October 24th, 1986. Toronto, Ontario. A baby boy is born—Aubrey Drake Graham.

No one could have known then that he would one day own the Billboard charts like no one else in history. That he would be responsible for 5% of Toronto’s tourism revenue. That he would go from a wheelchair on a teen drama to a $100 million estate.

He started as Jimmy Brooks—the basketball star who got shot. Then he became the biggest rapper on the planet.

But the road between those two points is paved with lawsuits, feuds, secret fatherhood, and more broken records than anyone can count.

 

His father, Dennis Graham, is African American from Memphis, Tennessee. A drummer who performed alongside Jerry Lee Lewis. His mother, Sandra Graham, is an Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian who worked as an English teacher and a florist.

His parents met at Club Bluenote in Toronto.

Drake is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. In his youth, he attended a Jewish day school and became a bar mitzvah.

His parents divorced when he was five years old.

After the divorce, he and his mother remained in Toronto while his father returned to Memphis—where he was incarcerated for a number of years on drug-related charges. Before his arrest, however, Dennis would travel to Toronto and bring Drake to Memphis every summer.

His father later claimed in an interview that Drake’s assertions of him being an absent father were “embellishments used to sell records.”

Drake vehemently denies this.

 

He was raised in two Toronto neighborhoods. He lived on Weston Road in the city’s working-class West End until sixth grade, playing minor hockey with the Weston Red Wings.

Then he moved to one of the city’s affluent neighborhoods, Forest Hill, in 2000.

“We had a half of a house we could live in,” he later said. “The other people had the top half. We had the bottom half. I lived in the basement. My mom lived on the first floor. It was not big. It was not luxurious. It was what we could afford.”

He attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he demonstrated an affinity for the arts. He later attended Vaughan Road Academy in the city’s multicultural Oakwood-Vaughan neighborhood.

Due to the economic status associated with the neighborhood, Drake described the school as “not by any means the easiest school to go to.”

He was often bullied for his racial and religious background.

Upon realizing that his busy class schedule was detrimental to his burgeoning acting career, Drake dropped out of school. He later graduated in October 2012.

 

At age fifteen, eager to begin acting, a high school friend introduced Drake to his father—who was an acting agent. The agent found Drake a role on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

He portrayed Jimmy Brooks—a basketball star who became physically disabled after being shot by a classmate.

“My mother was very sick,” he recalled. “We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV.”

He appeared in a total of one hundred episodes between 2001 and 2008.

 

After becoming musically inspired by Jay-Z and Clipse, Drake self-released his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006. It featured Trey Songz and Lupe Fiasco and included production from Canadian producers Boi-1da and Frank Dukes. The mixtape was released for sale only and sold over 6,000 copies.

In 2007, he released his second mixtape, Comeback Season, from his recently founded October’s Very Own label. It spawned the single “Replacement Girl” featuring Trey Songz.

The song made Drake the first ever unsigned Canadian rapper to have his music video featured on BET.

The song also saw Drake sample “Man of the Year” by Brisco, Flo Rida, and Lil Wayne—retaining Lil Wayne’s verse and adjoining his own to the song’s earlier half. This caught the attention of Lil Wayne’s camp. They gifted the song to Wayne, which prompted the rapper to invite Drake to Houston to join his Tha Carter III tour.

Throughout the duration of the tour, Drake and Lil Wayne recorded multiple songs together, including “Ransom,” “Forever,” and a remix to “Brand New.”

Despite the collaborations, Drake was yet to be signed by Young Money Entertainment.

 

In 2009, Drake released his third mixtape, So Far Gone.

It was made available for free download through his OVO blog. It featured Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Omarion, Lloyd, and Bun B. It received over 2,000 downloads in the first two hours of release.

It found mainstream commercial success from the singles “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful”—both gaining gold certification by the RIAA, with the former peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

This prompted the mixtape’s re-release as an EP, featuring only four songs from the original, as well as the additions of “I’m Goin’ In” and “Fear.” It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and won Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.

Due to the success of the mixtape, Drake was the subject of a bidding war from various labels—often reported as one of the biggest bidding wars ever.

