Drake

Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham, born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer and actor who is credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he first became known as Jimmy Brooks on the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation, began releasing mixtapes independently in 2006, and later signed with Young Money Entertainment.

His debut album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Take Care (2011) was included on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and Views (2016) led the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks; its single "One Dance" was the first song to pass one billion streams on Spotify. From his 2018 album Scorpion, the singles "God's Plan", "Nice for What" and "In My Feelings" spent a combined 29 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In the 2020s he added six more US number-one albums, including Certified Lover Boy (2021) and Iceman (2026), and in 2026 he became the first artist to hold the top three spots on the Billboard 200 at the same time.

He has 15 Billboard 200 number-one albums and 14 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, both records for a male solo artist, and has sold more than 170 million units worldwide. His awards include five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, 41 Billboard Music Awards, two Brit Awards and three Juno Awards, and Billboard named him its Artist of the Decade for the 2010s.

As a businessman he founded the record label OVO Sound and the production company DreamCrew, and in 2013 he became the "global ambassador" of the NBA's Toronto Raptors. His rap feuds with Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar have also drawn wide media attention.