Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario on October 24, 1986. His father, Dennis Graham, is African-American and a devout Catholic from Memphis, Tennessee, who worked as a drummer with country singer Jerry Lee Lewis. Sandra “Sandi” Graham, his mother, is an Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian who worked as an English teacher and a florist.
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Drake’s Early Life
Drake was raised by his mother when his parents divorced when he was a small kid. He frequently visited his father, a drummer with a musical family, over the summers. Drake came from a culturally and religiously diverse family. His mother is a white Canadian Jew and his father is an African-American Catholic. Drake says of himself: “At the end of the day, I consider myself a Black man because I am more immersed in Black culture. Being Jewish is kind of a cool twist. It makes me unique ”
He went to a Jewish day school, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13, and celebrated the Jewish High Holy Days with his mother.
He went to Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he showed an interest in the arts by acting for the first time while still a student. In the city’s multicultural Oakwood–Vaughan neighborhood, he later attended Vaughan Road Academy. Drake claims that despite his Jewish heritage, he felt lonely at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, a predominantly white high school.
“Nobody understood what it was like to be Black and Jewish,” he remarked, adding, “but being different from everyone else just made me a lot stronger.”
Drake starred in several ads as a teenager, including ones for Sears and GMC. Drake rose to prominence in 2001 as “Jimmy Brooks,” a basketball star confined to a wheelchair after being wounded by a classmate on Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001).
Drake got his start in the entertainment industry thanks to one of his Forest Hill classmates. “There was a boy in my class whose father was an agent,” Drake would later explain, adding, “‘If there’s anyone in the class who makes you laugh, have them audition for me.'” He became my agent after the audition.
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Drake’s Career
Drake only graduated from high school in 2012 after dropping out to pursue his acting career. He was a regular on Degrassi for seven years (2001-2009), winning a Young Artist Award for outstanding ensemble in a TV series in 2002, among other accolades. Drake rose to celebrity status in Canada thanks to the show’s fanatical cult following “There are very few subtle Degrassi fans,” he has remarked while remaining largely unknown in the United States.
Drake began seeking to get into the hip-hop industry while still on Degrassi. He routinely arrived late-onset, according to Degrassi creators Stephen Stohn and Linda Schuyler, after spending hours recording songs. To avoid this, Schuyler claims Drake made a deal with the set’s security guards to gain access to the set after recording in exchange for permission to sleep in a dressing room.
In 2006, he released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, which sold around 6,000 copies. He followed that up with the release of Comeback Season, a mixtape on his own October’s Very Own imprint in 2007. Drake’s first breakthrough single and music video, “Replacement Girl,” was featured on BET’s iconic hip-hop TV show 106 & Park as the New Joint of the Day. More importantly, the song included a Lil Wayne-assisted cover of Brisco and Flo Rida’s “Man of the Year.”
Drake chose to keep Wayne’s verses and hook while writing the remainder of the lyrics himself. This drew the attention of Jas Prince, the son of Rap-A-Lot Records founder James Prince, who opted to play Drake against Lil Wayne.
This inspired Jas Prince to give the song to Lil Wayne, who then invited Drake to Houston to join his Tha Carter III tour. Drake and Lil Wayne collaborated on many tracks throughout the tour, including “Ransom,” “Forever,” and a remix of “Brand New.”
Drake released his third mixtape, So Far Gone, in 2009. It featured Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Omarion, Lloyd, and Bun B and was made available for free download through his OVO blog website. It earned over 2,000 downloads in the first two hours of its release, and the songs “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful” were both certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the former also reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
This triggered a re-release of the mixtape as an EP, with only four songs from the original and the additions of “I’m Goin’ In” and “Fear.” It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and won the 2010 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year.
Drake was the subject of a bidding battle from several labels as a result of the mixtape’s success, which was dubbed “one of the largest bidding wars ever.” Despite this, on June 29, 2009, Drake was said to have signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment. This was later revealed after a planned lawsuit by Young Money and Drake against an illegal phony album called The Girls Love Drake that was uploaded on iTunes.
