BIOGRAPHY
Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The American-Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor is known professionally by the stage name Drake.
Becoming a household name in North America due to his role in the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake has metamorphosed from a teen actor into a Grammy Award-winning artist with international influence.
Founding the record label OVO Records, Drake has also been successful with music entrepreneurship. His climb to stardom in the music industry started with the release of the debut mixtape Room For Improvement in 2006, then bagging a career-changing record deal with Young Money Entertainment.
EARLY LIFE
Drake was born to an African-American father and a Canadian mother on the 24th Of October 1986. He was birthed in the city of Toronto, in Ontario Province of Canada, and given the name Aubrey Drake Graham.
His father is named Dennis Graham, while his mother is Sandra Graham. From his mother’s side, he has Jewish roots.
At the time of his birth, his father worked as a drummer and was adherent to the Catholic faith. While his mum held the jobs of an English teacher and a Florist. When Drake turned five, his parents divorced. While his father moved back to his home city of Memphis, Drake and his mum remained in Toronto.
Drake‘s formative years were spent living in two Toronto neighborhoods, Weston Road and Forest Hill. The latter was a more affluent neighborhood. As a teenager, he was a victim of bullying from his schoolmates because of his racial background.
His father holds American Citizenship, and during the early years after his parent’s divorce, his father would often come to take him back to Memphis to spend summer at his place. But this stopped after Dennis was incarcerated for some years for drug-related charges, which affected his availability in Drake‘s life. As an adolescent, he attended a Jewish Day School and later became a bar mitzvah.
EDUCATION
Drake attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he showed interest in the Arts department and took on acting by signing up for the school’s Drama Society.
He later moved to Vaughan Road Academy, where he attended for a while before dropping out to focus on his growing acting career at the time. He would later go on to complete high school and graduate in 2012.
CAREER
Drake entered the movie industry in 2001 when he landed a role in the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation, which was executive produced by CTV. He played the role of Jimmy Brooks from 2001-to 2008 before deciding to pursue a music career.
Drake‘s success as a music artist took shape after the release of his debut studio album in 2010. The project titled Thank Me Later was a commercial success and appeared on the number one spot of the US Billboard 200. His major success came when he released his sophomore album, Take Care, in 2011. He attained a similar and even greater success with his third album, Nothing Was The Same, released in 2013.
His commercial mixtape, If You Are Reading This It’s Too Late, which he released in 2015, was certified multiplatinum in the US. By 2016, Drake was one of the world’s leading pop stars. His fourth studio album, Views, was on top of Billboard 200 for 13 non-consecutive weeks. He became the first male solo artist to achieve the feat in over a decade by attaining this milestone. The success of Views was made possible by its lead single, One Dance featuring Wizkid and Kyla, which set many records and sat at the top of several music charts internationally.
In 2017, Drake released his second commercial mixtape, More Life, to the delight of millions of fans. The following year, he dropped the double album Scorpion, which comprises hit singles such as God’s Plan, In My Feelings, Nice For What, amongst others.
After being signed to Young Money for close to nine years, he left the record label in 2018 and dropped his third commercial mixtape under OVO Records, a record label he founded. The mixtape, which is titled, Dark Lane Demo Tapes, was released in 2020, featuring the highly successful single, Toosie Slide.
In 2021, Drake dropped two music projects. The first is the Extended Play, Scary Hours 2. While the second is his sixth studio album titled, Certified Lover Boy. The album paved the way for Drake to achieve the milestone of having the most US top ten entries from one album. And it also helped him secure his tenth number one, thanks to the lead single, Way 2 Sexy.
The Canadian rapper is among the exclusive list of the world’s best-selling music artists. This was made possible by having over 170 million records sold and being ranked by the RIAA as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the US. So far, he has won six American Music Awards, four Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, three Juno Awards, and a record 29 Billboard Awards.
He has the most top 10 singles at the Billboard Hot 100, with 54 songs on the chart. He has the most charted songs with 258 singles and the most Hot 100 in one week with 22 singles.
As an artist, Drake has collaborated with a host of other musicians, ranging from American acts like Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Rihanna, The Weeknd, Future, PartyNextDoor, to Nigerian musicians such as Wizkid and Tems.
