Who doesn't love Drake? He guy does it all: He dances (and is our No. 1 inspiration for new GIFs and memes), he acts (SNL, anyone?) and, yes, he can sing/rap/produce (if you don't think three Grammy wins is impressive, then...).
He's ambitious, too. When Drake was just 23, he set a goal to make $25 million by the time he was 25 by rapping. He did just that.
And let's not forget he has an incredibly dedicated fan base. Did you see that over 600,000 people tuned in to watch Drake and a gamer play Fortnite on Twitch, breaking the record for most concurrent viewers on a single stream? His fans will watch him do literally anything.
Drake's chart-topping hits keep coming year after year — and we're impatiently waiting for his new upcoming project, Scary Hours, to drop — but even his revealing rhymes don't answer the question: Who's the guy behind those dark and smoldering eyes? So let's dig into what we do know.
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1. He broke an American Music Awards record
In October 2016, Drake set the record for most AMA nominations. He raked in 13 noms — beating Michael Jackson's 11 nominations from 1984. Drake won four awards, for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album, Favorite Song (Soul/R&B Album) and Favorite Song (Rap/Hip-Hop) Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist.
2. And he made history at the Billboard Music Awards
Sorry, Adele! Drake made BBMAs history by winning 13 awards in one night, the most any artist has won at the show in a single night. You go, Drake.
Really, though, Views was a masterpiece.
3. Drake rose to fame as a Canadian TV star
Drake joined the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2001, when he was only 15 years old. He played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who had to use a wheelchair after being shot.
4. His real name is Aubrey Graham
Drake is actually his middle name. And we get it — Aubrey Graham just isn't a great rapper name, TBH.
5. He's the biggest chart topper — for men
It's not just all talk and humble brags. As of August 2017, the indomitable Drake spent 51 consecutive weeks on the top 10 singles chart, setting a new record for male artists. The streak started in October 2015 with "Hotline Bling." Before Drake broke the mold, The Weeknd was close behind at 45 consecutive weeks in 2015.
6. He has a record-setting Hot 100 run
Drake became the first-ever artist to log eight straight years on the Hot 100 in May 2017. When "Best I Ever Had" debuted in 2009, it marked the beginning of his 431-consecutive-week run on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn't until August 2017 when his record streak came to an end, and he was absent from the Hot 100 for the first time ever.
7. He dated Rihanna (probably)
While many people remember the infamous fight between Chris Brown and Drake at a nightclub, not as many people remember the reason for the fight. "It's embarrassing, the amount of media coverage," he said, according to the New York Daily News. "Two rappers fighting over the woman. He's not even a rapper, but still, it's the last way you want your name out there. It distracts from the music. But he's made me the enemy, and that's the way it's gonna stay, I guess."
The relationship was rumored, but the fight and the aftermath made it seem like he was protecting his girlfriend. And reports of Drake and Rihanna's secret romance live on. Rihanna even kissed Drake in public after his very emotional ode to her at the 2016 MTV VMAs. Then they reportedly made it official. But then in October 2017, Rihanna totally snubbed Drake and declined to attend his birthday party. Who knows with these two.
8. He freaking loves Harry Potter
You read that right; Drake is a diehard Harry Potter fan. He loves the franchise so much, he's been searching the globe for four years for the first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In November 2017 during an interview with Billboard, Drake said of the first-edition book they found on the market for $16,000: "I should get it. My birthday's coming up. Maybe I'll buy it for myself as a treat."
9. He's a good skater
Hailing from Canada, does this even come as a surprise? Drake's a triple-threat in the music, acting and (maybe) dancing department, and now he can add ice-skating to his showbiz résumé. One of Drake's sources confirmed that he took Rihanna ice-skating on a friendly type of date to help her work on her moves.
Next: He's got a weird fan base
A version of this article was originally published in June 2013.
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10. He's got a weird fan base
And by weird, we mean weirdly wonderful. If it's not an internet tidal wave of playful haters poking fun at Drake's "Hotline Bling" dad dancing, it's hilarious fans who aspire to combine their love of rap with their love of baked goods. In February 2016, a Drake-inspired foodie Instagram account surfaced, featuring adorable little cakes decorated with his song lyrics. (Because YOLO.)
11. He's a bad dancer IRL
Speaking of "Hotline Bling" (only the funniest meme fodder to hit the interwebs in 2015), Drake's viral dad dance may be an actual reflection of how he gets down in real life. MTV caught Drake awkwardly dancing to a courtside beat at the L.A. Clippers game in November 2015, and fans have witnessed plenty of his "unique" dance moves at his live shows.
