Drake (musician)

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), known mononymously as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. An influential figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip hop artists. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001–2008), Drake began his recording career in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape, ''Room for Improvement'' (2006). He followed up with the mixtapes ''Comeback Season'' (2007) and ''So Far Gone'' (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.

Drake's first three albums, ''Thank Me Later'' (2010), ''Take Care'' (2011) and ''Nothing Was the Same'' (2013) each debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned the ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top ten singles "Find Your Love", "Take Care" (featuring Rihanna), "Started from the Bottom", and "Hold On, We're Going Home" (featuring Majid Jordan). His fourth album ''Views'' (2016) lead the ''Billboard'' 200 for 13 non-consecutive weeks and contained the singles "Hotline Bling" and the US number one "One Dance" (featuring WizKid and Kyla), which has been credited for helping popularize dancehall and Afrobeats in contemporary American music. ''Views'' was followed by the double album ''Scorpion'' (2018), which included the three US number-one singles: "God's Plan", "Nice for What", and "In My Feelings". His sixth album, ''Certified Lover Boy'' (2021), set the then-record (9) for most US top-ten songs from one album with its lead single, "Way 2 Sexy" (featuring Future and Young Thug), reaching number one. In 2022, he released the house-inspired album ''Honestly, Nevermind'' and his collaborative album with 21 Savage, ''Her Loss'', which yielded the number-one single "Jimmy Cooks". His eighth album, ''For All the Dogs'' (2023), featured his twelfth and thirteenth number ones, "Slime You Out" (featuring SZA) and "First Person Shooter" (featuring J. Cole). In 2024, Drake was involved in a high-profile rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, producing the songs "Push Ups, "Taylor Made Freestyle", "Family Matters", and "The Heart Part 6" as disses to Lamar.

As an entrepreneur, Drake founded the OVO Sound record label with longtime collaborator 40 in 2012. In 2013, he became the "global ambassador" of the Toronto Raptors, joining their executive committee and later obtaining naming rights to their practice facility OVO Athletic Centre. In 2016, he began collaborating with Brent Hocking on the bourbon whiskey Virginia Black. Drake heads the OVO fashion label and the Nocta collaboration with Nike, Inc., and founded the production company DreamCrew and the fragrance house Better World. 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 units sold, Drake is ranked as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has won five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, 39 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and three Juno Awards. He has achieved 13 number-one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, a joint-record for the most number-one singles by a male solo artist (tied with Michael Jackson). Drake holds further Hot 100 records, including the most top 10 singles (78), and the most charted songs (338). From 2018 to 2023, Drake held the record for the most simultaneously charted songs in one week (27), the most Hot 100 debuts in one week (22); and held 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. Provided by Wikipedia