From ‘Degrassi’ to ‘Scorpion’ and Beyond: The Evolution of Drake

Drake

As we enter 2020, Drake is still on the grind as if he were that fresh-faced, Degrassi alum dropping his hip-hop debut. Over the course of his nearly decade-long career, the rapper born Aubrey Graham has gone from Lil Wayne signee to mainstream superstar — one who is capable of shattering streaming records and instantly shooting to the top of the charts.

Here, a trip down memory lane of Drake's evolution. 

(clockwise from lower left) Melissa McIntyre, Shenae Grimes, Shane Kippel, Aubrey Graham in Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-2007)

Before he was Champagne Papi, Drake was "Wheelchair Jimmy" on Degrassi. The long-running teen drama afforded him an acting career even before he rocked a mic on the regular. 

2009

Drake released his first commercial EP, So Far Gone, which darted to No. 6 on the Billboard 200. His debut single “Best I Ever Had” hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and wrapped 2009 at No. 1 on the year’s Hot Rap Songs tally. The EP’s success also helped Drake score Billboard’s year-end Top New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist honor for 2009.

2010

Drake’s first full-length album, Thank Me Later, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He also made his first trip to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, as a featured act on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?,” which topped the chart for one week in November.

2011

The MC netted another No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Take Care. The set houses five top 10 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: “Marvins Room” (No. 7), “Headlines” (No. 2), “Make Me Proud” (No. 1 – three weeks), “The Motto” (No. 1 – two weeks), and “Crew Love” (No. 9).

2012

It was a good year to be Drake, who reaped the benefits of Take Care on the 2012 Billboard year-end charts. He ranked as the top male artist across all genres, as well as the top R&B/Hip-Hop act. Take Care scored Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album honor for 2012 and won Drake his first Grammy Award, for best rap album, the following February.

2013

Drake’s No. 1 album streak continued as Nothing Was the Same opened in the top spot of the Billboard 200. The album gave him two more top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “Started From the Bottom” (No. 6) and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (No. 4). Despite its October release, the set finished 2013 as Billboard’s Top Rap Album and landed the runner-up slot the following year.

If you’re reading this, know that Drake earned his fourth straight No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late after its surprise release on Feb. 12.

2015

And if one Drake album wasn’t enough for 2015, he doubled down with his joint album with Future, What a Time to Be Alive. Drake premiered the record on his Apple Music Beats 1 program, OVO Sound Radio.

2015

Drake’s meme-ability hit new highs in late 2015 with the release of “Hotline Bling” and its music video. The song soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and tied the record for most weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs – 18, shared with Missy Elliott’s “Hot Boyz” (featuring Nas, Eve & Q-Tip) and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” (featuring Charli xCX). “Bling” also cashed in at the Grammy Awards, winning best rap song and best rap/sung performance.

Drake

Drake had teased his Views from the 6 album for nearly two years before it finally arrived in 2016. Shortened to simply Views, the set had a monster impact from its release – earning 1.04 million equivalent album units in its first week, according to Nielsen Music, and making it six straight No. 1 debuts for Drake on the Billboard 200. The album held the No. 1 spot for 13 weeks, the longest stretch at the top by any solo male since 1992.

Drake in Inglewood

The Drake domination extended to the songs charts with “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla, becoming his first No. 1 as a lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100 and ultimately commanding the chart for 10 weeks. “Dance” also took over the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 18 weeks, smashing the record for the longest stay at No. 1 on the list. And if that weren’t enough, “One Dance” also scooped up the official Billboard song of the summer accolade.

After a few delays, Drake released More Life on March 18, his third album in as many years. The 22-song set, which counts Kanye West, Young Thug, 2 Chainz and Quavo among its collaborators, breaks multiple streaming records upon its arrival: Apple Music reported its songs tallied a record 89.9 million streams in its first 24 hours, while Spotify noted the tracks earned a collective 61.3 million streams worldwide in its first full day of availability, breaking Ed Sheeran’s previous mark of 56.7 million plays.

Drake and J.Lo

Drake and Jennifer Lopez danced into 2017, sparking rumors that they were an item. While the fling was short-lived (she is said to be currently dating Alex Rodriguez), J.Lo did confirm that she and Drake collaborated on a song. On More Life, Lopez made somewhat of an appearance as her breakout 1999 hit “If You Had My Love” was sampled on the steamy “Teenage Fever.” Drake also spit a line that he drunk texts J.Lo on “Free Smoke.”

Drake, ‘Scorpion,’ 2018

Drake released his fifth studio album on June 28, 2018. The project enjoyed major commercial success, debuting atop the Billboard 200 with 732,000 album-equivalent units sold during its first week of sales. Scorpion was nominated for Album of the Year honors at the 2019 Grammy Awards and included Hot 100 No. 1 hits such as “In My Feelings” and “God’s Plan.”

Drake, Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne

The Young Money crew recently reunited when a newly single Nicki Minaj (she dated Drake’s for, Meek Mill) shared happy flicks alongside Lil Wayne and Drake on Instagram. The trio have collaborated on several hits including Minaj’s “No Frauds,” “Only” and “Truffle Butter” as well as rap duets like “Make Me Proud” featuring the Queen Barb and a slew of Weezy cuts like “Believe Me” and “Used To” among others. 

Drake teamed with the Migos to trek through North America for the second half of 2018 on the lucrative Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour. A plethora of surprise guests joined Drizzy on stage, as Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Meek Mill, and Trey Songz (pictured above) all made appearances on the tour.

Drake, “God’s Plan”

“God’s Plan” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth chart-topper in the United States. Drake released an accompanying music video on Feb. 18 documenting his charitable efforts giving away nearly $1,000,000 to those in need around Miami. The Karena Evans-directed visual now boasts more than one billion views on YouTube. “God’s Plan” took home Best Rap Song honors at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

2018

The bounce-fused “In My Feelings” swept through the nation thanks to a viral dance craze, which shattered streaming records and kept the Scorpion reigning supreme on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. The album’s fifth single played an integral role in the 6 God’s summer 2018 domination.

2019

Drake collected his fourth Grammy Award at the 61st annual show in 2019 thanks to “God’s Plan” notching a victory in the Best Rap Song category. It was a busy award season for Drizzy, who also earned nominations for “Nice For What,” “SICKO MODE,” and Scorpion.

2019

Drake poses with the awards for Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album for “Scorpion”, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Streaming Songs Artist, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Male Artist in the press room during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2019

Drake served as an executive producer on HBO’s Euphoria, which aired its first season during the summer of 2019. Drizzy’s investment proved to be a success, as the show starring Zendaya earned rave reviews from television critics and has been greenlit for a second season.