On June 29th, 2009, it was confirmed that Drake had secured a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment. He then joined the rest of the label’s roster on the America’s Most Wanted tour in July 2009.

During a performance of “Best I Ever Had” in Camden, New Jersey, Drake fell on stage and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He underwent surgery later that year.

 

His debut album, Thank Me Later, was originally planned for late 2008. The release date was postponed multiple times—first to March 2010, then to May 25th, 2010, and finally to June 15th, 2010.

On March 9th, 2010, Drake released the debut single, “Over,” which peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Rap Songs chart. It received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

His second single, “Find Your Love,” became an even bigger success. It peaked at number five and was certified platinum.

The music video was shot in Kingston, Jamaica, and was criticized by Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett: “Care has to be taken by all, including our creative artists, in showcasing images of our destination and people. Gun culture, while not unique to Jamaica, is not enhancing the island’s image.”

Thank Me Later was released on June 15th, 2010, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with sales of over 447,000 copies in its first week.

Upon the album’s release, 25,000 fans gathered at New York City’s South Street Seaport for a free concert hosted by Drake, which was later canceled by police after a near riot ensued due to overflowing crowds.

The album became the top-selling debut album for any artist in 2010. It featured Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Jay-Z.

 

He began his Away From Home tour on September 20th, 2010, in Miami, performing at seventy-eight shows over four legs. It concluded in Las Vegas in November 2010.

Due to the success of the tour, Drake hosted the first OVO Festival in 2010. It would soon become an annual event at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto.

Beginning work on his second effort in fall 2010, Drake announced his intentions to allow Noah “40” Shebib to handle most of the production and record a more cohesive sound than on Thank Me Later, which featured disparate production duties.

In November 2010, Drake revealed the title of his next studio album: Take Care.

He told BBC Radio 1 that Thank Me Later was a rushed album: “I didn’t get to take the time that I wanted to on that record. I rushed a lot of the songs. Once it was done, it was done. That’s why my new album is called Take Care—because I get to take my time this go round.”

 

On May 20th and June 9th, 2011, “Dreams Money Can Buy” and “Marvin’s Room” were released on Drake’s OVO blog as promotional singles for Take Care. The former was eventually un-included on the album’s final track listing, while “Marvin’s Room” gained gold certification and peaked at number twenty-one on the Hot 100.

“Headlines” was released on August 9th as the lead single. It reached number thirteen on the Hot 100 and became his tenth single to reach the summit of Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart—making Drake the artist with the most number one singles on that chart.

“Make Me Proud” was released as the album’s second single on October 16th. It debuted at number ninety-seven on the Hot 100 and reached number nine the following week—tying the record for the largest jump on the Billboard Hot 100 for a male artist (eighty-eight spots). It soon became Drake’s fourth consecutive single to receive platinum certification.

Prior to the album’s release, Drake planned to record a collaborative album with Lil Wayne. It was ultimately scrapped due to the success of Watch the Throne. He also began collaborations with Rick Ross for a mixtape titled YOLO, but the duo decided against the project in favor of focusing on their respective studio albums.

 

Take Care was released on November 15th, 2011, and received generally positive reviews.

John Macdermott of NME dubbed it an “affecting masterpiece” and commended its “delicate, malevolent sound and unashamedly candid, emotive lyrics.”

Pitchfork’s Ryan Dombal found Drake’s technical abilities to be improved and stated: “Just as his thematic concerns have become richer, so has the music backing them up.”

Andy Hutchins of the Village Voice called it “a carefully crafted bundle of contradictory sentiments from a conflicted rapper who explores his own neurosis in as compelling a manner as anyone not named Kanye West.”

Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot complimented the depth of Drake’s “moral psycho-dramas” and stated the best of it “affirms that Drake is shaping a pop persona with staying power.”

Take Care won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. It was eventually certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA in 2016, with sales marking 2.6 million in the US.

The album’s third and fourth singles, “The Motto” and “Take Care,” were released on November 29th, 2011, and February 21st, 2012, respectively.

