Tapes, was a hit. He also released the EP’s Scary Hours (2018) and its sequel, Scary Hours 2 (2021); and The Best in the World Pack (2019).
