Here’s a complete timeline of Drake’s major life events and his rise to global stardom.
1. Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986
Drake was raised by biracial parents who divorced when he was five. His father, Dennis Graham, is Black and Catholic; his mother, Sandra, is white and Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian.
“We have a very deep musical background. My grandmother, who passed away in Memphis, used to babysit Louis Armstrong. And my dad was a drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis,” Drake told Hip Hop Canada in 2006.
Drake took his stage name from his middle name, which his father gave him.
Raised by his mother in Toronto, Ontario, Drake has described growing up “very poor, like broke”, despite spending some of his adolescence in the affluent neighbourhood Forest Hill.
Drake has also spoken proudly of his Jewish heritage. “I’m proud, a proud young Jewish boy,” Drake said in behind-the-scenes footage from his “HYFR” music video, which was conceived as a re-enactment of his childhood bar mitzvah.
2. He landed a role on the famous Canadian teen drama Degrassi in 2001
Drake – then still going by the name Aubrey Graham – was cast as Jimmy Brooks, a popular eighth grader, basketball star and eventual paraplegic in the original cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
GQ reported in 2013 that Drake made US$40,000 a year during his run on the show.
3. He started writing song lyrics as a teenager
In resurfaced footage for Degrassi Unscripted, Drake gives a tour of his home that he shared with his mum and grandma. He even shows the camera multiple notebooks filled with song lyrics. Later in the video, he shows off the “studio” in his basement bedroom and even raps a verse, calling himself “the new version of Fresh Prince”.
In 2008, Drake quit acting to pursue music full time.
4. He released his third mixtape to critical acclaim in February 2009
Drake released So Far Gone under his self-created October’s Very Own label.
The mixtape’s most successful track “Best I Ever Had” was released as its lead single. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards – best rap solo performance and best rap song – and peaked at No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Best I Ever Had” kicked off Drake’s reign over the charts. He would later become the first-ever artist to log eight straight years on the Hot 100, a run that eventually ended in 2017 with 431 consecutive weeks.
5. He was romantically linked to Rihanna for the first time in May 2009
While Rihanna went on to insist that the two were just “friends”, Drake would later open up about his unrequited love for her. In an interview with MTV news, he added that Rihanna is an “overwhelming and incredible person.”
The two maintained a creatively fruitful relationship over the years, releasing five chart-topping collaborations together.
6. Lil Wayne signed Drake to his new label Young Money in June 2009
Sources told Billboard at the time that three major labels were duelling for Drake’s loyalty in “one of the biggest bidding wars ever”. Eventually, Lil Wayne’s label Young Money, distributed through Universal Republic, offered Drake a US$2 million advance and sealed the deal in June 2009.
Drake has often been described as Lil Wayne’s protégé and the two have maintained a close friendship.
7. A high-power collab for the LeBron James documentary in August 2009
It showcased Drake’s bars as well as his smooth vocals, plus his ability to easily flow between the two styles – and the high-power collaboration put him on plenty of rap fans’ radars before he even released a studio album.
8. His debut studio album Thank Me Later dropped in June 2010
Following the success of his track “Best I Ever Had” and his massive record deal, Thank Me Later became one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2010, featuring contributions from big names like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Timbaland, Nicki Minaj and his mentor Lil Wayne. It debuted at No 1 on the US Billboard 200, selling 447,000 copies in its first week. It went platinum in Canada in less than one week.
9. Drake changed the game with his second album Take Care in 2011
Among other triumphs, Take Care includes the fan-favourite song “Marvin’s Room” as well as a Rihanna feature on its titular track. It’s a moody, atmospheric record – that was panned by some rap fans as being too emotional.
The album was lauded by critics: NME called it an “affecting masterpiece” while Rolling Stone praised Drake’s ability to “collapse many moods … into one vast, squish-souled emotion”.
Take Care is now considered by many fans as Drake’s best effort to date – and, indeed, it earned him his first Grammy for best rap album the following year.
10. The “Year of Drake” in 2015
On February 12, 2015, Drake surprised the world by dropping If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late without any prior roll-out or announcement. The 17-track mixtape quickly went platinum – even before Drake proceeded to drop a collaborative mixtape with Future, What a Time to Be Alive, in September. The latter was also certified platinum later on. Drake became the first hip-hop artist since 2004 to have two No 1 projects in the same year.
This year also saw Drake possibly date Serena Williams, debut radio station Ovo Sound Radio on Apple Music, and handily win his first high-profile rap beef with Meek Mill.11. His “Hotline Bling” music video racked up over one billion views in October 2015
The music video for “Hotline Bling,” Drake’s most popular visual effort ever, embraced retro monochromatic colour schemes and the rapper’s own dad-like dance moves. “Hotline Bling” shot to No 2 on the chart and would go on to help Drake secure his second and third Grammy Awards, winning for best rap/sung performance and best rap song.
The dance hall-infused single “One Dance” took over the world on April 5, 2016 and became Drake’s first solo No 1 song.
12. More Life broke the single-day album streams record for every music service in March 2017
13. He Made his debut as a film producer with a documentary called The Carter Effect in September 2017
The Carter Effect, a documentary about eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Drake, along with his long-time manager Adel “Future the Prince” Nur, acted as producers for the film.
Nearly one year later, HBO picked up the series Euphoria – a teen drama starring Zendaya and produced by indie film studio A24 – with both Drake and Nur joining as executive producers. The show premiered in 2019 to critical and commercial success. After two seasons, it had won nine Emmy Awards out of 25 nominations.14. Drake secretly became a father in October 2017
TMZ initially broke the story in May 2017 that Drake had fathered a child with former adult film actress Sophie Brussaux. At the time, a rep for Drake denied the claim but noted, “If it is in fact Drake’s child, which he does not believe, he would do the right thing by the child.”
