Drake

Born Aubery Drake Graham, Canadian singer Drake grew up with music in his blood. His father was the drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis and his uncle played bass for Sly and Family Stone. He has also stated that his mother came from a very musical family too.

First appearing on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake left acting to pursue a career in music. Once he emerged on the music scene in 2006, he quickly caught the eye of record labels and became the most talked about artist in the industry through a mix of his own releases and guest appearances on hits by the lakes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.

By the end of June 2009, still unsigned, Drake's promotional single 'Best I Ever Had', climbed to number two on the Billboard's Hot 100 R&B and Hip-Hop songs chart, and after a fierce bidding war he signed to Universal Motown. Soon after signing came the release of 'So Far Gone', which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 chart. The track also won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year. 

Following this, Drake then released the now platinum certified Thank Me Later, catapulting him to number one globally. Then shortly after this, the huge success of Nothing Was The Same earned him his first of four Grammys.

Due to his omnivorous musical style, rapping and singing, touching on house, dancehall, New Orleans bounce and Afrobeats, as well as hip-hop and R&B, Drake was destined to become a dominant sound of the streaming era. From 2011's Take Care and 2019's So Far Gone he topped charts worldwide, with no less than 12 top ten number one singles.

His cultural significance on social media from 2015 onwards and the use of his song in so many internet crazes has cemented Drake's place as one of the most influential R&B and hip-hop artists. While still making music, Drake has also started his own record label OVO Sound and scouts new talent as well as featuring breakthrough artists on his records.