Bo Weber
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Last updated on March 15th, 2023 at 11:04 pm
As one of the greatest rappers in modern pop music, Drake has continually redefined his image in the public eye.
Though his public image has been at the center of some controversies throughout the years, his music has continued to climb the pop charts at unprecedented rates.
However, there are still some things that a majority of people don’t know about the national pop star. To help you learn some new things about the rapper, we’ve compiled a list of 31 interesting facts about Drake.
Drake Isn’t His Real First Name
Drake’s real name is Aubrey Drake Graham.
Drake is from Canada
Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario Canada on October 24, 1986. His mother is white and Canadian while his father identifies as African-American.
Related: 19 Famous Artists You Didn’t Know Were From Canada
How did Drake become Famous?
Drake had his start in the entertainment industry as an actor on the Canadian tv series spin-off, Degrassi: The Next Generation. In fact, he didn’t even plan to be a musician due to the success of his work in television!
This would all change in 2008 when he was dropped from the show. After seven seasons the writers took his character, Jimmy Brooks off of the series. Want to know why? Scroll down.
Drake Dropped Out of School to Pursue Acting
Despite being enrolled at the Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Drake dropped out before he could finish his degree program. He only had one credit left, but decided that he should leave high school to focus on his acting career.
Drake Didn’t Like Acting in a Wheelchair
Drake fought with screenwriters and producers of Degrassi asking them to take his character out of the wheelchair. He said his rapper friends were calling him “soft” because of it.
Drake eventually sent a letter to the producers that stated he would not return for season six as Jimmy Brooks unless they somehow healed the character’s injury so he no longer needed a wheelchair. They must not have liked that too much.
He Almost Had to Give Up on His Dreams
When Drake was dropped from Degrassi, he almost had to take a day job as a waiter.
Thankfully he got a call from Lil Wayne soon after leaving acting thanks to his mixtapes that he sent to Young Money Entertainment (which is owned by Lil Wayne).
In fact, the artist was so impressed with Drake’s single “Replacement Girl” that he immediately flew Drake out to Houston to perform on his Carter III tour.
Drake Hot Sauce & Condom
On Jan 12, 2022, news broke out about a model, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, may be taking legal action against Drake after having sex with him in a bathroom.
The woman claimed she fished Drake’s used condom from the trash and attempted to put his sperm inside of her without him knowing so she could become impregnated with Drake’s child. Wtf.
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She stated it burned her insides, discovering he put hot sauce in the condom to kill his sperm.
Ouch! Also…can hot sauce kill sperm?!
Anyway, the model’s name has not been released to the public. If I were her, I’d keep it that way.
Drake Can Ice Skate
Being from a country well known for hockey, Drake knows his way around the ice.
Drake’s Favorite Sport is Basketball
You will often see drake sitting courtside at NBA games. His favorite team is the Toronto Raptors, though he is friends with many players, such as Lebron James.
Zodiac Sign
Drake’s zodiac sign is Scorpio.
Drake’s Influences
It should come as no surprise that someone with as many hits as Drake is influenced by other artists. To date, he claims his biggest influences are Jay Z, Aaliyah, and Lil Wayne.
Drake is Jewish…and Catholic?
Despite Drake’s Catholic upbringing, Drake identifies as Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah!
In retrospect, Drake believes that his early education at a mainly white and Christian school influenced him, as he learned to form his own identity by being different than the others.
Successful Made it to the Billboard Hot 100 Singles in 2009
Turns out Lil Wayne was right to take a chance on Canadian rapper Drake, and within a year of the fateful phone call, Drake’s first song “Successful” was a huge success!
This song also later made it to Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Songs of 2009 list, and he didn’t stop there, as in the years since he has continued to dominate charts around the world with his hip-hop and rap songs.
Drake Tattoo
Drake has multiple tattoos. The weirdest tattoo would be a portrait of his mentor Lil Wayne on his arm. Drake also has a tattoo of Rihanna.
Drake Tore his ACL
As if some sort of universal karma was at play, Drake tore his ACL tendon in 2009 when he was on stage during his “America’s Most Wanted” Tour.
