Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), known professionally by his middle name Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.

Drake is part of a generation of rappers, alongside Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, and others, who rose to fame through internet mixtapes. Drizzy released three mixtapes from 2006 to 2009: Room for Improvement, Comeback Season, and So Far Gone, which caught the attention of Lil Wayne and produced hit singles like “Forever” and “Best I Ever Had.” The latter track, from the acclaimed mixtape So Far Gone, helped propel Drake's profile, with guest appearances on tracks by artists such as DJ Khaled and JAY-Z.

Before releasing his debut album, Drake was already being cited by Billboard as “the biggest buzz” and “potentially the most sought-after artist” in hip-hop. Three major labels reportedly pursued him in “one of the biggest bidding wars ever,” and a New York Times article asserted, “If there was a time in hip-hop before Drake, it’s tough to remember.” Eventually, Drake signed with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in 2009, releasing his debut album Thank Me Later the next year. His follow-up album, Take Care, came out in November 2011, earning him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album has been certified 4x platinum as of March 29, 2016. His third studio album, Nothing Was The Same, was released on September 24, 2013. Two years later, on February 13, 2015, he released If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Later that year, he released a collaborative mixtape with American rapper Future, named What A Time To Be Alive. His fourth studio album, Views, came out on April 29, 2016, followed by the release of his “playlist,” More Life, on March 18, 2017.

On January 19, 2018, Drake unexpectedly released a two-track EP titled Scary Hours. In the subsequent weeks, Drake collaborated with BlocBoy JB on “Look Alive,” which reached #6 on Billboard and marked his 23rd Top 10 Billboard hit. Following “God’s Plan” debuting and maintaining the #1 spot on Billboard for 11 consecutive weeks, Drake unveiled “Nice For What,” which replaced “God’s Plan” at #1 on the Hot 100. His fifth studio album Scorpion was released on June 29, 2018. Featuring 25 tracks as a double album, it set single-day album streaming records on both Apple Music and Spotify and broke the first-week streaming record for an album in just three days. That week, seven songs from the album astonishingly placed in the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten.

In a December 25, 2019 interview with Rap Radar, Drake confirmed upcoming music. He followed up by releasing two tracks with Future, “Life is Good” and “Desires,” on January 10, 2020, and January 31, 2020, respectively. A month later, Drake released “When to Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle.” On April 3, 2020, Drake dropped “Toosie Slide,” the initial single from his forthcoming material. Dark Lane Demo Tapes, Drake’s 5th official mixtape, came out on May 1, 2020, with a promise of a new studio album in summer 2020.

On October 24, 2020, his 34th birthday, Drake unveiled the album trailer for Certified Lover Boy and announced a January 2021 release, which was delayed due to a knee injury. On March 4, 2021, Drake released Scary Hours 2, the follow-up to his January 2018 EP Scary Hours, with features from Lil Baby and Rick Ross. Certified Lover Boy was eventually released on September 3, 2021.

Drake has also been involved in numerous beefs, including disputes with Common, Kendrick Lamar, and Tyga. His most notable beef was with Meek Mill from Philadelphia, sparking the discussion about “Drake has a ghostwriter.” Drake responded swiftly with “Charged Up,” and without a response from Meek, released another diss track four days later titled “Back to Back.” Meek then followed with his own diss track called “Wanna Know,” and Drake was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Rap Performance” for “Back to Back.”