Meek Mill Removed His "Wanna Know" Drake Diss From Soundcloud

The Meek Mill/Drake beef had the internet on fire for a minute, but it's mostly died down now, apart from a few subliminals (from either side) here and there. Nonetheless, it was exciting while it was lasted.

The general consensus is that Drake won and Meek lost. We thought were hoping to hear another diss track from Meek, given how lacklustre "Wanna Know" was, and Meek even seemed to hint that there was more to come when he dropped a freestyle at a recent concert, but alas, nothing. Now, even more nothing: Meek has decided to seemingly withdraw his diss, removing it from his Soundcloud account last night. Drizzy's, which is becoming the song of the (end) of summer, is still alive and well (keeping the #1 on our Top 100 for some time too).

Does this move mean Meek is conceding? Does he have something better on the way? What's your theory?

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Red Lion to design products for the Drake General Store

A host of new products at the Drake General Store will soon carry a tiny “RL” brand mark on them.
The copyright-like symbol is a nod to Toronto ad agency Red Lion, which has forged a partnership with the burgeoning retailer to design products for its stores. Announced Tuesday, the new relationship will see Red Lion create products across all of the store’s categories, from fashion and accessories to housewares.

The aim, said Red Lion chief creative officer Matt Litzinger, is to grow the Drake General Store’s brand via “sticky” products that earn the retailer positive PR and buzz on social.

Rather than using traditional ads to promote the store, Litzinger said Red Lion’s goal is to make products that “advertise themselves.”

“If you have a design or a product that’s inherently ‘sticky’ to the audience you’re talking to, they all instantly recommend it to one and other. It can drive market share,” Litzinger said.

The Drake General Store does not currently work with an ad agency on traditional creative.

Red Lion’s first creation is a line of T-shirts inspired by Toronto baseball culture. The shirts are a nod to the Toronto Blue Jays with a sketch of blue jay that also bears resemblance to the logo of Toronto-bred rapper Drake’s company, October’s Very Own.


The shirt line, which is currently on sale, does not have a direct link to the team. Litzinger said he sees the line as one of several recent “fan interpretation” products that play off local baseball culture.

In the past, Red Lion has done packaging and web design. This partnership marks the firm’s first foray into creating physical products. Rather than working on a retainer, Red Lion will be paid based on the volume of sales for the products it designs.

The Drake General Store started as an offshoot of The Drake Hotel in Toronto and has since grown into a retail chain of seven locations across Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. As a brand, The Drake Hotel has expanded greatly over the past decade. Beyond its retail expansion, the company has taken its “Drake” brand and applied it to the standalone restaurant Drake One Fifty as well as a second hotel location outside Toronto, in Ontario’s Prince Edward County.

Of The Drake General Store’s brand DNA, Litzinger said the retailer succeeds by mixing nostalgia with of-the-moment culture.

“I’m, on a personal level, a big fan of the brand,” he said. “It has that beautiful combination of feeling like it has a long standing aura of craftsmanship, but is incredibly contemporary and, it’s a horrible word to use, but ‘hip.’ It feels very much on the cusp of what is happening now.”

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Drake 'jacked my beat' for Hotline Bling, says D.R.A.M.

Drake says he was trying to recreate the reggae dancehall of many artists making a song based on one riddim

 

Drake … Fascinating riddim. Photograph: Ollie Millington/Redferns via Getty Images

Over the summer, it was accusations that he used ghostwriters for his raps that bedevilled Drake. Now it’s the claim that his latest hit, Hotline Bling, has taken its beat from another song.

D.R.A.M. performed in Drake’s home city of Toronto on Monday night and took the opportunity to note on Twitter that the experience had been “bittersweet”. Sweet, he said, because he was sharing his music; bitter because “after my performance, all I’m seeing is Cha Cha/Hotline Bling comparisons on my timeline”.

“Yeah, I feel I got jacked for my record,” he said. “But I’m GOOD.”

Drake himself has acknowledged the similarity between Hotline Bling and Cha Cha, but has said it’s just because he’s trying to do what reggae and dancehall artists have long done, and take the backing track from one song to create something new. The Fader dug out an unused quote from its recent interview with him in which he made that point.

