From Degrassi to Dollars: How Well Do You Know Drake?

Canadian rapper and former actor Drake, is a well known name in the entertainment industry. Millions of fans across the globe adore him, and if you’re reading this, you’re one of them. Yet, there are people who call themselves Drake fans, while not being genuine ones.  One of the ways to find out which group you belong to is to check out this article of ours, and see some Qs and As about Drake.  

If you know the stories behind 90% of these paragraphs, you’re a real fan. But, if you’re struggling to find the right answers, it might be the time to question your fandom.  Considering just how popular Drake is all over the world, you will probably know the right answer to most of these matters even as a casual fan. In any case, check out our little trivia dedicated to Drake, and find out just how well you know the Hotline Bling singer. Beware, we’re not going to focus on things such as his name, date of birth or where he was born. So don’t be surprised to learn something new about your favourite rapper. 

Start of The Music Career

Most of you know that Drake started out as an actor. His role in the Canadian hit show Degrassi is well documented. Yet, many people are not aware that his music career started at the same place. During his stint with the Degrassi: The Next Generation TV series, where Drake played Jimmy Brooks, in one of the 140 episodes that he starred in, his music career took off. If you’re really interested in knowing how he sounded some two decades ago while rapping, you need to discover the episode yourself, we’re going to keep our lips shut. 

Lil Wayne Snub

It is hard to imagine these days that any name in the music industry would say no to Drake. But, everyone needs to start somewhere, and Drake first shared his music on Myspace. The one praised for discovering Drake was Jas Prince who shared his music with Lil Wayne. The goal was to have Drake signed by Young Money Label. It wasn’t easy for the young Canadian rapper to find his footing early on in the closed world of American rap, and Lil Wayne was the first to shun his music. Luckily for everyone involved, Lil Wayne had a change of heart, and what followed was a career blessed with platinum albums and top of the charts. 

Drake – The Record Breaker 

Drake faces a lot of scrutiny, and he has since the start of his glorious career. Yet, no one can deny his greatness no matter how hard they try. After all, Drake was the first person to hit 10 billion streams on Apple Music. While this success cannot be diminished, it has a background. Drake is having an exclusive deal with Apple Music and that is the platform that holds the rights to his music, thus so many listens. Most of Drake’s music is first released on Apple Music, and it’s held there for a few weeks on exclusive rights, before it’s allowed on other streaming platforms. 

Drake’s Influence Spreads Beyond Music 

Funnily enough, Drake is an avid gambler. The Canadian rapper is well known for his lavish lifestyle that includes multiple gambling sessions, sometimes even on a daily level. For the God’s Plan singer, all joy in life is not only fine wines and good dines. He loves to play slots, roulette, poker, and enjoys sports betting. Due to his passion towards the gambling he has become one of the faces of the online casino industry. It is no secret that Drake enjoys playing slot games, participating in poker tournaments, and covering major sports events with his bets. His presence at sports events, and his habits to pick out favorites led to the widespread use of the term ‘Drake Curse’ that usually involves the team he bet on, or the shirt he wears, to lose. 

The Motto Singer Has one of The Biggest Sponsorship Contracts 

We’re still on the subject of online gambling. These days it is trendy to gamble at one of the most popular online casinos available. You could argue that Drake started this trend among both his colleagues, and among his fans. As an avid gambler, the Canadian superstar quickly attracted the attention of some of the biggest online casinos and sports outlets out there – Stake. The Curacao-Australian company offered him a $100 million partnership which Drake accepted with open arms. These days you can find him streaming  playing titles such as Wanted Dead or a Wild, Xmas Sugar Rush, Sweet Bonanza, classic roulette, poker, and many other games. You could say that Drake found his home at Stake, and maybe you can do the same if you join their platform. 

Musician’s Roots

Drake is not the first musician in his family. We can say that he’s not even the first famous one in fact. Larry Graham, Drake’s uncle, was one of the best bass players in the world in his day.  Larry played in such bands as Sly, Family Stone, and Graham Central Station. For those of you older than the generations that know only Drake, Graham’s solo song titled One in a Million was a massive hit in the 80s. Furthermore, he was a familiar face on Prince’s tours, which shows that the talent for music was always there in the Graham family and that Drake was the one inheriting it. 

