Drake

Drake is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. Drake initially gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation in the early 2000s. Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper, he departed the series in 2007 following the release of his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement. He released two further independent projects, Comeback Season and So Far Gone, before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009. Drake released his debut studio album Thank Me Later in 2010, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His next two releases were 2011's Take Care and 2013's Nothing Was the Same, which were both critically and commercially successful; the former earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. In 2015, he released two mixtapes-the trap-influenced If You're Reading This It's Too Late and a collaboration with Future titled What a Time to Be Alive-both of which earned platinum certification in the U.S. Drake released his fourth album, Views, in 2016, breaking several chart records in the process. The dancehall-influenced album sat atop the Billboard 200 for ten nonconsecutive weeks, becoming the first album by a male solo artist to do so in over ten years. The album's second single "One Dance" topped the charts in several countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, where it became his first number one single as a lead artist. That year, Drake lead both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 charts simultaneously for eight weeks, coming close to a record held by Whitney Houston. Views achieved quadruple platinum status in the U.S., and earned over 1,000,000 album-equivalent units in the first week of its release. The album's lead single "Hotline Bling" secured him his second and third Grammy Awards, for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song, at the organization's 59th ceremony. Drake has sold more than 12 million albums (Including more than 9 million albums sold in the U.S) and 74 million singles globally. Drake released the multi-genre More Life in 2017. Described by Drake as a "playlist," it was his seventh consecutive number one on the Billboard 200, and set multiple streaming records. Drake holds several Billboard chart records. He has the most charted songs (154) among solo artists in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, the most simultaneously charted Hot 100 songs in a single week (24), the most time on the Hot 100 (431 weeks) and the most Hot 100 debuts in a week (21). Drake also has the most number one singles on the Hot Rap Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Charts. Alongside his Grammy Award wins, Drake has won three Juno Awards and six American Music Awards, as well as a record thirteen Billboard Music Awards, while also being one of the most acclaimed rappers of the 21st century. Drake has developed other ventures, including his OVO Sound record label with longtime collaborator Noah "40" Shebib. Drake acts as a producer, producing under the pseudonym Champagne Papi. Using the "OVO" moniker, Drake has his own clothing line and his own program on Beats 1 Radio. He has also developed a whiskey, is a restaurateur, and is the global ambassador for the Toronto Raptors.