“You know, like in Jamaica, you’ll have a riddim and it’s like, everyone has to do a song on that,” he said. “Imagine that in rap, or imagine that in R&B. Imagine if we got one beat and every single person – me, this guy, this guy, all these guys – had to do a song on that one beat. So sometimes I’ll pick a beat that’s a bit, like, sunnier, I guess is the word you used, than usual, and I just try my hand at it. And that’s kind of what Hotline Bling was. And I loved it. It’s cool. I’ve been excited by that sort of creative process.”

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Meek Mill was too late to hurt Drake with his diss track

By the time Meek Mill released Wanna Know, his comeback to diss tracks from Drake, he was already the punchline of too many internet memes

 

Unscathed … Meek swings for Drake, and misses. Photograph: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

What a rough week it’s been for Meek Mill. Before you scroll down to type out “who?” in the comment box, let me explain. He’s a Philadelphia rapper who’s recently been known first for dating Nicki Minaj and then for starting a Twitter beef with Drake – and it didn’t end well for Meek.

In fact, you could say the whole thing blew up spectacularly in his face. Meek’s been memed to within an inch of his life and mocked on just about every social network since he accused Drake of using lyrical ghostwriters. He then swiftly became the subject of two diss tracks shared four days apart.

The first, Charged Up, came out on Saturday 25 July. Meek deemed it “baby lotion soft” on Twitter, and honestly just should have left it there. By the timeDrake returned with Back to Back Freestyle, on Wednesday 29 July, it felt as though anyone who hadn’t followed Meek’s career up to that point was never going to bother. His fans could only watch on helplessly as their favourite was relentlessly trashed by one of rap’s biggest current crossover stars.

Really, to think that this started because Meek was unhappy that Drake didn’t tweet support for his recent album, Dreams Worth More than Money, makes the whole fiasco even more ridiculous. It’s petty. Meek should’ve just hit “save tweet as draft”, slept on it, and let the whole thing go.

Because now that he’s finally responded in kind, with a diss track of his own –Wanna Know – the response hasn’t been great. Truth be told, Meek had a brief window of time in which to share his rebuttal, and it definitely fell somewhere between Sunday and Tuesday. That Drake hit him with a one-two punch of two consecutive disses – written in two different styles, for the hell of it – and gave watching fans too much fodder for jokes at Meek’s expense.

Regardless of Wanna Know’s quality, the winner of this delicately passive-aggressive beef was already decided by the time Toronto city Councillor Norm Kelly had waded in on Twitter, posting a photo inspired by one of Drake’s Back to Back lyrics. Meek had lost when Drake fans swarmed Meek’s Instagram account on Sunday, posting plug, battery and arrow emojis in the comments below his pictures in homage to Drake’s Charged Up.

Likewise, Meek had lost when people started editing videos that made fun of his silence. Would you like to imagine Meek as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, bullied by an imagined Drake posse? Now you can watch that. Or how about an edit of what Meek’s distressed reaction might have been when he first heard Back to Back? The internet has you sorted.

Meek had truly lost when news of the beef spread trended on Twitter in the UK for most of Wednesday morning, and made so much of an impact on the internet’s echo chamber that burger joints were saying their piece, too. Things really are dire when Burger King’s social media manager thinks: “Hmm, how can we turn this rapper’s public pummelling into a Twitter punchline that facilitates the sale of our product?”

In a genre where authenticity has always been king, Meek attempted to throw a hefty jab at Drake – and missed. He’s been paying the price ever since. Wanna Know isn’t entirely awful, bouncing over a Swizz Beats-produced beat and dropping in punchlines about Milli Vanilli and 50 Cent’s past beef with Ja Rule (to which Ja Rule replied on Instagram, making it clear he wasn’t impressed with the track as a whole). Meek was never going to come out on top, though, because he needlessly started an internet fight that could have been settled in private. Drake responded firmly, essentially saying, “don’t come for me unless I send for you”.

As social media brings musicians closer to their fans and further from the safe confines of statements checked and released by a team of managers and publicists, people like Meek learn the lesson that unchecked openness can easily backfire. Azealia Banks and Taylor Swift have felt that pain before him. And Drake? He’s having the last laugh.