DISCOGRAPHY
- Certified Lover Boy
- Scorpion
- Views
- Nothing Was The Same
- Take Care
- Thank Me Later
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Canadian rapper Drake is one of the most followed artists on social media, with his followers spreading across six continents.
He has over 104 million followers on Instagram and over 39.4 million followers on Twitter.
- Instagram handle – @champagnepapi
- Twitter handle – @Drake
PERSONAL LIFE
The Grammy Award-winning rapper Drake resides in Toronto, Ontario, where he owns a US$100 million (USD) estate, which is nicknamed, The Embassy. The house’s interior is filled with portraits of his parents, grandmother, uncle, son, and artists: Lil Wayne, Sade Adu, and Aaliyah. The estate was built in 2017.
He owns a second home in California. The luxurious house, which is nicknamed YOLO House, is located in Hidden Hills. In 2022, he bought a new house, a Beverly Crest House, for a US$70 million (USD) fee. He also owns a condominium, which is adjacent to Cartoon Networks (CN) Tower.
Having been one of the celebrities to test for the Coronavirus in March 2020 publicly, Drake later contracted the virus during the pandemic.
Drake once dated singer Rihanna, their relationship began in 2009 and ended in 2016. And he is a close friend of the British singer Adele. Lil Wayne is his mentor in the industry. He has a son named Adonis Graham, who was born on the 11th Of October 2017. Adonis Graham‘s mother is a French Painter and former model, Sophie Brussaux.
Drake has been involved in quite a number of feuds with other artists such as Meek Mill, Chris Brown, Tyga, amongst others.
DRAKE DATING HISTORY
Drake has been in relationships with Hayley Karrina (2021), Johanna Leia (2021), Jasmine Rae (2021), Julia Fox (2020), Mulan Vuitton (2018), Reka Nagy-Miticzky (Model) (2018), K’yanna Barber (2017), Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (2017), Bella Hadid (2017), Fanny Neguesha (2016), Hailey Bieber (2016), Gianna Nicole (2014 – 2015), Bernice Burgos (2014 – 2015), Porcelain Black, Crystal Westbrooks (2013 – 2015), Kreayshawn (2011), Dollicia Bryan (2011 – 2012), Serena Williams (2010 – 2015), Paris Morton (2010), Taraji P. Henson (2010), Maliah Michel (2010), Toccara Jones (2009 – 2010), DJ Duffey (2009 – 2010), Melyssa Ford (2009 – 2010), Catya Washington (2009 – 2010), Rihanna (2009 – 2016), Bria Myles (2008 – 2009), SZA (singer) (2008), Jade Lee (2006), Lauren Collins (2003), Keshia Chante (2002), Nebby (2002 – 2006), Aggy Abby and Bella Montana.
Drake has had encounters with Imaan Hammam (2019 – 2020), Laquana Morris (2019), Lesanik (2018 – 2019), Bella Harris (2018), Zmeena (2018), Malaika Terry (2018), Lateysha Grace (2018), Brittany Renner (2018), Raye (2018), Rosee Divine (2017), Layla Lace (2016), Ravie Loso (2015), Iesha Marie (2014), Lira Galore (2014 – 2015), Jhonni Blaze (2014), Kakey (2014), Shaye G (2014), Miracle Watts (2013), Tatyana Ali (2013), Kat Dennings (2013), Chandra Davis (2012), Tyra Banks (2012), Cyn Santana (2012 – 2013), Kyra Chaos (2012), Rita Ora (2012), Sophia Marie (2012), Courtney Janell (2012 – 2013), Free Da Realest (2011 – 2017), Shanell Woodgett (2010), Amber Rose (2010 – 2016), Blac Chyna (2009 – 2019), Tammy Torres (2009), Teyana Taylor (2009), Vanessa Veasley (2009) and Tika Sumpter (2005).
NET WORTH
As one of the world’s best-selling artists, Drake has made a fortune off his music career via royalties, brand endorsement deals, and investments in the music sector.
He is estimated to have a net worth of US$600 million to US$900 million.
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