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In July 2009, Drake joined the rest of the label’s roster on America’s Most Wanted Tour. Drake, however, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a performance of “Best I Ever Had” in Camden, New Jersey. Later that year, he had surgery.
Thank Me Later, Drake’s first complete studio album, debuted at No. 1 on both the American and Canadian album charts and was certified platinum on June 15, 2010. His new image as hip-cocky hop’s prince (“Last name ever, first name greatest,” he boasts on “Forever”) appeared to clash with his Jewish heritage and previous career as a teenage soap star.
Despite this, Drake strove to combine these seemingly disparate aspects of his life into a single character. He wore a diamond-crusted Chai on the December 2009 cover of Vibe magazine, a hip-hop-style nod to his Jewish background.
Take Care, his second studio album was released in November 2011 and featured the songs “Headlines,” “Make Me Proud,” and “The Motto.” The album received widespread praise, receiving the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, among other accolades.
Take Care’s lead single, “Headlines,” was released on August 9. It was well-received critically and commercially, reaching number thirteen on the Hot 100 and became his eleventh number-one single on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Drake the artist with the most number-one singles. Both the United States and Canada awarded it Platinum certification.
Drake was set to perform the song during the second intermission of the 59th NHL All-Star Game in January 2012, according to the music video, which was published on October 2. On October 16, the album’s second single, “Make Me Proud,” was released.
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Drake’s issues never seem to deter him for long. From his critically praised 2013 album, Nothing Was the Same, the song “Started From the Bottom” portrayed his struggle for achievement. “I simply wanted to make it clear that I worked hard to get here and that it wasn’t a fluke or easy by any means,” he told MTV News.
Drake released his fourth studio album, Views, in the spring of 2016 after releasing two mixtapes in 2015, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too late” which became available for purchase in February and one of which featured a collaboration with Future.
Drake thinks that his unconventional journey to hip-hop prominence will continue to be an asset, not a liability, as his rap career progresses. “At this stage, everything is unusual,” he says, “so we’re just going with the storybook vibe.”
The “fairytale feeling” continued in May 2017, as Drake was named the Billboard Music Awards‘ biggest winner. He won 13 awards in all, including top artist, top male artist, top Billboard 100 album, top Billboard 200 artist, and top hot 100 artists, breaking Adele’s record for most victories in a single year.
Drake released two singles, “Nice For What” and “I’m Upset,” ahead of the June release of his fifth studio album, Scorpion, after kicking out 2018 with the two-song EP Scary Hours. He also debuted “Duppy Freestyle,” a diss track in response to rapper Pusha T who claimed that he relied on a ghostwriter for his songs.
Scorpion’s June 29 release didn’t disappoint, with the artist confirming rumors of a newborn son on “March 14” and explaining why he was dialing back the rage toward Pusha-T and Meek Mill on “Survival.” Jay-Z and Future contributed to the album, as well as what was said to be previously unheard Michael Jackson music on the track “Don’t Matter to Me.”
Drake went on to win the 2019 Grammy for Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan,” which was included on both Scorpion and Scary Hours, although the achievement was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding his acceptance speech, in which he dismissed the significance of being honored at the Grammys.
Drake and Chris Brown collaborated on the Top 5 single “No Guidance,” burying the hatchet. He linked up with Future for the release of “Life is Good” in January 2020, and a video combining the tracks “When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” was released a few weeks later, ahead of the expected release of a new album. Brown, Giveon, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti all made appearances on the Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which were released on May 1, 2020.
Drake became the first artist to reach 50 billion cumulative Spotify streams in January 2021. On February 23, he released the single “Talk to Me,” which he co-wrote with Drakeo the Ruler. Drake released Scary Hours 2 on March 5, with three songs: “What’s Next,” “Wants and Needs” with Lil Baby, and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” with Rick Ross. These three singles debuted at number one, number two, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making Drake the first artist to have three songs debut in the top three.
On September 3, 2021, Drake released Certified Lover Boy, which became his tenth number-one album on the Billboard 200; every song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album was the first to chart nine tracks in the top 10, with “Way 2 Sexy” becoming Drake’s ninth number-one single. He went on to become the fourth artist to spend 52 weeks at the top of the Hot 100, behind Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and The Beatles.