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Drake and Kevin Hart Are Coaching the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game—and Here Are the Teams

WIREIMAGE(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Can Kevin Hart find a way to dominate the ball from the bench?

Every year, at NBA All-Star Weekend, the celebrity game ends up surprising everyone to be one of the most fun parts of the weekend's festivities. Sure, it lacks the high-wattage excitement of the slam dunk contest, and the relaxing, almost meditative joy of watching the three-point contest, and of course the pure basketball goodness that is the All-Star game itself, but it makes up for all those deficits by being weird, funny, and good enough as a basketball game to keep you hooked. This year's game in Toronto should be no exception as the Association has tapped Kevin "I dominate the ball at the celebrity game even though I'm not that great at basketball, but I'm entertaining so everybody lets me get away with it" Hart and a young upstart named Aubrey "Drake" Graham to coach the Team USA and Team Canada squads, respectively. Let's break down the current rosters (which will surely add more people in the coming weeks) and see who has the better shot of taking home the title.

TEAM USA
Michael B. Jordan
Anthony Anderson
Bryshere "Yazz" Gray
Nick Cannon
Jason Sudeikis
Marc Lasry
Chauncey Billups
Muggsy Bogues
Elena Delle Donne
COACH: Kevin Hart
Initial Impressions: That's a strong squad. Billups, Bogues, and Delle Donne are about as good as the pro players can get in the celebrity game, and Michael B. Jordan can legitimately hoop, as can Sudeikis. No idea about Yazz's ability, but I like to imagine that Hakeem from Empire was named after Hakeem Olajuwon, so that gives them points. My biggest worry with this team is Kevin Hart as the coach. I love Kevin Hart and his movies, but will the team buy into his system of firing up contested jumpers from all over the place and doing bits with the refs and the announcers? I don't know.

TEAM CANADA
Win Butler
Drew Scott
Jonathan Scott
Milos Raonic
Kris Wu
Stephan James
Tracy McGrady
Rick Fox
Natalie Achonwa
COACH: Drake
ASST COACHES: Steve Nash and Jose Bautista
Initial Impressions: Again, we have a very solid pro contingent here, though I'm not sure they quite measure up to the Team USA pros. Going to be important to consider that before betting on this game. Win Butler loves basketball more than pretty much everybody. I'm pretty sure if you put together a charity game at your local Y, Win would show up and start grabbing boards like it's no big deal. I have no idea if Drew and Jonathan Scott are good at basketball, but I do like that they're here on Team Canada, because if you watch early episodes of The Property Brothers those guys were SUPER CANADIAN and have really toned it down for American audiences. The biggest advantage Team Canada has is with their coaching staff. There are few things Drake takes more seriously than Toronto pride, so repping Canada in Toronto at the All-Star Game, he's going to have his team motivated in a way Kevin Hart won't. Plus he has two assistant coaches who are great sports minds. I don't know how Joey Bats' baseball experience will help out, but it can't hurt. It's a shame he can't lace them up (probably MLB contract rules—looking at you Aaron Boone), but as long as he flips a bat or two during a timeout, the crowd will be happy.

Prediction:
My head says Team USA just has too much talent not to take this, and I do predict a big game from MBJ, who finally will be able to have the offense run through him now that Kevin Hart has moved to the bench. But my heart says this one is going to go to Drake and Team Canada. They're on their home floor, and who knows, maybe the Property Brothers are secretly the Morris twins of the Celeb game. Put them on the same team and both of them become much, much better.

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Drake: ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ Album Review

Growing up a pro wrestling and sports fan, I often get accustomed to runs or dynasties. In the NFL, there’s currently the controversial yet successful New England Patriots. Same can be said for the 15-time WWE Champion John Cena, who has ruled on top of the wrestling promotion with an iron fist and to the contempt of many hardcore fans. The latter applies more thoroughly to one Aubrey Graham, who for the last seven years has made a name for himself as part of Lil Wayne’s Young Money collective. Since releasing his impactful mixtape So Far Gone in 2009, Drake’s grown into one of the biggest names in rap and an international star. He also grown into becoming one of the more divisive artists that fans and critics have bickered back-and-forth about.

