Drake is one of the most influential musicians in both rap and R&B, and has won multiple awards in the process.
He also has an upcoming album titled “For All The Dogs” and fans will have to wait a few more days to taste it.
However, in the meantime here is a full timeline of how Drake became the superstar rapper he is today.
Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24th 1986 in Toronto, Canada.
Both of his parents are biracial; his father is African American whilst his mother is Jewish Canadian.
During an interview with Hip Hop Canada in 2006, Drake said his family’s background was dominated by music.
He wanted to be the first in the family to be a major superstar.
This was also the moment he got his stage name from his middle name.
Both his parents divorced when he was five.
He was raised by his mother and lived under severely poor living conditions in the Forest Hill neighbourhood.
Drake described his mother as a God despite her continuous health issues from chain smoking and pain medications.
When he was 14, he won the role of basketball star Jimmy Brooks in the Canadian soap opera Degrassi.
Jimmy is very similar to what Drake was like in school as he cracks jokes constantly.
Drake also started getting involved in hip hop, writing songs, and understanding the lyrical flow.
There was also an episode where his character rapped freestyle during a talent show.
2008 was the year Drake left Degrassi to pursue his music career.
He had already released two mixtapes titled “Room for Improvement” and “Comeback Season.”
A year later he released his third mixtape titled “So Far Gone.”
The mixtape featured many tracks with “Best I Ever Had” as the lead single.
It received critical acclaim and multiple nominations including Grammy Awards and ranked second on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts that year.
Lil Wayne who featured on his mixtape signed Drake to his Young Money label on a $2 million deal that same year.
The rappers are still very close friends with Drake describing Wayne as his partner in crime.
Drake’s musical career skyrocketed and he began collaborating with multiple renowned rappers.
This began with Eminem, and Kanye West with “Forever”, a song dedicated to a documentary about NBA legend LeBron James.
2009 was also the year Drake started an on and off relationship with Rihanna.
The pair maintain a healthy relationship and it was the beginning of five collaborating songs with “What’s My Name?”
In June 2010, his highly anticipated debut studio album “Thank Me Later” was released.
Within the first week, it achieved platinum in Canada and sold almost 450k copies.
Later that year, he hosted the first OVO festival in his hometown of Toronto.
“Take Care” his second album and widely considered his masterpiece was released in November 2011.
The album featured many of his signature hits like “Marvin’s Room” and the timeless lead single with Rihanna.
It was also more atmospheric and serious than his previous work.
This led him to his first Grammy win for “Best Rap Album.”
He also popularized the word “YOLO” on his single “The Motto.”
In 2012, he graduated from high school and returned to acting with Ice Age Continental Drift.
His third album “Nothing Was The Same” dropped in 2013 and features the best song of the year “Hold On We’re Going Home.”
It paved the way for the artist and fans to see another side of him in his creative musical direction.
He hosted Saturday Night Live a year later, simultaneously displaying his comedic chops and starring as a musical guest.
In 2015, Drake released “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” without any announcement on iTunes.
The album/mixtape of 17 tracks quickly achieved platinum status.
His “Views” album in 2016 featured the iconic “Hotline Bling.”
The music video is known for its visuals and creative dance moves that have spawned numerous memes.
The song racked up over a billion Youtube views and earned Drake two more Grammys.
“One Dance” followed up and became a party anthem.
2017 was a mega year for Drake both in music and personally.
His album “More Life” which he described as a set of original music shattered launch day streaming records on both Spotify and Apple Music.
He also became a father for the first time with the birth of a child to French model Sophie Brussaux.
Drake broke more streaming records with “God’s Plan” in 2018 which he gives a million dollars to multiple people during the music video.
It also won a Grammy for Best Rap Song.
“Scorpion” his longest album was also released that same year clocking in at 90 minutes.
Drake continued to collaborate and release singles/albums at breakneck speeds between 2019 and today.
With “Certified Lover Boy,” his sixth album, he showed no signs of slowing down.
He was finally honoured as Billboard’s artist of the decade between those years.
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