12. He know how to poke fun at himself
Drake neon sign in home
Drake neon sign in home
Drake sees you haters, and he's raising you one.
He has a neon art piece hung up on his apartment wall that says, "Less Drake, More Tupac" by Los Angeles artist Patrick Martinez. He says it "allows him to take a certain ownership of the haters."
"I love it. I mean, people are entitled to their opinion, but this opinion, I'd just rather it be here than anywhere else," he tells Billboard.
And in an interview with Complex in 2011, he said, "I'm staring at the wall, man, and at first it was just anger. I felt like ripping that shit down. That's my name up there. I'm representative of this generation, and this guy loved Pac enough to make this piece, and that's fucking amazing man."
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13. He was raised Jewish
Drake’s mother is a Jewish Canadian, and he attended a Jewish Day School and even had two bar mitzvahs.
14. He makes his own whiskey
Canadian whiskey, Canadian rapper — surely you can see where this is heading. Drake launched his own whiskey brand, Virginia Black, in June 2016. Within the first year, it sold 30,000 cases globally — and it's doing so well, in fact, in January 2018, Drake and Brent Hocking, spirits entrepreneur, announced they will take the whiskey brand public, allowing investors to buy stocks to help "redefine whiskey."
15. He has appeared in children’s programs, including Ice Age: Continental Drift
Drake is not only still acting but he is doing some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.
Next: He started his rap career through a series of mixtapes
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16. He started his rap career through a series of mixtapes
Drake began making mixtapes in 2006 and started gaining national attention. He was featured on BET and was supported by rappers Kanye West, Jay Z and Lil Wayne. He was finally signed to Universal Motown in 2009.
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17. It runs in the family
Where did Drake get his ridiculous rap talent from? While he was raised by his single mother in Canada, his musical prowess might be all in the family. Drake's father, Dennis Graham, was a drummer who played with Jerry Lee Lewis, and Drake's uncle Larry Graham also played bass for Prince.
18. He has written songs for artists such as Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx
Drake has won numerous awards for his songwriting abilities. He wrote "Un-Thinkable" for Alicia Keys and co-wrote "Fall For Your Type" for Jamie Foxx.
19. He had a crush on Nicki Minaj
They may or may not have ever been a thing, but Drake admitted back in 2010 that Nicki Minaj was his inspiration for "Un-Thinkable." He told MTV in 2010 about his crush.
"I've always really, actually, really had a crush on her, always really loved her, and she's always just looked at me as, like, her little brother," he said.
20. He is a fan of the Miami Heat
Drake was videotaped outside the Heat’s locker room after their victory in Game 7 of the NBA finals in June 2013. The video shows Drake being denied access because he didn’t have a media pass.
Drake denied entry Miami Heat
Drake denied entry Miami Heat
21. He has a thing for gorgeous pools
Before he was a big deal, Drake spent a lot of time Googling epic residential pools and dreaming of his "someday" mansion when he made it big. Drake finally bought his first home in L.A. in 2012 after becoming a multimillionaire. The home, worth $7.7 million, came with one of the same beautiful pools Drake had seen while Googling — with an 80-foot waterslide, flat-screen TVs in the grotto, elk statues and flame-spitting iron torches. Drake's property was aptly named the "YOLO Estate." Drake put the home up for sale for $20 million in January 2017.
22. He has a heart of gold
Drake fan insta
Drake fan insta
As if you needed one more reason to dig on Drake beyond his mad music skills, he's known for taking time out of his busy schedule to give back. While this story only adds fuel to the ongoing Drake-and-Rihanna rumor mill, the pair posted a picture of themselves in May 2016 visiting a fan who had cancer (and was also a Drake superfan), following Drake's surprise cameo at Rihanna's concert in Miami.
According to Drake's No. 1 fan, Megan, the visit was the "best day of [her] life."
23. He teamed up with Netflix
Drake Top Boy tweet
Drake Top Boy tweet
In November 2017, Drake told The Hollywood Reporter his plans to work in TV and film production. He confirmed to them he was working with Netflix (as executive producer) to revive Brit drama Top Boy, a popular TV show in the UK that ran from 2011 to 2013. The show is set to debut on Netflix in early 2019.
A version of this article was originally published in June 2013 and updated in Mar. 2018.