When it pertains to him as a rapper and singer, Drake can be as versatile as he can ever be. Every song that he drops nowadays is sporadic but built with anticipation for his latest album. It is a formula that he has been using since his Thank Me Later years that also kept him relevant with each quality B-Side that hits the airwaves. So when he drops If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late on the sixth-year anniversary of So Far Gone in the middle of NBA All-Star Weekend, a week after the Grammys, and mere seconds after a Kanye West performance and Diddy concert, it raises more questions than answers.

For those that are keeping track with the Cash Money situation, Lil Wayne has sued Brian “Birdman” Williams for $51 Million requesting his out from the label and wanting to take Nicki Minaj and Drake with him as well. Aubrey has long had previous issues with the label when it came to music royalties ever since the release of Take Care, but kept himself majorly quiet up until this point. A lot of folks have suspected whether releasing a retail mixtape was his way of getting out of his Cash Money deal or not, or purely a thank you note to the man that gave him an opportunity and made him so much money in Birdman. No matter how many perceive it to be, Drake’s latest output is one of his most visceral and revealing to date.

Not bound by the obligations of making pop hits for the Billboard charts, Drake uses If You’re Reading This as a way to flex his rapping muscles on tracks seemingly looked at as throwaway tracks in his Views From The 6 album sessions. Maybe, that’s how Drake wants it to be with his methodical approach: a number of the records feel unfinished, but the track placement is entirely cohesive. It’s not rushed as the songs weave in-and-out, letting the beat breathe, but everything still feels abrupt. It’s impeccable Drake timing, leaving more for the heart to be desired when you think you know it all.

Aubrey gets in the matter of his label issues on If You’re Reading This, battling with fame and ‘running through the 6 with his woes’ on “Know Yourself”. He keeps looking through envelopes for the checks that never come on “No Tellin’,” further emphasizing that there are problems on deck all over the Cash Money ship. It’s not all rosy in paradise for the successful and famous, as Aubrey makes note of that plenty of times on his previous records and here. Instead of sulking over women and lost strippers he was looking to save, he’s looking to save himself from all the complications that come along with his rise.

There’s little room for ballads on the 69-minute, 17-track night journey, though much of its R&B influences is sprinkled through the production. Though Drake’s right-hand men Noah “40” Shebib and Boi-1da handle a good chunk of the beats, much of its ethereal vision is propelled by the youthful appearances of OVOSound’s PARTYNEXTDOOR, SykSense, Eric Dingus, WondaGurl, and Sevn Thomas. The startling “Preach” is the only track that can really give way to radio spins, acting as a well-done sequel to “Recognize,” and the “Wednesday Night Interlude” continues to showcase Aubrey’s recruit and the sole R&B-esque track on here. As he’s mainly rapping throughout, there’s a number of samples from 100% Ginuwine and Ciara’s “Body Party” buried throughout the record if repeated listens dig in the right place.

As hefty and introspective the album comes across, it is the closing bonus track and third of his rapping vent series “6PM in New York” that becomes his most talked-about song here in the long run. From telling fellow Cash Money labelmate Tyga to “act his age and not his girl’s age” to briefly reflecting on the police brutality incidents, Drake ties themes together without it sounding forced; it’s his best lyrical display of boxing in quite some time. His songwriting and rapping ability continues to be heavily underrated, and “6PM” further exemplifies his meticulously tenacity.

It’s like every other project Drake has released since So Far Gone has raised the bar of his sound. SFG was a moody introduction that hit at his pop sensibilities, molding it to an even grander and exhaustive version of those ideas on Take Care. With If You’re Reading, it goes back to what made him so great to begin with along with the broodiness of Nothing Was The Same fleshed out. One thing, for sure, is that Drake is on the throne holding the crown, and it’s going to take a hell of a lot for him to drop it.

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Aubrey Drake Graham “Drizzy Drake” Biography

First off grab one of our HQ Free Drake Wallpapers! Now Before we get into Aubrey Drake Graham’s Biography we have compiled a short list of the most popular looked for Drake information. Instead of having to wander around aimlessly through our Drake blog, how about starting here so you can get the 411 on what everyone loves about Drake. Below is a list of the top looked for Drake information:

A lot of fans wanted to know 10 Girls Drake Has Allegedly Dated. Also have you ever wonder why you were a Drake fan? Try checking out what fans said about You Know Your A Drake Fan When.

