Drake: 40 things you didn’t know about the rapper! (List)

1. Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24 1986.

2. He is better known as Drake.

3. He is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.

4. He first garnered recognition for his role as Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

5. He later rose to prominence as a rapper, releasing several mixtapes before signing to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.

6. Drake’s EP, So Far Gone (2009), spawned the successful single “Best I Ever Had”. His first studio album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200[4] and generated the single “Find Your Love”.

7. He was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.

8. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

9. His second album, Take Care (2011), is his most successful to date, topping charts in the United States and Canada and producing the singles “Take Care”, “Make Me Proud” and “The Motto”, the last of which is also credited for popularizing the widely used acronym YOLO. In promotion of his second album, Drake embarked on the worldwide Club Paradise Tour, which became the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over $42 million.

10. His third studio album Nothing Was the Same was released on September 24, 2013. It was supported by the singles “Started from the Bottom” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home”.

11. His work has earned him a Grammy Award, three Juno Awards, six BET Awards, and set several significant Billboard charts records.

12. Drake has the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart with 12 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with 10.

13. He is one of two artists (the other being 50 Cent) to have simultaneously occupied the chart’s top three positions.

14. Drake, along with being a record producer under the pseudonym Champagne Papi, has also written songs for other artists, including Alicia Keys (“Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”), Rita Ora (“R.I.P.”), Jamie Foxx and Trey Songz.

15. Drake stated that Kanye West, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and his mentor Lil Wayne are his biggest influences.

16. In an interview with SoulCulture TV Drake stated that R&B singer Aaliyah has had the biggest influence on his career.

17. Drake is known for his soft melody and emotional lyrics. Most of his songs contain R&B and Canadian hip hop elements, and he combines rapping with singing.

18. His father is an African American from Memphis, Tennessee while his mom is a Jewish Canadian.

19. His father’s name is Dennis Graham and he was a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis.

20. Drake attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute but in the end did not graduate.

21. He has written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx. Drake has won numerous awards for his songwriting abilities. He wrote “Un-Thinkable” for Alicia Keys and co-wrote “Fall For Your Type” for Jamie Foxx.

22. His First EP So Far Gone peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Chart.

23. Drake admitted back in 2010 that Minaj was his inspiration for “Un-Thinkable.” He told MTV in 2010 about his crush. “I’ve always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she’s always just looked at me as, like, her little brother,” he said.

24. Drake’s uncle, Larry Graham, played bass for Prince.

25. Drake’s Take Care album became the fastest selling Hip Hop album to sell in a week ever until a week later Eminem’s recovery album surpassed it.

26. He is a fan of the Miami Heat. Drake was videotaped outside the Heat’s locker room after their victory in Game 7 of the NBA finals on June 20. The video shows Drake being denied access because he didn’t have a media pass.

27. Drake has done some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.

28. His celebrity crush is none other than the hilarious comedienne Kat Dennings, star of Two Broke Girls. He also has crushes on Meagan Good and Eva Mendes.

29. He went to see Lil Wayne three times while Weezy was locked up in New York’s Riker’s Island jail.

30. Drake was supposed to play a role in the popular video game Gears of War 3 but didn’t because of scheduling conflicts.

31. His favorite music group is N.E.R.D.

32. Drake and Chris Brown were allegedly involved in a physical altercation on June 14, 2012, when Drake and his entourage allegedly threw glass bottles towards Chris Brown at a nightclub called WIP in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

33. Chris Brown tweeted personal information referencing the situation, and while afterwards he deleted the tweets, he then released what appeared to be a Drake diss record a few weeks later. It is unclear why they clashed. Drake dated Rihanna (not long after the domestic violence case caused by her ex) in 2009.They have remained romantic friends since then.

34. He’s planning on launching a clothing line called A&S

35. Drake has an ongoing feud with fellow entertainer Chris Brown over singer Rihanna whom they have both dated.

36. Drake almost played a show with Hanson, but the crowd for the free performance at New York’s South Street Seaport was so large that a riot broke out, and it had to be canceled.

37. Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” video was directed by Kanye West.

38. He tweets potential tattoos. “All my Tweets are things I’d tattoo on me if I was a tattoo type,” he’s told Rolling Stone.

39. His idols are are Pharell Williams and Denzel Washington.

40. Drake’s favorite fast food place is McDonalds.