“The Motto” is credited for popularizing the phrase “YOLO” (You Only Live Once) in the United States.

The music video for “Take Care” saw widespread acclaim. MTV stated: “None of his contemporaries—not even the ever-oblique Kanye West—make videos like this, mostly because no one else can get away with it.”

The video received four nominations at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Male Video, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Video of the Year.

In promotion of his second album, Drake embarked on the worldwide Club Paradise Tour. It became the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over $42 million.

He then returned to acting, starring in Ice Age: Continental Drift as Ethan.

 

During the European leg of the Club Paradise Tour, Drake revealed he had begun working on his third studio album. He intended to remain with 40 as the executive producer and spoke fondly about Jamie xx, hoping to include and expand the British producer’s influence. He also revealed that the album would stylistically differ from Take Care, departing from the ambient production and despondent lyrics.

In January 2013, Drake announced he would release the first single from his third album at the conclusion of the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. It was released in the wake of his win for Best Rap Album, and it foresaw Drake announcing Nothing Was the Same as the title.

The album’s second single, “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” was released in August 2013, becoming the most successful single from the album—peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Nothing Was the Same was released on September 24th, 2013, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 658,000 copies sold in its first week. It also debuted at number one in Canada, Denmark, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The album enjoyed generally favorable reviews, with critics commending the musical shift in tone and subject matter—comparing it to the distinct change showcased in Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak.

It was further promoted by the Would You Like a Tour? throughout late 2013 to early 2014. It became the twenty-second most successful tour of the year, grossing an estimated $46 million.

Drake returned to acting in January 2014, hosting Saturday Night Live and serving as the musical guest. His versatility, acting ability, and comedic timing were all praised by critics.

 

On February 12th, 2015, Drake released If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late onto iTunes with no prior announcement. Despite debate on whether it was an album or a mixtape, its commercial stance quantifies it as his fourth retail project with Cash Money Records.

It sold over one million units in 2015, making Drake the first artist with a platinum project that year—and his fourth overall.

On July 31st, 2015, Drake released four singles: “Back to Back,” “Charged Up,” “Hotline Bling,” and “Right Hand.”

On September 20th, 2015, Drake released a collaborative mixtape with Future, recorded in Atlanta in under a week. What a Time to Be Alive debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Drake the first hip-hop artist to have two projects reach number one in the same year since 2004.

 

In January 2016, Drake announced his fourth studio album would be released in the spring. The album was originally titled Views from the Six, but was later shortened to Views.

The promotional single “Summer Sixteen” debuted at number six on the Hot 100 and proved controversial—with Drake comparing his standing in hip-hop to more tenured artists. The move divided critics, who described his self-comparison as “goodly brash” or “conventionally disrespectful.” It was also interpreted as a diss track toward Tory Lanez.

Drake also crashed a bat mitzvah in New York City on February 20th, performing at the event.

He released the album’s lead singles, “Pop Style” and the dancehall-infused “One Dance,” on April 5th. Both debuted within the top forty of the Hot 100.

“One Dance” became Drake’s first number one single in Canada and the US as a lead artist. It also became his first number one in the United Kingdom and peaked at number one in Germany, France, Australia, Brazil, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands.

On October 15th, “One Dance” became Spotify’s most streamed song ever, amassing over 882 million plays.

Views became Drake’s most commercially successful album, sitting atop the Billboard 200 for ten non-consecutive weeks—the first album by a male solo artist to do so in over a decade. It also simultaneously led the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 for eight weeks.

It achieved double platinum status in the US and earned over one million album-equivalent units in its first week.

Despite its success, critical opinion remained divided—drawing criticism for being overlong, lacking a cohesive theme, and claiming Drake was not challenging himself artistically.

 

Drake returned to host Saturday Night Live on May 14th, 2016, serving as both host and musical guest.

He was later named as a member of the Forbes Five, which ranks the wealthiest artists in hip-hop, placing fifth after Birdman, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Diddy.

On July 23rd, 2016, he announced he was working on a new project scheduled to be released in early 2017. He was later named as the headlining act for the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival.

