Pop & Rock Solo Artists Codexery

Drake (musician)

Canadian rapper and singer who popularized rap-singing in hip-hop.

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Drake (musician)

musicisentropy · CC BY-SA 2.0

Aubrey Drake Graham, born October 24, 1986 in Toronto, is a Canadian rapper and singer who first gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation.[1][2] He is credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop music through rap-singing and is often referred to as one of the greatest rappers of all time.[1] Drake has sold more than 170 million records globally and holds the record as the top-certified digital singles artist in the US.[3]

Last updated 2026-10-01 from the source article.

Life and work

His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised in Toronto's working-class west end before moving to the affluent Forest Hill neighborhood in 2000.[4][5] At age 15, Drake was introduced to an acting agent and landed the role of Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation.[6] Drake released the chart-topping albums Nothing Was the Same (2013), Views (2016), and Scorpion (2018), with the latter breaking one-day streaming records on Spotify and Apple Music.[7][8][9] He released the collaborative album Some Sexy Songs 4 U with PartyNextDoor in February 2025, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.[10]

Before signing with Young Money Entertainment in June 2009, Drake launched his music career by putting out the mixtapes Room for Improvement (2006), Comeback Season (2007), and So Far Gone (2009) on his own.[1][11] Thank Me Later (2010), Drake's first album, entered the Billboard 200 at number one; his second album, Take Care (2011), received the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.[12][13]

Drake 2010
Drake 2010. Image: musicisentropy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What the cited sources add

A 2010 ESPN article notes that Drake described himself as "a Raptors fan to the death"[14] The same article quotes Drake saying he is "a big Leafs fan" regarding hockey.[14] A 2009 Globe and Mail article reports that Drake summered in Memphis with his father after his parents divorced when he was five, but spent school years with his Jewish mother in Toronto's Forest Hill.[15] That article also states that Drake's business partner Oliver El-Khatib said they released work for free, which was "not necessarily in our favour financially"[15]

A 2017 Vice article describes a clip from the 1997 NHL Awards showing 10-year-old Drake playing table hockey, noting his "signature guffawing laugh"[16] A 2018 Guardian article states that Drake's father Dennis Graham is an African-American session musician and his mother Sandi Graham is a white Ashkenazi Jewish teacher.[17]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drake Signs To Young Money, Distribution By Universal Republic", June 30, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kellman, "Drake – Music Biography, Credits and Discography", AllMusic (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mitchell, "Drake Certified as RIAA's New Top Digital Singles Artist", June 29, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drake's Relationship With His Mother Through Fame & Music", DJBooth (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cover Story Uncut: Drake Talks About Romance, Rap, And What's Really Real", Complex, November 15, 2011; Glenesk, "Drake's star rises with his NBA friends", ESPN, August 16, 2010; Ostroff, "Aubrey Graham: from Degrassi to Drake", The Globe and Mail, March 23, 2009; Infantry, "Chasing Drake", Toronto Star, June 21, 2009 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Preview: Drake rises from the rap pack with a moody, sensual style", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drake Updates on Third Album, Speaks on Work With 2 Chainz, Jamie xx & Noah "40" Shebib", HipHopDx, March 29, 2012; "Drake Was 'Down' on 'Take Care,' Says Third Album Will Be Different", April 24, 2012; Horowitz, "Drake Announces Title of Third Album", HipHopDX, February 10, 2013; "Drake Scores 11th No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart", October 4, 2013; "Drake's 'Nothing Was the Same' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200", October 1, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Views by Drake", Apple Music, April 29, 2016; McCluskey, "You Can Now Listen To Drake's New Album 'Views'" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Aswad, "Drake Crushes Spotify and Apple Music's One-Day Streaming Records", Variety, June 30, 2018; "Drake's "Scorpion" Total Sales Number Revealed", HotNewHipHop; "Building Album Sales Chart", HITS Daily Double (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Strauss, "PartyNextDoor and Drake to Release New Album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U Next Week", Pitchfork, February 3, 2025; Paul, "Drake and PartyNextDoor to Release '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U' on Valentine's Day", February 3, 2025; Coscarelli, "Drake Releases New Album, 'Some Sexy Songs 4 U,' Pivoting From Rap Beef", The New York Times, February 14, 2025; Caulfield, "PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake's '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200", February 23, 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "UPDATE: Drake Not Signed To Universal Motown, Close To Inking Deal", XXL, May 5, 2009; Concepcion, "Drake's Major Label Bidding War Heats Up, Universal Signing Likely", June 3, 2009; Reid, "Drake Signs With Lil Wayne's Young Money Label", MTV News, June 29, 2009; "Lil Wayne Kicks Off 'America's Most Wanted' Tour", Spin, July 28, 2009; Drake Injured During Concert Fall HipHopDX. Retrieved March 5, 2022. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lilah, "Drake Finishes 'Thank Me Later,' Reveals Next Single", Hotnewhiphop, April 29, 2010; "Drake Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200", June 23, 2010; "Drake Concert Erupts into Near Riot in New York"; "Drake Storms the Chart With 'Thank Me Later'", June 23, 2010; Drake: Artist Profile The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved June 24, 2009.; Roberson, "Drake: Biography", HipHopSince1978, March 27, 2009; "Drake Lights Up Miami at Tour Kickoff", Rap-Up, September 20, 2010; "Drake Goes Platinum, Maps Out Fall Tour", Rap-Up (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Drake (musician)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Take Care Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic", Metacritic; McDonnell, "Drake – 'Take Care' review", NME, November 18, 2011; Dombal, "Drake: Take Care", Pitchfork, November 14, 2011; Hutchins, "Drake Takes Center Stage on Take Care", The Village Voice, November 15, 2011; Kot, "Drake album review; Take Care reviewed", Chicago Tribune, November 13, 2011; Caulfield, "Drake's 'If You're Reading This' Becomes First Million-Selling Album Released in 2015", August 10, 2015; "Drake", RIAA; "Chart Juice: Drake's Domination, The L en.wikipedia.org
  14. Glenesk, "Drake's star rises with his NBA friends", ESPN, August 16, 2010. facts only, no text reused. espn.com
  15. Ostroff, "Aubrey Graham: from Degrassi to Drake", The Globe and Mail, March 23, 2009. facts only, no text reused. theglobeandmail.com
  16. Witner, "Watch a 10-Year-Old Drake Play Table Hockey and Be a True Canadian Patriot", Vice, June 19, 2017. facts only, no text reused. vice.com
  17. Beaumont-Thomas, "Drake's progress: the making of a modern superstar", The Guardian, April 6, 2018. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Drake (musician) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Lil WayneGrammy Award for Best Rap Album

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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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