From Canadian teen-soap actor to big-league Billboard player: the rise and rise of rapper Aubrey ''Drake'' Graham.
As Seen on TV
The Toronto-born 22-year-old spends eight years on Degrassi: The Next
Generation playing basketball star Jimmy Brooks (he graduated from the
show in '08). In the meantime, he begins releasing mixtapes, starting
with 2006's Room for Improvement.
On Wax With Wayne
Lil Wayne's cameo on the ''Man of the Year'' remix, from the 2007 mixtape
Comeback Season, instantly ups Drake's status; while still unsigned, he
works with the likes of Jay-Z (on The Blueprint 3) and Mary J. Blige (on
already-leaked track ''The One''). The major-label bidding wars begin;
rumors of a romance with Rihanna don't hurt.
Sign O' The Times
Young Money/Universal Republic wins the battle, signing Drake in June.
By then, single ''Best I Ever Had'' has already hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Kanye directs the video), and Young Money's ''Every Girl,'' on
which he appears, also goes top 10. Look for his upcoming official
debut, Thank Me Later.
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.