Drake Penchant Tattoos 

Aubrey Drake Graham is a fan of tattoos. If you’ve been following him closely you know that he’s tatted up. Unlike some of his colleagues that have tug life tattoos, Drake has a penchant for different kinds of body ink. Drake is an admirer of people. Thus, when he loves a person, or admires their work, he puts a tattoo of them on his body. This approach to tattooing has led to him having more than a few peculiar tattoos. As one could have guessed, his preferred tattoos include those of his fellow female singers. It is a well known fact that he has tattoos of Aaliyah and Sade, while it’s rumoured that he has a tattoo of Rihanna too. 

Drake & Aaliyah Album

This is the fact that even some hardcore fans do not know. By now (due to tattoo among other things) it’s known that Drake was a massive Aaliyah fan. Back in 2012 Drake released his single Enough Said which features backing vocals from Aaliyah. The famous teenage sensation died in a plane accident back in 2011, and the song released by Drake in 2012 was to serve as a memento. At that moment Drake said that he had plans to produce an entire album for Aaliyah based on the materials he had preserved that were her work. The Internet reacted in a negative manner, and the backlash from the public was too negative for this project to move forward. The way things stand now, we’re never going to receive this album. 

Drizzy is Employed

A famous musician, former actor, and a worldwide entertainment sensation has a job? That’s right. It’s not your standard 9-5 but at the end of the day, Drake has an employment, and we’re not talking about one of his sponsors.  As you know, Drake is a massive fan of sports. It is not rare to see him courtside at different events. Most casual fans associate him with his hometown Toronto raptors, and they are in fact his employer. That’s right, Drake is not being aggressive courtside, and taunting opposition players for fun. Yes, he is a massive fan of both the game of basketball, the NBA league, and the Raptors. But, he is also the global ambassador for the Raptors brand. We’re not only talking about promotions and public appearances, on and off the court. Drake has an official contract with Raptors as an ambassador but his brand OVO is also tied to this NBA franchise and they are in charge of producing some pieces of clothes for the Raptors. Furthermore, Drake is more than involved with many charity events that the team organises in the Toronto vicinity and he is without a doubt the biggest ambassador the team has ever had. 

Friends & Foes 

Drake is a rather popular personality, but for some people he is not a role model. During his career, he’s featured on many artists’ albums and songs, and many have had featured on his. Back in the day, Drake’s own OVO Fest featured the likes of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Nas, and Kanye West. Drake was a well respected artist and rapper, but as you strive to the top, you’ll make enemies along the way. This is what happened to Drake, as many of the names that featured on his fest are now his nemesis. At the moment Drake has ongoing feuds with Meek Mill, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West. During most recent appearance at the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, Kendrick took another shot at Drake, and it remains to be seen how the Canadian rapper responds. 

Secret Son

There are many mysteries surrounding Drake’s personality. In certain circles he is seen as a powerful persona. So, it’s no wonder that he’s managed to keep some of his secrets to himself. Yet, due to his desire to go back and forth with Pusha T, we found out that Drake has a son. Pusha T stated that Drake is the one hiding his son from the public. The Toronto based artist responded in the best way he knows, and through the song called Emotionless said that he’s hiding the world from his kid and not the vice versa. It’s not easy to keep matters like these hidden, especially in the world of entertainment, which speaks levels of the kind of man Drake is. 

Drake Never Gives Up

When you look at Drake’s career, you can say that the man has it all. He had a television career before he became one of the most recognizable names in the music industry. So, what’s more pot there to be attained? Well, Drake doesn’t want to move forward. Instead, he’s gearing up to take a few steps back. As it appears, the rapper is not prepared to give up on his acting career. So far, he hasn’t featured in any recent films, but some years ago he tried his best as a voice actor. If Drake makes up his mind on it, it will be only a matter of time before we see him featuring as a lead role in some Hollywood blockbuster. 

Drake as a Writer

A multi talented person indeed. Drake is not only a rapper, but he is also a text writer. He didn’t only write for himself but for other artists too. Of course, a few years ago he was a part of massive controversy when it was discovered that some of his lyrics were written by Quentin Miller. That was not a bottle of spilled milk that would have Drake crying over it. Instead he wrote songs such as Yikes, I’m Ready, and RIP for Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Rita Ora respectively. The fact that all of these songs were massive hits is only a testament to Drake’s talent. 

Entrepreneurism

Music and televisions haven’t been enough for Drake. The Hotline Bling singer also decided to try himself as an entrepreneur. If you didn’t know Drake is working as a shoe designer for  Nike, and maybe for Adidas but that remains unclear. What is clear is that his brand OVO has close ties with Nike and that they’re releasing some of the models too. 

There you have it. That’s quite a few facts about Drake that you might have not heard off. In any case, now you have.