Canadian rapper Drake has become one of the most successful artists in the world.
The 36-year-old started rapping in 2006 and has not let up since — taking the rap game by storm by winning four Grammys and 27 billboard hits. He was the first male artist to have three songs take the No. 1 spot on the billboard ratings. He was also the most charted rapper in history on the Hot 100 list.
He is also living proof of cultural diversity — Canadian style.
While he’s always been a proud Canadian, his dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship could make him an Adult Cross Cultural Kid because he came to the United States at around 20 years old.
Drake is turning out to be one of the greatest rappers alive. He uses his platform to promote many things. Unlike other rappers, he doesn’t rap only about drugs and gang violence — he also promotes positivity while trying to inspire others to chase success.
Fun fact: his full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, but he uses his middle name in his career as a solo rapper.
DRAKE — FROM ACTING TO RAPPING
When he was younger, he starred in a teenage show called “Degrassi.” He played the character of Jimmy Brooks and became a more popular icon.
Drake used his acting career to help jump start his rapping career. This helped him make money while he got his music dreams on track. “Degrassi” turned out to be a very popular show and networks started taking notice.
Although this show turned out to be a success, Canadian TV roles didn’t pay much, according to the rapper. In an interview with “Complex,” he said:
My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV, which isn’t that much money when you break it down. A season of Canadian television is under a teacher’s salary, I’ll tell you that much.
Despite his early struggles, Drake has managed to transcend those challenges and become not only a successful rapper but an entrepreneur as well.
Check out a really cool Arcane Videos documentary on him below.
