Drake, Canadian rapper and actor
Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–08), Drake pursued a career in music releasing his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006; he subsequently released the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.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) and his first commercial mixtape, If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015); the latter two were certified multi-platinum in the US. 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, and featured the chart record-setting lead single "One Dance". His second solo commercial mixtape, More Life (2017), set then-multiple streaming records, and in 2018, he released the double album Scorpion, which contained the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "God's Plan", "Nice for What", and "In My Feelings". Leaving Young Money in 2018, Drake's third commercial mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes was released in 2020, and featured the chart-topping "Toosie Slide". In 2021, the EP Scary Hours 2 included the number one "What's Next" and set chart records, and preceded his delayed sixth album, Certified Lover Boy (2021); the album set the record for most U.S. top-ten entries from one album, with lead single "Way 2 Sexy" becoming his tenth number one.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. Drake has also designed fashion, most notably a sub-label collaboration with Nike, alongside other business ventures. In 2018, he was reportedly responsible for 5 percent (CAD$440 million) of Toronto's CAD$8.8 billion annual tourism income.Among the world's best-selling music artists, with over 170 million records sold, Drake is ranked as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States by the RIAA. He has won four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, a record 29 Billboard Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and three Juno Awards, and holds several Billboard Hot 100 chart records; Drake has the most top 10 singles (54), the most charted songs (258), the most simultaneously charted songs in one week (27), the most Hot 100 debuts in one week (22), and the most continuous time on the Hot 100 (431 weeks). He additionally has the most number-one singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs, and Rhythmic Airplay charts.