He was nominated for Best Global Act at 2021 All Africa Music Awards, and he made an appearance on Young Thug’s Punk (2021), singing “Bubbly.” Drake appeared on Majid Jordan’s “Stars Align,” the lead single off the band’s third album Wildest Dreams, on October 22. He followed up two weeks later, on November 5, with a horror-themed black and white music video for “Knife Talk,” the third song from Certified Lover Boy, featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat.
At the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, he was named Artist of the Decade two weeks later. On June 12, he appeared on Migos’ “Having Our Way,” which is taken from the group’s third studio album, Culture III (2021), and on July 1, he teamed with Brent Faiyaz and The Neptunes on “Wasting Time.” Smiley, OVO Sound’s newest signing, joined Drake on “Over the Top” on July 23.
He launched the song “Give It Up” on OVO Sound Radio on November 6. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Certified Lover Boy was nominated for Best Rap Album, and “Way 2 Sexy” was nominated for Best Rap Performance. He was later voted Billboard’s Top Artist of the Year for 2021, as well as the year’s fourth most-streamed artist and the most-streamed rapper on Spotify. He withdrew his song from contention for the Grammy Awards on December 6, citing his tumultuous history with the Recording Academy. Drake had 8.6 billion on-demand streaming in 2021, making him the most streamed artist in the United States; Drake’s songs accounted for one out of every 131 streams.
Drake was revealed as a featured artist on Gunna’s DS4Ever on January 7, 2022, and he appeared on the deluxe edition a week later. Drake announced a new collaboration with DJ Khaled on January 17th. Drake announced his return to touring on March 3, placing fourth on Forbes‘ list of highest-paid rappers for 2021, with a projected pre-tax income of $50 million, and then announcing two “interactive” shows in Toronto and New York City.
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Drake’s Personal Life
Drake’s personal life had a few tough patches when his career was on the rise. He and fellow musician Chris Brown became rivals for singer Rihanna’s affections, and their fierce conflict culminated in violence in a New York nightclub in the summer of 2012, injuring several witnesses. Drake and Brown both faced legal ramifications as a result of their acts.
Drake settled another legal problem out of court about this time. He negotiated an arrangement with Ericka Lee, his former girlfriend, regarding her contributions to the song “Marvin’s Room.” Lee had sued Drake in 2012, claiming credit for co-writing the song. Rappin 4-Tay and the estate of jazz musician Jimmy Smith also sued him. His career has been littered with squabbles with other musicians, but they haven’t wrecked it.
A verbal spat with Tyga was one thing, but Drake also got into a squabble with rapper Meek Mill after the latter claimed Drake was utilizing a ghostwriter on a single they worked on together. In a single week in 2015, Drake released two diss tracks directed at Mill: “Charged Up” and “Back to Back.” In 2016, Drake began a spat with Joe Budden, while internet rumors have claimed that he’s had beef with Kanye West, Jay Z, and others.
Drake gave birth to a baby on October 11, 2017, although the artist was initially quiet about the news. Indeed, we were all informed of the news via a diss tune created by Pusha T. Not the best method to get the word out about what is considered a life-changing event for anyone.
Many people were confused and angered in the aftermath of the announcement. Drake is a millennial celebrity who talks a lot about his life online and is always willing to keep his followers updated on what’s going on in his life.
Despite this, it took the rapper over a year to even mention his child, and another three years to openly discuss it. Drake’s story shows that, while his parenthood experience is unique, he shares the same anxieties and fears that any parent in the twenty-first-century experiences.
Even though Pusha-T was the one who broke the story to the rest of the world, he wasn’t the first to talk about it. On May 17, 2017, TMZ reported that French artist Sophie Brussaux was pregnant with Drake’s child.
Drake’s Relationship History
Serena Williams
Between 2011 and 2018, Drake was seen watching Serena play tennis on several occasions. Although the couple never claimed that they had dated, there were hints, including their kissing in public.