During the 2016 OVO Festival, Kanye West confirmed that he and Drake had begun working on a collaborative album.

Drake was later revealed to be Spotify’s most streamed artist for the second consecutive year in 2016, amassing a total of 4.7 billion streams across all projects on the service—more than double the amount of streams he had in 2015.

He secured his second and third Grammy Awards at the 59th ceremony, winning Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song.

 

Despite multiple setbacks, Drake announced More Life would be released on March 18th, 2017. The project was described as a “playlist” of original music rather than a traditional mixtape or solo album.

Upon release, More Life received mostly positive reviews and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 505,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It set a streaming record, becoming the highest ever streamed album in twenty-four hours with 89.9 million streams on Apple Music alone.

In May 2017, he won thirteen awards at the Billboard Music Awards—breaking the record for the most wins in a single show.

Billboard also reported that Drake had been present on the Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive years and had the most recorded entries by a solo artist.

 

After rumors circulated of Drake collaborating with various artists for his new studio album, two songs were released as part of a mini-EP titled Scary Hours on January 20th, 2018.

“Diplomatic Immunity” and “God’s Plan” both debuted within the top ten. “God’s Plan” broke various streaming records as it debuted at number one on the Hot 100—Drake’s first song as a solo artist to reach number one, as well as his second chart-topper as a lead artist.

He later featured on BlocBoy JB’s debut single, “Look Alive,” released on February 9th, 2018. The song’s entry at number six on the Hot 100 made Drake the rapper with the most top ten hits on the Hot 100: twenty-three.

On April 6th, “Nice for What” was released. After it replaced his own “God’s Plan” on the Hot 100 at number one, he became the first artist to have a new number one debut replace their former number one debut.

 

He announced the title of his fifth studio album as Scorpion, with a planned release date of June 29th, 2018.

Scorpion was a double album and marked Drake’s longest project, with a runtime of just under ninety minutes. The album broke both the one-day global records on Spotify and Apple Music—gaining 132.45 million and 170 million plays on each streaming service, respectively. It sold 749,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and debuted at number one.

In 2018, The Guardian called him “the definitive pop star of his generation,” and Rolling Stone called him “perhaps the biggest post-Justin Timberlake male pop star of the new millennium.”

Drake then earned his sixth number one hit with “In My Feelings” on July 21st, which spawned the viral #InMyFeelingsChallenge or #KikiChallenge. The success of the song also made Drake the record holder for most number one hits among rappers.

 

In February 2019, he received his fourth Grammy Award for Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan” at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. During his speech, producers abruptly cut to a commercial break, leading viewers to speculate they were censoring him as he criticized the Recording Academy.

On February 14th, Drake re-released his third mixtape, So Far Gone, onto streaming services for the first time to commemorate its tenth anniversary.

On June 15th, he released “Omertà” and “Money in the Grave” on his EP The Best in the World Pack to celebrate the NBA Championship win of the Toronto Raptors.

On August 2nd, he released the compilation album Care Package, consisting of songs released between 2010 and 2016 that were initially unavailable for purchase or commercial streaming. It debuted at number one.

 

On April 3rd, 2020, Drake released “Toosie Slide” with a music video. The song and video featured a dance created with the help of social media influencer Toosie. The song debuted at number one, making Drake the first male artist to have three songs debut at number one.

On May 1st, 2020, Drake released the commercial mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes with guest appearances by Chris Brown, Future, Young Thug, and others. He also announced that his sixth studio album would be released in the summer of 2020.

On July 17th, 2020, Drake was featured on DJ Khaled’s two singles, “Greece” and “Popstar,” debuting at numbers eight and three on the Hot 100, respectively. This became his thirty-ninth and fortieth Hot 100 top ten entries—breaking Madonna’s record for most Hot 100 top ten hits.

On August 14th, Drake released “Laugh Now Cry Later” featuring Lil Durk, the lead single from his upcoming album Certified Lover Boy.

 

Drake’s artistry draws from a wide range of influences. He has cited Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne as influencing his rapping style, and Aaliyah and Usher as influencing his incorporation of R&B. He has also credited dancehall artists—including Vybz Kartel, whom he called one of his biggest inspirations.

