Drake

Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter from Toronto who became one of the defining figures of 21st-century popular music. He first gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation before shifting to music, releasing a string of mixtapes — Room for Improvement, Comeback Season, and So Far Gone — that built enormous buzz and led to hits like «Best I Ever Had.» That run caught the attention of Lil Wayne, and Drake signed to Young Money Entertainment, releasing his debut album Thank Me Later in 2010.

His sound blends melodic, sung hooks with rap verses, drawing on R&B, dancehall, and Atlanta trap production to create a smooth, moody, radio-friendly style that helped define the sound of mainstream hip-hop for over a decade. Tracks like «Hotline Bling,» «One Dance,» «In My Feelings,» and «God's Plan» show his range across dance-inflected pop, Caribbean-influenced rhythms, and introspective rap. He has been closely associated with producer Noah «40» Shebib, whose atmospheric production became a signature of Drake's records on the OVO Sound label.

Beyond his own catalog, Drake has been a prolific collaborator and hitmaker for other artists, and his commercial dominance on the Billboard charts across the 2010s and 2020s made him one of the most streamed artists in music history. His high-profile rivalries and collaborations alike have kept him a constant presence in hip-hop culture.