Drake Almost Used Kanye West’s Beat for “Lift Yourself”
A trip to Wyoming to work with Kanye on his album seemed to have had a negative effect on Drake and Kanye’s relationship.
Despite Kanye saying that Drake could use a new beat he named “Lift Yourself,” Kanye proceeded to release a song with the beat once Drake had left Wyoming.
In the days since, Kanye West and Drake have gone back and forth on MTV with jabs at one another, but they do seem to get along from time to time to put on charity shows together.
Additionally, Drake’s music video “The Best I Ever Had” was directed by none other than Kanye West.
Drake’s First Studio Album was Released in 2010
Although he started from the bottom, Drake quickly climbed the ladder to fame when he released his first studio album, Thank Me Later, not even two years after he was discovered.
This album topped the charts in both Canada and America.
He Has a Complicated Relationship with Rhianna
Rhianna and Drake dated for a few years, even recording a couple of songs together (Take Care and “What’s My Name”). The couple would eventually break up and go their separate ways, which included Rihanna dating Chris Brown.
Despite Drake saying that he still loved Rhianna on social media, he would later admit in a conversation with Will Smith that he was never really “in love with her”. Ouch.
He’s Been in Legal Trouble
Besides rumors that he ended up in trouble with the law for an altercation with Chris Brown in 2012, Drake really has been in trouble because of his song “Marvin’s Room.”
Apparently his ex-girlfriend Erika Lee wrote the song, but Drake neglected to credit it to her.
He Had Beef with the Grammy Awards
In 2017, Drake would win two awards for his hit song “Hotline Bling.” However, the artist would go on to say that he felt insulted by the awards, accusing the Grammys for “shoehorning” him into a specific category.
He felt that he was only placed into the rap category because of his race due to the fact that “Hotline Bling” is not even a rap song.
Drake Has the Record for Most Number One Rap Singles
Drake is currently the artist who has held the most number one rap singles, with 12 record-breaking songs under his belt.
Drake is an Entrepreneur
Something important to understand about Drake is that he is so much more than just a musician. Drake is also an entrepreneur, having launched a successful lifestyle blog called October’s Very Own (OVO).
He also does separate promotional work with his music festival, OVOFEST. He even created his own whiskey, Virginia Black.
Drake was a Voice Actor for a Popular Animated Film
Taking up music did not mean that Drake left acting behind. In fact, he even voiced a mammoth in the film Ice Age: Continental Drift!
He Doesn’t Play Well With Others
Besides his beef with Kanye West and his various ex-girlfriends, Drake has also had a falling out with Pusha T and Ludacris.
Music Runs in His Family
Not only did Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, play drums with Jerry Lee Lewis, but his uncle, Larry Graham, played bass for Prince!
Drake Works Under a Pseudonym
When Drake is not working on his own music he can be seen working as a producer for his own record label, OVO Sound, under the pseudonym Champagne Papi.
He Has Won Numerous Awards
Drake has won so many American Music Award Nominations that he actually broke a world record in 2016. The person he beat? None other than Michael Jackson, who had held the record since 1984.
Jackson isn’t the only artist Drake has walked all over, as he has also beat Justin Bieber for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries within one week. Bieber had 17, Drake had 20.
He Wanted to Date Nicki Minaj
At the Billboard Music Awards in 2017, Drake shocked the crowd when he declared his love for Nicki Minaj, whom he had been friends with since 2010.
The friendship was rocky, however, and despite many periods of bliss, the couple was never really official. Drake went on to try and get the attention of Cardi B.
He Created the Term YOLO
Drake’s song “The Motto” is one of the earliest appearances in pop culture of the abbreviation YOLO, and thus Drake is credited with its invention. Keep that in mind next time you post YOLO on social media.
Drake Has a Son
On October 11, 2017, Sophie Brussaux gave birth to Drake’s son. He is Drake’s only child to date and his name is Adonis.
Drake Accused of Grooming Underage Women
As a famous pop star, Drake is often scrutinized for his public behavior. For example, in 2018 allegations began pouring in about the rapper associating with and grooming minors, a practice that has resulted in a number of mainstream celebrities disavowing the artist. There have been no trials or convictions yet.
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