Drake later confirmed that he had a son on his 2018 album Scorpion. On the closing track “March 14”, he describes the day his paternity was confirmed, his desire to create a stable environment for his child, and how he struggles to see himself as a single father.
Drake’s son Adonis Graham was born on his father’s birthday, October 24.
15. “God’s Plan” broke Taylor Swift’s record for the most streams in a single day in the US, in January 2018
“God’s Plan”, one of two songs on Drake’s mini EP Scary Hours, debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Drake’s second solo record to do so. The second song, “Diplomatic Immunity”, clocked in at No 7 – making Drake the first artist to twice debut two songs in the top 10 simultaneously.
Just two days later, Spotify announced that “God’s Plan” had broken Taylor Swift’s record with “Look What You Made Me Do” for the most streams in a single day in the US.On April 6, Drake’s next single “Nice For What” replaced “God’s Plan” at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to have a new No 1 debut replace their former No 1 debut.
“God’s Plan” went on to win a Grammy Award for best rap song and was certified diamond on September 25, 2019.
16. Drake released his longest-ever album Scorpion in June 2018
With 25 songs divided into a rap-centric A-side and a more R&B-focused B-side, Scorpion is nearly 90 minutes long – his longest ever.
To Drake’s credit, however, it seems the gambit paid off. Seven of those songs landed in the top 10 on the Hot 100 simultaneously, besting The Beatles’ record (five) that had stood since 1964. Scorpion became Drake’s eighth album to debut at No 1 and was streamed over 170 million times in its first 24 hours, breaking another Spotify record.
The album is another cultural touchstone: it spawned an internet craze with the “In My Feelings” challenge, addressed the feud with Pusha T, and ended with an emotional open letter to Drake’s son. Drake then embarked on his “Aubrey & The Three Migos” tour, during which he blew Adele’s mind and ended his long-standing feud with Meek Mill.
17. He dropped two compilation albums in 2019 and 2020
On August 2, 2019, Drake released Care Package, a compilation of cuts and demos made throughout his career that were never officially released. It debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200.
Nine months later, on May 1, 2020, he released another compilation. Dark Lane Demo Tapes was described by Drake as “some leaks and some joints from SoundCloud and some new vibes”. It included the single “Toosie Slide”, which had previously debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The latter was widely seen as a warm-up to Drake’s sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy, which he announced at the same time. It was originally slated for release in summer 2020, but weathered several delays.
18.He made history debuting three songs on the Billboard Hot 100’s top three simultaneously in March 2021
On March 5, 2021, Drake released a short project titled Scary Hours 2, billed as a sequel to his 2018 EP. The new collection included three songs, all of which arrived in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100: “What’s Next” debuted at No 1, “Wants and Needs” (featuring Lil Baby) at No 2, and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” (featuring Rick Ross) at No 3.
19. He was honoured as Billboard’s artist of the decade at the BBMAs in May 2021
Drake was ranked No 1 on Billboard’s Top Artists of the 2010s chart, thanks to his decade-long dominance on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and the Billboard 200 albums tally.
20. Drake released Certified Lover Boy in September 2021
After nearly one year of anticipation, Drake’s sixth studio album debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming his 10th No 1 project. Certified Lover Boy boasted the biggest release week of the year with 613,000 equivalent album units earned.
Although Drake didn’t release any singles before the album’s launch, the seventh track “Way 2 Sexy” debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Drake’s fifth instant chart-topper. In fact, Certified Lover Boy brought unprecedented chart domination, even for a commercial giant like Drake.
Drake easily boasts the most top 10 hits of any artist in history and Certified Lover Boy brought his grand total to 54. Trailing far behind in second place is Madonna with 38. He released Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss in 2022. Both albums went to No 1 on the chart.
21. Drake won his fifth Grammy Award in February 2023
Drake, who currently has 51 nominations to his name, decided to stop submitting his solo music to the nominations process. He even asked the Recording Academy to remove him from the ballot in 2022. However, Drake still managed to win best melodic rap performance in 2023, thanks to his feature on Future’s hit single “Wait For U”.
Taking home his fifth Grammy Award may have inspired Drake to change his tune, because Billboard confirmed that he submitted Her Loss for consideration in a variety of categories at the 2024 ceremony.
22. Drake’s eighth studio album For All the Dogs arrived in October 2023
Despite mixed reviews, For All the Dogs became Drake’s 13th No 1 project (a grand total that includes solo studio albums, collabs, mixtapes and compilations). According to Billboard, the album racked up more than a half-billion streams across 23 songs – the biggest streaming week of 2023 and the fourth-biggest ever, surpassing Her Loss.
Including songs that climbed up the chart, Drake now has 13 No 1 hits overall, tying Michael Jackson for the fourth-most in history. They trail Rihanna (14), Mariah Carey (19) and The Beatles (20).
This article originally appeared on Insider.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZqmdn6W5pnvCnqOemqKewaqx0miYq6yZmLmme5JranFqY258orjLZpuon6Nitq%2B%2FyJ2cZpyilrimv4yrmKCrXae2pLTErGSsrJ%2Bnxm6%2F05qpq6GenHqlscarmKyrmWK1qr%2BMq5ycp6KZeqO%2BxJqioqaXYq6trtSmqmaZnpl6tcXIp54%3D