Finding some tour dates sometimes is hard, so why not view the official Where To Find Drake’s Tour Schedule. If you like all of Drake mixtapes, then you’ll love the collection of official and DJ produced Drake Mixtapes. Once you get all the downloads you want to satisfy your Drake fix, check A List Of All Drake’s Lyrics.

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If all you want to do is find 1,000’s of pictures of Drake because your totally in love with him, then check out this HUGE collection of Drake Pictures and Photos. In the end if you just want to kick back and listen to some Drizzy tunes, Listen To Drake Radio. :)

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian actor, rapper and singer. He is best known for playing Jimmy Brooks, the physically disabled character on Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a rapper, he performs under the mononym Drake, and is often billed as the new version of The Fresh Prince. After rumours of signing with Young Money Entertainment, it was later confirmed that Drake is only affiliated with the label, and he is currently signed to Cash Money and Universal Motown Records. He is managed by Hip Hop Since 1978.
Drake’s Early life and career

Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis; his uncle is musician Teenie Hodges. His father is African American (a native of Memphis, Tennessee) and his mother 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,[9] attending elementary school at Forest Hill Public School, and high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he began acting. He also spent many summers with his father in Memphis.
Drake’s Acting career

In 2001, Graham began his acting career, playing the role of Jimmy Brooks, a character on Degrassi: The Next Generation. His role on the show ended in 2009, when producers cut the entire Degrassi staff for a new group of actors.

In February 2006, Drake released his first mixtape Room for Improvement. It was made available via his website and official MySpace page. From the success of his first mixtape, he later began releasing more, capitalizing from the buzz.

In 2007, he released Comeback Season to much critical acclaim and praise. It was from here on where Graham started gaining popularity when he did his first song with Lil Wayne, a remix of the already popular song “Man of the Year” which Wayne didn’t rap in but had ad-libs in the end of the song. In 2008, he released Heartbreak Drake, yet again a popular release and gaining more acclaim and buzz for the artist. So Far Gone, which included Drake’s mentor Lil Wayne, and members of Young Money, was released in 2009. Also in 2007, Graham became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to have his music video featured on BET when his first single, “Replacement Girl” was featured as the “Joint of the Day” in April 2007.

While working on his mixtapes and his album, Drake has worked with Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Little Brother, Mary J. Blige, and Jamie Foxx. Drake has also written for Jazz Cartier, Bishop Brigante and Dr. Dre.

He has achieved this success without even signing to a major record label, according to his management Hip Hop Since 1978. In June 2009, it was revealed that an unauthorized album entitled The Girls Love Drake and credited to Drake was up for sale on iTunes. A lawsuit is planned against the label.

On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of July 4, 2009, both “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl” by Young Money Entertainment (a supergroup that includes Drake) entered the top ten at positions 3 and 10 respectively. Drake is only the second artist to have his first two top ten hits in the same week. The first was fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado who entered the top ten in 2001 with “I’m Like A Bird” the same week as Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”, a remix of which included a credited contribution from Furtado.

Should “Best I Ever Had” reach the #1 position, Drake could be only the second artist to have a #1 single without having a recording contract. The first was Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories with “Stay (I Missed You)” in 1993.
On June 29, 2009 it was confirmed Drake signed a record deal with Cash Money/Universal/Motown, which was considered “one of the biggest bidding wars ever”. He plans to release his official debut album, Thank Me Later, in late 2009, and has confirmed collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne.
So Far Gone

                    

February 13, 2009, Drake Graham released his third official mixtape title “So Far Gone”. The mixtape went for free download on his blog site which featured Drizzy’s mentor Weezy, Bun B, Omarion, Llyod and his friend, Trey Songz. It received well over 2,000 downloads in the first 2 hours of release. This mixtape was extremely successful in the underground rap industry and eventually made its way to radio stations across the nation. Due to the success of mixtape’s two singles, “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful”, it was released as an EP featuring only five songs from the from the original mixtape and included one new song. MTV named “So Far Gone” the hottest mixtape of 2009. Since the release of “So Far Gone” Drake has worked with DJ Khaled, Young Money, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, Birdman, Trey Songz, and Jamie Foxx. Drake has also written for Jazz Cartier, Bishop Brigante, Alicia Keys, and Dr. Dre.

