Aubrey Drake Graham[5] (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur.[6] A prominent figure in popular music, Drake is credited for popularizing the Toronto sound. He first gained recognition by starring in the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2007); pursuing a career in music, he left the series and released his debut mixtape Room for Improvement (2006). He released two additional mixtapes, Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009), before signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment.[7]
Drake released his debut studio album Thank Me Later in 2010, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. He achieved major critical success with Take Care (2011), and commercial success with Nothing Was the Same (2013)[8] and his first commercial mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015); the later two were certified multi-platinum in the US.[9] Drake’s fourth album Views (2016) sat atop the Billboard 200 for 13 nonconsecutive weeks, becoming the first album by a male solo artist to do so in over a decade.[10] Marketed as a playlist, Drake’s second solo commercial mixtape More Life (2017) set multiple streaming records.[11] In 2018, he released the double album Scorpion, which produced three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.[12] Drake’s third commercial mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020) featured the Hot 100 number-one lead single “Toosie Slide”. In 2021, he released the EP Scary Hours 2, which included the number one single “What’s Next”, and set chart records.
As an entrepreneur, Drake founded the OVO Sound record label with longtime collaborator 40 in 2012. In 2013, Drake became the new “global ambassador” of the Toronto Raptors, joining the executive committee of the NBA franchise, while owning naming rights to its practice facility. In 2016, he began collaborating with American entrepreneur Brent Hocking on the bourbon whiskey Virginia Black; it eventually broke sale records in Canada.[13] Drake has also designed fashion, the most notable including a sub-label collaboration with Nike, alongside other business ventures. In 2018, he was reportedly responsible for 5% (CAD$440 million) of Toronto’s CAD$8.8 billion total annual tourism income.[14]
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