Who Is Drake? From Degrassi Star to Global Music Icon and Rap Feuds

Drake, born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian rapper who initially rose to prominence as an actor in the critically acclaimed teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He later transitioned into a highly successful and influential music career, known for his signature style that blends melodic singing with lyrical rapping. His music, marked by a mix of confidence and emotional openness, has earned him a massive fan base.

Early life and career

Graham’s parents divorced when he was young, and he was raised primarily by his mother. During the summers, he spent time with his father, a drummer with a musically inclined family. In 2001, Graham was cast as Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star, in the fourth installment of the Degrassi franchise. Despite his acting career, his true passion was music, and he began rapping during that period, adopting his middle name as his hip-hop alias. In 2006, he independently released his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement. His second mixtape, Comeback Season (2007), featured the single “Replacement Girl” with Trey Songz. The track gained significant attention after being featured on BET’s 106 & Park, boosting Drake’s visibility. In 2008, he left Degrassi to fully commit to his music career.

So Far Gone, Thank Me Later, and Nothing Was the Same

Drake rose to prominence in 2009 with the release of his mixtape So Far Gone, featuring the hit single “Best I Ever Had.” The mixtape ignited a bidding war among record labels, ultimately leading to Drake signing with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, a division of Cash Money. Later that year, So Far Gone was reissued as an EP by the label, earning the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, while Drake was honored as New Artist of the Year.

Drake’s debut studio album, Thank Me Later, released in 2010, propelled him to international fame. It was followed by the critically acclaimed Take Care (2011), which won both the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. His subsequent studio album, Nothing Was the Same (2013), also earned a Juno Award.

These albums, more commercially focused than his earlier mixtapes, reflect the influence of his collaborators, particularly Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Views, and other releases

In 2015, Drake took to Twitter to announce the surprise release of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, a 17-track mixtape-turned-album. Critics lauded the project for its return to the introspective, emotional, and melodic style reminiscent of his early work. Like his previous releases, it soared to the top of the charts in both Canada and the United States, earning the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year. Later that year, Drake teamed up with rapper Future for the mixtape What a Time to Be Alive, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. His fourth studio album, Views (2016), followed with similar success, featuring hit singles like “One Dance” and “Hotline Bling.”

“One Dance” became the most-streamed single on Spotify at the time, while “Hotline Bling” earned Drake two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. However, Drake contested the classification, asserting in interviews that “Hotline Bling” is not a rap song. He remarked, “The only category that [the Recording Academy] can manage to fit me in is a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m Black.”

In 2017, Drake chose not to submit his release More Life for Grammy consideration. Described by Drake as a playlist, the record blended diverse global sounds and highlighted emerging artists like British singer Jorja Smith and South African producer Black Coffee, featured on the track “Get It Together.” He also opted not to submit the album for the Juno Awards. Critics observed that while the Juno Awards’ governing body had recognized him with accolades such as Rap Recording of the Year, it had never awarded him its top honors, including Artist, Single, or Album of the Year.

Scorpion, Certified Lover Boy, and additional recordings

Drake’s fifth studio album, Scorpion (2018), includes the Billboard Hot 100 hit “God’s Plan,” which originally debuted on his EP Scary Hours a few months earlier. In 2019, the track earned Drake a Grammy for Best Rap Song, though his acceptance speech was cut short after he criticized the awards. Several tracks on Scorpion address allegations made in “The Story of Adidon” by American rapper Pusha T, who claimed that Drake was concealing a child he had with artist and former adult film star Sophie Brussaux. In songs like “Emotionless” and “March 14,” Drake confirmed he had recently become a father and reflected on the complexities of co-parenting. However, the single “I’m Upset” faced criticism for what some perceived as a grievance over child support payments.

2024 rap feud

In early 2024, Future and producer Metro Boomin dropped two collaborative albums featuring artists like The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, and Rick Ross, all of whom took shots at Drake. However, Kendrick Lamar delivered the most direct diss on the track “Like That.” Drake responded with his track “Push Ups,” targeting all his critics—including Metro Boomin, who had produced the diss tracks—while primarily aiming his rebuttal at Lamar.

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