Born October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, Drake is a Canadian actor and recording artist, and one of the co-founder of the [l719678] label.

He originally became known for playing the character Jimmy Brooks on the TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a rapper, he performs under the mononym Drake. Early in his career, Drake established a close affiliation with Lil Wayne's [l166429] before officially signing with the record label in June 2009.

Drake is the son of Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis; and the nephew of musicians Larry Graham and Mabon Teenie Hodges. His father is African American (a native of Memphis, Tennessee) and his mother, an educator, is a white Jewish Canadian. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother in Toronto's wealthy Forest Hill neighbourhood, attending elementary school at Forest Hill Public School, and high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he began acting, but did not graduate. He also spent many summers with his father in Memphis, Tennessee.