His music has drawn influence from regional scenes including Jamaica’s dancehall and UK drill.

He is known for his egotistical lyrics, technical ability, and integration of personal backstory—especially when dealing with relationships with women.

His songs often include audible changes in lyrical pronunciation in parallel with his upbringing in Toronto and connections with Caribbean countries, including phrases like “ting,” “touching road,” “talkin’ boasy,” and “gwan” and “wasteman.”

He credits his father with introducing singing into his rap mixtapes—which has become a staple of his musical repertoire.

Drake is credited with innovating what has been referred to as “hyper-reality rap,” characterized by its focus on themes of celebrity as being distinct from the real world.

 

The music video for “Hotline Bling” went viral due to Drake’s eccentric dancing choices. It has been remixed, memed, and heavily commented on. Drake modeled a $1,500 Moncler puffer jacket, a $400 Acne Studios turtleneck, and limited edition Timberland boots.

GQ magazine described him as “one of the most stylish men alive.”

 

Drake is the highest certified digital singles artist ever in the United States, having moved 142 million units. His highest certified single is “God’s Plan,” which was certified diamond.

His five solo studio albums have all gone multi-platinum. Scorpion became his fifth consecutive number one album in the US.

He holds several Billboard chart records: the most charted songs of any artist in the history of the Hot 100, the most simultaneously charted Hot 100 songs in a single week, the most time on the Hot 100, the most Hot 100 debuts in a week, and the most number one singles on the Hot Rap Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Rhythmic charts.

As of 2019, he has won four Grammy Awards from forty-two nominations.

He has also won two MTV Video Music Awards and has been ranked by Complex on their “Best Rapper Alive” list, awarding Drake the accolade in 2011, 2012, and 2015.

In 2017, he surpassed Adele’s record for most wins at the Billboard Music Awards in one night, winning thirteen awards from twenty-two nominations.

 

On May 31st, 2009, Drake was robbed at gunpoint in Toronto’s Little Italy district and was forced to forfeit a gold and diamond necklace, an Audemars Piguet watch, and $2,000 in cash. Two men were initially charged with armed robbery but pleaded guilty only to conspiracy to commit robbery and spent six months in jail.

In 2012, singer Ericka Lee filed a lawsuit against Drake for the usage of her voice on “Marvin’s Room,” claiming to have provided the female vocals and alleging she was owed songwriting credits and royalties. The matter was resolved in February 2013 with an out-of-court settlement.

In 2014, Drake was sued for $300,000 for sampling “Jimmy Smith Rap,” a 1982 single by jazz musician Jimmy Smith. The suit was filed by Smith’s estate, claiming Smith would have disagreed as he disliked hip-hop. Drake won the lawsuit in 2017, with a federal judge ruling the content used was transformative and there was no liability for copyright infringement.

Also in 2014, rapper Rappin’ 4-Tay sued Drake, claiming Drake misused his lyrics on “Who Do You Love?” with YG. Drake paid the rapper $100,000 later that year.

 

Drake and Chris Brown were allegedly involved in a physical altercation in June 2012 when Drake and his entourage threw glass bottles at Brown in a Soho nightclub in Manhattan. Chris Brown tweeted about the incident and released a song criticizing Drake weeks later. Despite no response from Drake, they both appeared in a comedic skit for the 2014 ESPY Awards, virtually ending the dispute.

In December 2014, Drake was punched by Diddy outside a nightclub in Miami, Florida. The altercation was reportedly over Drake’s usage of the instrumental for “0 to 100 / The Catch Up”—allegedly produced by Boi-1da for Diddy before Drake appropriated the track. Drake was later rushed to the hospital after aggravating an old arm injury.

Further controversy arose in July 2015 when it was alleged by Meek Mill that Drake had used ghostwriters during recording sessions for “R.I.C.O.,” one of the lead singles off Mill’s second studio album. Funkmaster Flex aired reference tracks in support of Mill’s claims. Drake responded with two diss tracks—”Charged Up” and “Back to Back”—in the space of four days.