He achieved success before signing to a major record label, according to his management Hip Hop Since 1978. In June 2009, it was revealed that an unauthorized album entitled The Girls Love Drake and credited to Graham was up for sale on iTunes. A lawsuit was planned against the label.

On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of July 4, 2009, both “Best I Ever Had”, and “Every Girl” by Young Money Entertainment entered the top ten at positions 3 and 10 respectively. Graham is only the second artist to have his first two top ten hits in the same week. The first was fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado who entered the top ten in 2001 with “I’m Like A Bird” the same week as Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”, a remix of which included a credited contribution from Furtado. On June 29, 2009, it was confirmed, that Graham signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment. This followed what Billboard purported to be “one of the biggest bidding wars ever”. Graham toured with Wayne and other rap artists on the America’s Most Wanted Tour.

On July 31, 2009, Graham, who was performing on an already injured knee, fell on stage while performing “Best I Ever Had”, with Lil Wayne in Camden, New Jersey. Graham underwent surgery on September 8, 2009 for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He was currently undergoing rehabilitation and was able to walk.

On September 15, 2009, So Far Gone was released as a seven-track EP in which five of the tracks were from the original mixtape. It debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. Since then the album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold in the United States. On April 18, 2010, the album won Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.
Thank Me Later

Graham planned to release his official debut album, Thank Me Later, in late 2009, but the album’s release date was postponed, first to March 2010, then May 25, 2010. Universal Motown then stated the album had been pushed back three weeks for a June 15, 2010 release. The album has confirmed collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. On March 9, 2010, Graham released the first single from his Thank Me Later album, also known as “Over”. It reached No. 14 on the Hot 100.

On March 12, 2010, a version of K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Graham is featured in the song, performing a solo verse near the end of the song.

On April 29, 2010, it was announced that Graham had finished Thank Me Later. According to reports, Graham announced the completion of the album to a crowd during his April 26, 2010, show at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. His camp has since confirmed that Drake was finished with the final track to the album and the next single from the album would be titled “Find Your Love”. “Find Your Love” was released as the second single on May 5, 2010, and has become the most successful single from the album, as it has reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, becoming the most successful single from the album to date.

The third single from the album, “Miss Me”, featuring Lil Wayne, was released on June 1, 2010. It has reached No. 15 on the Hot 100.

On June 15, 25,000 fans gathered at New York’s South Street Seaport for a free concert by Drake and Hanson. A near riot ensued after police canceled the show due to over-flowing crowds.

The album, Thank Me Later, was finally released on June 15, 2010. Drake collaborated with artists such as Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, T.I. and Lil Wayne to create the album. The record sold 447,000 records in its first week, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and becoming his first release to do so. Due to his first week sales, Graham had sold the most records for any hip hop artist in one week in 2010, until Eminem easily passed that mark a week later.

Drake hosted the first annual Ovo (October’s Very Own) Festival. In that festival he brought out the VIP list of rap stars including: Jay-Z, Eminem, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Bun B and Fabolous.

In 2008, Drake spoke about his past relationship with Keshia Chanté on the second verse of his song “Deceiving”, referencing Chanté’s mother, Tessa, stating “when I say I’m serious, you claim your only teasing” and “What up Tessa? I love you like my own mama, and your daughters getting grown mama, and me, I’m just here working, waiting, patient for her to be ready for love and leave alone drama”

In May 2009, Drake finally speaks with MuchMusic about his song “Deceiving” and addressed speculation of his past relationship with Chante, “Would I call Keshia Chante an ex? I’d be proud to say she is an ex. I’m proud to say we had our time, when we were, like 16 years old. She’s great. She’s one of the first people in the industry that I met, we just connected.”

