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Drake 101: from Degrassi to the top of the charts
Actor, mixtape rapper, then one of the biggest artists in the world. The fan primer on Aubrey Graham’s rise.
Fan-written summary of publicly documented facts. Check the sources at the end.
Drake is Aubrey Drake Graham, a Canadian rapper, singer and actor from Toronto. He is credited with popularising R&B sensibilities in hip-hop.
Degrassi first
He first became known as Jimmy Brooks on the CTV teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008).
The mixtapes
He then released three mixtapes independently: Room for Improvement (2006), Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (February 13, 2009). So Far Gone reached number five on the Billboard 200 and led to his deal with Young Money Entertainment.