Its another epic Throwback Thursday (TBT) and this week, we will be revisiting how famous rapper, Drake made it through his career as we carefully analysis every of his growth.
2001-2005: Degrassi; The Next Generation
At 15, Drake encountered an acting agent who was the father of a high school friend. The agent found Drake a role on Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Drake portrayed Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate. When asked about his early acting career, Drake replied, “My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV”. He would continue to appear on the show until 2007, returning for sporadic appearances until his character graduated from school. Overall, Drake appeared in a total of 145 episodes.
2006-2009: Early Mixtapes and So Far Gone
After becoming musically inspired by Jay Z and Clips, Drake self-released his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006. The mixtape featured Trey Songz and Lupe Fiasco, and included vast production from Canadian producers Boi-1da, and Frank Dukes. When asked about the mixtape, Drake described the project as “pretty straightforward, radio friendly, [and] not much content to it.” The mixtape was released for sale only, and confirmed to have sold over 6,000 copies. In 2007, he released his second mixtape, Comeback Season.
2010-2011: Thank Me Later
Drake planned to release his debut album, Thank Me Later, in late 2008, but the album’s release date was postponed, first to March 2010, and then to May 25, 2010. Young Money and Universal Motown had then released a statement that the album had again been pushed back three weeks, for a June 15, 2010, release.
2011-2012: Take Care
Beginning his second effort in fall 2010, Drake announced his intentions to allow for Noah “40” Shebib to handle most of the production and record a more cohesive sound than on Thank Me Later, which featured disparate production duties by Shebib and others. In November 2010, Drake revealed the title of his next studio album will be Take Care.
2012-2015: Nothing Was the Same and Commercial Mixtapes
During the European leg of the Club Paradise Tour, Drake spoke in an interview stating that he had begun working on his third studio album. Revealing his intentions to remain with 40 as the album’s executive producer, Drake spoke fondly about Jamie xx, hoping to expand the British producer’s influence over his next album. Drake had also revealed that the album would stylistically differ from Take Care, departing from the ambient production and despondent lyrics prevalent in the album.
2016-present: Views and More Life
Drake announced in January 2016 that his fourth studio album would be launched during the spring, releasing the promotional single “Summer Sixteen” later that month. The album was originally titled Views from the 6, but would later be shortened to Views. “Summer Sixteen” debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and proved controversial, with Drake comparing his standing in hip hop to more tenured artists. This move divided many contemporary music critics, describing his self-comparison as “goodly brash” or “conventionally disrespectful.
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