In June 2009, Drake did two remixes to Chante’s song “Fallen” where he addresses his love for her, on Version 1 he raps “Keshia, Keshia, do you remember the old us? They said we’d never be together that’s what they told us. Immature kids, to entrepreneur kids.” then on Version 2, he raps “you just hold it down for your boy until the plaques arrive, that’s why I love you.”

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Drake Biography

Drake - Mini Biography (TV-14; 3:06) Drake came to fame playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks in seven seasons of, "Degrassi: The Next Generation." Drake began circulating mixtapes of his raps, and signed a record deal. His songs include "Best I Ever Had," and "Take Care."

Synopsis

Famed hip-hop artist Drake was born to a mixed-race couple in Canada in 1986, and raised Jewish. He came to fame playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks in seven seasons of the popular teen soap Degrassi: The Next Generation. In 2006, Drake began circulating mixtapes of his raps, and signed a record deal in 2009. His hit songs include "Every Girl," "Best I Ever Had," "Money to Blow" and "Take Care."

Early Life

Drake, the world's only black Jewish-Canadian rap star, was born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. Drake grew up with music in his blood. His father, Dennis Graham, was a drummer for legendary rock star Jerry Lee Lewis, and Drake says that his mother, Sandi Graham, also hails from a "very musical" family. Drake comes from an eclectic and unique racial and religious background. His father is an African-American Catholic and his mother is a white Canadian Jew. Speaking about his personal identity, Drake says, "At the end of the day, I consider myself a black man because I'm more immersed in black culture than any other. Being Jewish is kind of a cool twist. It makes me unique."

Drake's parents divorced when he was 5 years old, and he was raised by his mother in Forest Hill, an affluent and predominantly Jewish Toronto neighborhood. He had a Bar Mitzvah at age 13 and observed the Jewish High Holy Days with his mother. "My mom has always made Hanukkah fun," Drake recalls. "When I was younger, she gave cool gifts and she'd make latkes." Despite his Jewish upbringing, Drake says he felt isolated at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, his virtually all-white high school. Drake remembers, "Nobody understood what it was like to be black and Jewish." However, he also adds, "being different from everyone else just made me a lot stronger.

'Degrassi' Star

It was one of Drake's classmates at Forest Hill who gave him his start in the entertainment industry. "There was a kid in my class whose father was an agent," Drake would later explain, adding, "His dad would say, 'If there's anyone in the class that makes you laugh, have them audition for me.' After the audition he became my agent."

Shortly afterward, in 2001, Drake landed a role on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. The show follows the dramatic lives of a group of teenagers at Degrassi High School, and Drake played the part of Jimmy Brooks, sometimes dubbed "Wheelchair Jimmy," a basketball star who becomes permanently wheelchair bound when he is shot by a classmate.

Drake starred on Degrassi for seven years (2001-09), earning a 2002 Young Artist Award for best ensemble in a TV series, among other honors. The show quickly developed a devoted cult following—"There are very few subtleDegrassi fans," Drake has said—propelling Drake to celebrity status in Canada, even while he remained relatively anonymous in the United States.

Hip-Hop Fame

While still staring on Degrassi, Drake began attempting his transition into the world of hip-hop. He released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006, achieving modest sales around approximately 6,000 copies. He followed that with the 2007 release of another mixtape, Comeback Season.Comeback Season included Drake's first hit single and music video, "Replacement Girl," which was featured as the New Joint of the Day on BET's popular hip-hop television show 106 & Park.

In 2008, the producers of Degrassi overhauled the cast, eliminating Drake's character. Without his steady source of income, and not yet making significant money as a rapper, Drake was on the verge of looking for a day job. "I was coming to terms with the fact that ... I might have to work at a restaurant or something just to keep things going," he remembers. But early in 2008, Drake received an unexpected call from rap star Lil Wayne, who asked Drake to board a flight to Houston that night to join his tour.

Since that phone call, Drake has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the music world. After touring and recording with Lil Wayne, Drake released his third mixtape, So Far Gone, in February 2009. It featured the infectiously catchy single "Best I Ever Had," which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Since then, Drake's barrage of catchy, R&B-infused hip-hop songs have dominated radio airwaves. His most popular singles at this time included "Every Girl," "Forever" and "Money to Blow."

