There are few figures in music more polarizing than Drake. The rapper hasn’t wasted any time lapping his industry counterparts, reaching the top of the mainstream music world. Just six years into his illustrious career, Drake has hit the kind of milestones most artists can only dream of. And he keeps winning. In fact, 2015 might be his best year to date.
From reaching 100 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 to winning the biggest rap beef in recent memory, Drake has had quite a year. After releasing two albums since February, one solo and one with hip-hop counterpart Future, Drake still has the ball in his court.
Accolades aside, Drake’s success has come from hard work. He started from the bottom and worked his way up.
Born in 1986 and given the name Aubrey Drake Graham, Drake was brought up in Toronto, Canada. He was raised Jewish by his mother in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.
Drake’s dad moved to Memphis when Drake was very young. They had a distant relationship for a while but have since gotten close. After growing up in a household living paycheck to paycheck, Drake began his celebrity career at age 15 on the Canadian TV show “Degrassi.”
While starring in “Degrassi,” Drake took it upon himself to get his music career going. In early 2008, he got a call from rapper Lil Wayne asking him to join his tour. He later signed to Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment label. Drake’s first big-time mixtape, titled “So Far Gone” was released in 2009 and featured some of his biggest early hits like “Best I’ve Ever Had” and “Successful.”
Coming off of his immense success from “So Far Gone,” Drake dropped his first official album in 2010, titled “Thank Me Later.” “Thank Me Later” went platinum in the US in a matter of months. Drake immediately became a household name in the music industry and was being recognized as a rising star. “Thank Me later” set the stakes high, but Drake continued to raise the bar. After touring for most of 2010, Drake started working on his next album, “Take Care,” in 2011 — and dropped it in November that year. “Take Care” was another hit! It sold 631,000 copies in its first week and over 2 million copies since its release. With smash hits like “Headlines” and “The Motto,” Drake took control of the airwaves once again. The album was such a big hit that Drake won his very first Grammy for rap album of the year in 2012.
After “Take Care,” Drake took almost two years to release another album. He did however release many singles and features in the meantime. Also, Drake has never been afraid to spend money. In 2012, the rapper bought a seven-bedroom, nine-bath, 7,500-square-foot home in Los Angeles. And according to Business Insider, He’s been known to have a private jet, or two.
When he returned, he returned in true Drake fashion releasing “Nothing Was the Same” in September 2013. The album set a record for Drake, selling 658,000 in the first week and charting multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
After the short break, Drake came back strong earlier this year when he released his mixtape “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” Just when the world thought Drake had reached his peak, he proved them wrong. The entire mixtape charted on the Billboard Hot 100, leaving little doubt that Drake was still at the top of the rap game. It would go on to sell 1 million copies in six months.
The success of “If You’re Reading This” and Drake’s other business ventures helped him make $39.5 million in 2014, placing him third in hip-hop, behind Diddy and Jay Z. He also recently inked a deal with Apple Music to host a biweekly radio show and release songs solely on the streaming service.
Drake’s big year was just getting started. After rapper Meek Mill challenged him on Twitter, saying Drake didn’t write his own raps, Drake struck back, releasing the diss track “Charged Up” and eventually finishing the battle with the song “Back to Back.” He was the obvious winner.
Since he announced the title in 2014, Drake fans have been waiting for his upcoming album, “Views from the 6.” Little did they know he would be releasing a collaborative mixtape with Future in September with little warning. The mixtape, titled “What a Time to Be Alive” immediately charted at No. 1 on Billboard.
No one really knows what’s next for Drake — only that he’ll continue to go at his own pace and be himself. He’s been working on “Views From The 6” all year, and recently announced that he’s devoting the rest of the year to the project. Until then, the now 28-year-old superstar has given his fans more than enough to chew on.