Rihanna
They’ve never verified what happened between them, but Drake has previously stated that when he performed on The Ellen Show in 2013, he and the singer “had their moment.”
That particular period lasted at least a few more years, as the two continued to display a lot of PDA in their music videos and concerts, as well as being seen leaving clubs together on several occasions.
Jennifer Lopez
After uploading a nice photo together on social media at the end of 2016, Drake and Jennifer Lopez sparked shocking romance rumors.
Lopez went on to demonstrate his support for the rapper at a New Year’s Eve event in Las Vegas. Their whirlwind romance, however, was short-lived, as the couple split up less than two months later.
Sophie Brussaux
Drake’s son, Adonis, is the son of Sophie Brussaux, an artist and former movie star. Sophie and Drake were originally linked after being seen eating dinner together in a restaurant in Amsterdam in January 2017.
Sophie was pregnant with Drake’s child two months later, according to reports, and the news received a lot of media attention.
Jorja Smith
Drake reportedly dated Jorja Smith, a British singer, in 2017. The rapper shared images of himself with the ‘Blue Lights’ singer on Instagram at the time, and she was the opening act for his Boy Meets World Tour’s Birmingham leg.
“It’s more than just a one-off affair,” a source said at the time. Drake was even said to have had the number ’11’ tattooed on his body in honor of Jorja’s birthday.
Rosalyn Gold-Onwude
Drake ignited romance rumors when he invited NBA sports broadcaster Rosalyn Gold-Onwude to the 2017 NBA Finals as his date. Given that Drake’s mother is usually the only woman you’ll see him with on red carpets, Drake and his date raised some heads.
Bella Hadid
Drake was accused of surreptitiously wining and dining model Bella Hadid for four months in October 2017, according to reports. “They began off casual,” the person stated, “but they’re serious now.”
Drake was also said to have thrown Bella a party on her 21st birthday. Bella’s ex-boyfriend at the time, The Weeknd, was Drake’s buddy and regular collaborator, so their rumored romance wasn’t without issues.
Bella Harris
In September 2018, Drake was romantically linked to model Bella Harris, apparently closing down an entire restaurant in Washington, D.C. only for a date night with the stunning woman.
Harris is the daughter of Jimmy Jam, a prominent music producer and regular collaborator with Janet Jackson. Bella was only 18 years old at the time, while Drake was 31. The reported affair raised some questions.
Naomi Sharon
Drake was romantically attached to singer Naomi Sharon during the recording of his sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy.
According to reports, Drake may have played a role in Sharon’s breakup with her now ex-fiancé Jamie Sun, who revealed their breakup on social media.
Joanna Leia
In July 2021 in Los Angeles, Drake was seen on an intimate date with model and reality TV personality Johanna Leia in an empty Dodger Stadium.
According to TMZ, she and Drake have been dating in secret for several months. It’s believed that the two met through high school basketball a few months ago. Amari Bailey, Johanna’s son, is a potential basketball star.
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Drake Net Worth
SourceDrake has a net worth of USD 250 million and is a Canadian-born actor, producer, and rapper. Drake has routinely ranked among the world’s highest-paid entertainers. Drake was a kid actor on the Canadian adolescent show Degrassi: The Next Generation before becoming a major rap superstar.
Drake was initially added to Celebrity Net Worth in November 2009, with a $1 million net worth estimate. He has only recently signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money label. His net worth had surpassed $25 million by 2012.
By 2014, his net worth had surpassed $45 million. He surpassed $80 million for the first time in late 2016. He easily surpassed $100 million by early 2018 thanks to his near $100 million earnings in 2017. His net worth surpassed $150 million for the first time in May 2019.
Drake has earned about $430 million throughout his career, before taxes and lifestyle costs, since first achieving widespread recognition. Although drake’s net worth is estimated to be close to $180 million as of May 2022.
The rapper has spoken out in response to his inclusion on a new list of hip-highest-paid hop artists. With a projected pre-tax income of $50 million, the Certified Lover Boy is ranked fourth in the 2021 ranking, which was released earlier this week.
