Drake is responsible for some of the biggest hits in recent years, with a host of chart-toppers under his belt, but what was the song that started his career?
Following a stint as an actor, Drake released several songs at once with the release of his first mixtape. ‘Room for Improvement’ featured a number of tracks, including ‘AM 2 PM’ and ‘Thrill is Gone’.
Read more about Drake’s rise to fame, his early music, and the career that followed.
‘Room for Improvement’
Drake, full name Aubrey Drake Graham, released his first mixtape in 2006, which debuted his musical talent.
To create ‘Room for Improvement’, he collaborated with DJ Smallz. The DJ is now well established, having worked with the likes of Lil Wayne.
“It’s a mix CD and I did it with DJ Smallz who does the Southern Smoke series. He’s done mixtapes with everyone,” Drake says.
In ‘Thrill is Gone’, one of the tracks on the mixtape, Drake raps about his musical influences. “I envy Omar, because so far I’m nowhere close to Malik and Deja.”
Despite the modest lyrics and mixtape title, this was ultimately the beginning of Drake’s musical career.
Early Life
Drake was born in 1986 and grew up in Toronto, Canada, to a white Jewish mother and an African American Catholic father.
He was not the first in his family to show an interest in music. “My grandmother, who passed away in Memphis, used to babysit Louie Armstrong. And my dad was a drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis,” he explained in an interview.
In recent years, Drake has found huge success, but his childhood was far from the lavish lifestyle he knows now. Speaking about his childhood home, he explains, “It was not big, it was not luxurious. It was what we could afford.”
His Jewish heritage is something he remains “proud” of. He alluded to his childhood in the video for ‘HYFR’, which imitated his childhood Bar Mitzvah.
His first introduction to fame came when he was just 14 years old when the future rapper was cast in the show ‘Degrassi’. He played the character Jimmy Brooks.
According to GQ, he made $40 thousand per year while on the show.
Despite his early success as an actor, the star experienced struggles in his childhood due to his parents’ split. His relationship with his father has its complexities.
“My father is an incredible man—charming, talented, and stylish—and I’m sort of living the dream he had for himself,” he says. “But his actions served as that reverse role model for me.”
Subsequent Career
The year after ‘Room for Improvement’ was released, Drake released his second mixtape, ‘Comeback Season’. His third mixtape, ‘So Far Gone’, followed in 2009.
At this stage, his career began to explode. ‘Best I Ever Had’, the leading single from ‘So Far Gone’, received two Grammy nominations for best rap song and best rap solo performance.
Since 2009, he has racked up over 40 Grammy nominations, with wins under his belt for accolades including best rap song, best rap performance, and best rap album.
In 2012, he founded the record label OVO sounds. The label has signed several well-known artists, including PARTYNEXTDOOR.
The OVO acronym means ‘October’s Very Own’, an ode to Drake’s birth month. In 2010, he held the first OVO Festival, which boasted an impressive list of performers, including Eminem, Kanye West, and Jay Z.
He’s not only become one of the biggest names in the music business, but he’s worked with them too. His collaborative work includes partnerships with Rihanna, The Weeknd, and Nicki Minaj.
Staggeringly, he’s had over 200 singles reach the Billboard Top 100 chart, with 38 of these reaching the top 10.
He’s had 7 number 1 hits, including ‘God’s Plan’, which stayed in the chart for 36 weeks.
It’s undeniable that Drake is hugely successful, though he claims to remain humble. “I really don’t live some crazy rapper life,” he says.