Pusha T criticized Drake on “Infrared” in 2018, prompting Drake to respond with the “Duppy Freestyle” diss track on May 25th. Pusha T directly responded with “The Story of Adidon” on May 29th, which presented several claims—including an accusation that Drake was fathering a secret child.

In mid-2018, Drake was embroiled in a feud with longtime collaborator Kanye West. Drake recounted several business meetings with West on The Shop, including West gifting him the beat to “Lift Yourself,” which inspired Drake to begin writing—only for West to later release the beat with nonsensical lyrics. West also produced “Infrared,” the track that led to Pusha T’s diss.

 

In late 2012, Drake started his own record label with producer Noah “40” Shebib and business partner Oliver El-Khatib: OVO Sound. The name is derived from the “October’s Very Own” moniker Drake used for his earlier projects. The label is currently distributed by Warner Brothers Records. It houses artists including Drake, PartyNextDoor, Majid Jordan, Roy Woods, and producers including 40, Boi-1da, T-Minus, and Mike Zombie.

On September 30th, 2013, Drake was announced as the new global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors, joining the executive committee of the NBA franchise. He also received the key to the city.

Following the launch of Apple Music, the company announced Drake as the figurehead for the platform at their Worldwide Developers Conference in 2015. He penned an exclusivity deal with the service worth a reported $19 million. All future solo releases would become available first on Apple Music before rolling out to other streaming services.

Two months prior to the release of Views, Drake announced the development of Virginia Black, a bourbon-based whiskey. It broke sales records in Canada.

In 2017, Drake and Adel “Future” Nur co-founded the production company DreamCrew, which has produced the television series Euphoria and Top Boy. Their debut film as producers was the sports documentary The Carter Effect, detailing the impact of Vince Carter in Canada.

In 2018, Drake purchased an ownership stake in the gaming organization 100 Thieves, joining as a co-owner. The investment is estimated to be worth $125 million.

 

Drake lives in Toronto in a 35,000-square-foot, $100 million estate nicknamed “The Embassy,” built from the ground up in 2017. He also has a home in Hidden Hills, California, which he has owned since 2012. Additionally, he owns a Toronto condo adjacent to the CN Tower and a Boeing 767 airplane.

His paternal uncles are bass guitarist Larry Graham (of Sly and the Family Stone) and musician Teenie Hodges (lead guitarist and songwriter for Al Green, contributing to hits “Take Me to the River,” “Love and Happiness,” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)”).

Drake dated Rihanna on and off from 2009 to 2016. He has mentioned the relationship in every one of his studio albums. When presenting Rihanna with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2016, he said: “She’s a woman I’ve been in love with since I was twenty-two years old.”

On his former relationship with her, he mused on The Shop: “As life takes shape and teaches you your own lessons, I end up in this situation where I don’t have the fairy tale. Like, oh, Drake started a family with Rihanna and this is so perfect. It looks so good on paper. By the way, I wanted that too at one time.”

Drake is a father to one son, Adonis, born on October 11th, 2017, to French painter and former model Sophie Brussaux. Brussaux’s pregnancy was the subject of several rumors after featuring in a TMZ article in early 2017. After the pair’s relationship was discussed in Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon,” Drake confirmed his fatherhood on the album Scorpion in 2018.

 

From a wheelchair on Degrassi to a $100 million estate. From a bullied biracial Jewish kid in Toronto to the most streamed artist on the planet. From a bidding war between labels to owning his own label, his own liquor brand, and a piece of the NBA.

From “Best I Ever Had” to “God’s Plan.” From “Marvin’s Room” to “Hotline Bling.” From “Back to Back” to secret fatherhood revealed in a diss track.

Drake has sold over 170 million records. He has the most top ten hits in the history of the Billboard Hot 100—over forty of them. He broke Madonna’s record. He broke the Beatles’ record. He broke his own records.

He has been shot at, sued, punched, robbed, and publicly humiliated. He has also been crowned, celebrated, and enshrined.

He popularized “YOLO” and “The Six.” He made Toronto a brand. He turned his emotions into an empire.

Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24th, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario.

He is not done yet.