By mid-2009, Drake had inked a record deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment.

Chart-Topping Success

On June 15, 2010, Drake released his first full studio album, Thank Me Later, which debuted at No. 1 on both American and Canadian album charts and has since been certified platinum. Drake's new persona as the cocksure prince of hip-hop ("Last name ever, first name greatest," he brags on one track) seems to clash with his middle-class Jewish upbringing and former career as a teenage soap-opera star.

Nevertheless, Drake attempts to fuse these seemingly incongruous stages of his life into one persona. On the December 2009 cover of Vibe magazine, Drake sports a diamond-crusted Chai, a hip-hop style shout out to his Jewish roots. And in his song "The Presentation," he raps, "Who's Drake? Where's Wheelchair Jimmy at?"

In November 2011, Drake released his second studio album, Take Care, which included songs like "Headlines," "Make Me Proud," "The Motto" and "Take Care." The album met with wide acclaim, winning the 2013 Grammy Award for best rap album, among several other honors.

Infamous Feud

Despite his big successes on the music charts, Drake has hit a few rough patches in his personal life. In recent years, he and fellow entertainer Chris Brown have become rivals over singer Rihanna. The pair's bitter feud erupted in violence during the summer of 2012 at a New York nightclub. Several people were injured as a result of Drake and Brown's fight.

While no one has been criminally charged for the incident, both Drake and Brown have found themselves facing legal consequences for their actions. Professional basketball player Tony Parker, a male model and two women—all hurt in the brawl—are among those who have filed suit against the performers. In addition, Drake and Brown began legal proceedings against each other in court in early 2013 over who is responsible for starting the grisly clash.

Around this time, Drake settled another legal matter out of court. He reached an agreement with former girlfriend Ericka Lee over her contributions to the song "Marvin's Room." Lee had sued Drake in 2012 seeking credit for co-writing the track.

Recent Projects

Personal obstacles never seem to sidetrack Drake for long. He released a new single, "Started from the Bottom," in early 2013. The song, from his critically-acclaimed 2013 album Nothing was the Same, reflects his personal struggle for fame and success. "I just wanted to make it known that I did work really hard to get here and it wasn't just a fluke and it wasn't easy by any means," he explained to MTV News.

As his rap career moves forward, Drake hopes that his unconventional rise to hip-hop fame will continue to prove an asset, not a hindrance. "This whole thing is unusual at this point," he says, "so we're just rolling with the fairytale vibe."

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11 Things you didn't know about Drake

Image: George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images

He's one seemingly mysterious man, but we're revealing all the secrets about Drake

1. 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.
2013 BET Awards nominations: Drake's the man to beat>>

2. His real name is Aubrey Graham.
Believe it or not, but Drake is only his middle name. Aubrey Graham is the given name of Drake, something we think may not have made him the sexy, mysterious celebrity he is today.

3. He has appeared in children’s programs, including Ice Age: Continental Drift.
Drake is not only still acting, he is doing some voice acting as well. He appeared in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, as Ethan, the young mammoth.

4. He is Canadian.
Drake was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1986 (and even played hockey as a child).

5. He was raised Jewish.
Drake’s mother is a Jewish Canadian, and he attended a Jewish Day School and even had a bar mitzvah.
2013 BET Awards Playlist: Beyoncé, J.T. and more >>

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. He has a crush on Nicki Minaj.
Drake admitted back in 2010 that 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.

9. 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 on June 20. The video shows Drake being denied access because he didn’t have a media pass.

10. 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. There have since been rumors the two have been considering rekindling their relationship.
BET Awards: Beyoncé and other soulful divas' top performances >>

11. He’s never been in love.
The rapper recently spoke with GQ magazine about the Rihanna relationship, and how he realized he never felt that he loved her.
"I had lunch the other day with someone I extremely look up to. I had lunch with Will Smith, and listening to him talk, it made me think I don't know what love is," he toldGQ. "He said something profound. He said love is when you become one and you need that person. It's not about wanting anymore, you need that person. Hearing that, I don't know if I've ever felt that way."
The singer-rapper announced on June 24 that his new album Nothing Was the Samewill be released on Sept. 17.

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