Drake appears to disagree with the conclusion. He reacted to the title “hip-hop power players” with a laughing face emoji, implying that they were wrong and that his 2021 earnings will exceed $50 million.
With $450 million, JAY-Z topped the list of hip-highest hop earnings in 2021, followed by Kanye West with $250 million. Drake was ranked one place below Diddy, who earned $75 million.
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Business ventures
Drake has promoted several big businesses throughout the years, including Sprite, Burger King, Whataburger, Nike, and Apple. Drake earned a $19 million exclusive deal with Apple Music when it first launched. This agreement enables Apple to be the exclusive first home for all of Drake’s solo releases in the future.
Drake founded OVO Sound, a record label distributed by Warner Bros. Records, in 2012. OVO Sound represents artists such as PartyNextDoor, Majid Jordan, and Kash Doll, and producers like Boi-1da, Future the Prince, Mike Zombie, and others in addition to Drake. He is the Toronto Raptors’ “global ambassador” and throws an annual Drake Night with the team.
Drake introduced Virginia Black, his bourbon-based whiskey, in 2016. In the first week after its launch, the company sold 4,000 bottles. The company shipped an additional 30,000 units later that year.
Contract with Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group revealed in its Q1 earnings call in May 2022 that Drake had been re-signed to a “long-term worldwide collaboration,” which included everything from “recorded music to music publishing, film, television, and brands.” Drake has made several references to the deal in his songs. He rapped about signing a deal that included “360 upfront” in one tune.
Some have interpreted that song to suggest that the transaction paid him $360 million upfront, based on Universal’s confirmation. According to some estimates, the deal is worth $400 million or more. Drake’s music collection alone had been bringing in $50 million per year for the corporation in the years leading up to joining.
Real Estate
Drake has called Hidden Hills, California home since 2012 when he purchased a huge estate for $7.7 million in cash from the former owner of Los Angeles’ Saddle Ranch Bar. The YOLO Estate, as it is known, is a multi-residential property with a 12,000-square-foot main house and a 2,000-square-foot party house. The estate includes equestrian stables, a 25-seat movie theater, a full-sized basketball court, a sand volleyball court, and one of Southern California’s largest privately owned pools. His lagoon-style pool has numerous waterfalls, a swim-up bar, an 80-foot water slide, and a Playboy-mansion-style grotto that loops around the outside of the home.
Drake revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that he had his eye on this property for years after discovering it in a Google search for “craziest residential swimming pools.” For years, he used a snapshot of the pool as his computer’s background image to keep him motivated. The mansion was listed for $27 million by the previous owner in 2009. When the previous owner ran out of money in 2012, Drake stepped in and bought it for $7.7 million.
He bought the nearby 1.6-acre estate for $2.8 million in 2015 to expand his property. He extended the property once again in 2018 when he paid $4.5 million for another adjoining house. His private residence currently spans 6.7 acres of continuous land at the end of a cul-de-sac, costing $15 million in real estate acquisition alone.
Drake offered the YOLO Estate for $22.7 million in March 2022. For $14.8 million, a buyer may purchase simply the main residence.
Drake purchased a block of land in Bridle Path, a suburb of Toronto, for $6.7 million in 2016. On the two-acre land, he proceeded to construct a 50,000-square-foot home. The home has a 10-car garage, an NBA-size basketball court, a gym, an awards room, and much more. The master bedroom is 3,200 square feet in size.
Drake agreed to acquire British musician Robbie Williams’ 20-acre Beverly Hills estate on March 8, 2022, according to reports. According to a source who talked with the Los Angeles Times, the price range is between $70 million and $80 million. He also has a downtown Toronto condo.
Drake has a real estate portfolio valued at 100 million dollars at least.
Private plane
Drake unveiled his freshly acquired Boeing 767 private plane, christened (and painted) “Air Drake,” in an Instagram video posted in May 2019. According to the video, Drake is ecstatic to own the plane outright, declaring that there is “no renting, no timeshare, no co-owners.” A private jet of comparable grade and model would be about $75 to $100 million.
