His fans know him as Drake, one of the most successful rappers today. However, his family knows him by his real name, Aubrey Drake Graham. Drake is best known for his chart-topping raps that have recently brought him great success. As defined in the Encyclopedia Britannica, rap music is a musical style in which rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted (“rapped”) to musical accompaniment. It also states that this backing music, which can include digital sampling (music and sounds extracted from other recordings), is also called hip-hop. Drake is known for using wordplay in his raps to make fun of the popular culture mentioned in his music. Before Drake became a rapper, he starred in a hit TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He was featured in the first few seasons as a basketball-loving student who starts a band, which includes rap music, with some of his fellow classmates. Drake grew up in a musical environment, whereas his mother came from a musical family and his father was the drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis. His musical background contributed to his rising as a rapper. Most of Drake’s songs include his difficulties that he had throughout his life, such as his parent’s divorce and an identity crisis. His songs also mention how he handles his career today as a musician and his relationships with women. His album titles, ”Thank Me Later” and “Take Care” come from life experiences. His experiences throughout life, including one’s happening now, impact tremendously on his music.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Category 1: Childhood
Entry 1:
Entry 2:
Reflection:
Drake has had his fair share of struggles throughout his life. His parents divorced at a young age, his mother basically raised him on her own. He had to become a man at a young age because of this. Now, his mom is going through a tough time fighting a serious illness. In my opinion, Drake’s struggles results in success. He uses hard times in his life and includes them in his music, which makes them so popular. Also, experiencing life without a real father figure, taught him to be a better person himself. He doesn’t want to live up to be like his father. If it wasn’t for all the bad experiences Drake had, he would not have been able to create the songs that are topping the charts as we speak. Just about all of Drake’s songs includes something his fans can relate to which makes the songs so popular.
Drake was born to the name of Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. He is biracial; mixed between African American and Caucasian. He was raised by the Jewish religion in which he believes makes him unique. Drake’s mother and father got divorced shortly after he turned five years old. His mother basically raised him the rest of his childhood life after the divorce. He grew up in a neighborhood called Forrest Hill which was mostly made up of people who shared Drake’s Jewish religion. Drake participated in his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13. His mother always incorporated their religion in their home. Drake attended school at Forrest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he was considered a minority. The school was made mostly of all Caucasian students which made Drake feel isolated. However, his insecurity made him a stronger person. Although, his mother raised him most of his life, Drake spent his summers living with his father in Memphis, Tennessee. Without a father figure, Drake had to become a man at a very young age so he could help support his mother. Drake grew up in a middle-class family while living in Toronto while his father wasn’t well off and lived in the “rough” part of Memphis. He basically lived in two different worlds. In his early teen years, Drake appeared in many different commercials for companies such as Sears and GMC. Drake once said, “I’ve seen things in my childhood that didn’t make me happy. They were character building.”
http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834
Entry 2:
Reflection:
Drake has had his fair share of struggles throughout his life. His parents divorced at a young age, his mother basically raised him on her own. He had to become a man at a young age because of this. Now, his mom is going through a tough time fighting a serious illness. In my opinion, Drake’s struggles results in success. He uses hard times in his life and includes them in his music, which makes them so popular. Also, experiencing life without a real father figure, taught him to be a better person himself. He doesn’t want to live up to be like his father. If it wasn’t for all the bad experiences Drake had, he would not have been able to create the songs that are topping the charts as we speak. Just about all of Drake’s songs includes something his fans can relate to which makes the songs so popular.
Drake grew up with music in his blood. His mother, Sandi Graham came from a musical family, while his father, Dennis Graham was a drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis. Even though his mother has a musical background, her career was in the educational field; she was a teacher. Drake’s mother is a native of Toronto, Canada and his father is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Drake’s parents had a huge impact on his life. It was his mother who pushed him into his acting career. All the tough times he had with his father after his parents divorced at a young age, inspired to not only be a better and stronger person but, also inspired his songs and albums. His mother was of the Caucasian race while his father was African American. His father was also Catholic but, his mother was Jewish. Drake was raised in the Jewish religion. Drake’s mother has recently become sick and Drake stresses about losing her which takes a major toll on his career. Drake also has not seen his father in quite some time. His father tried to contact him once Drake started to become famous but, Drake thought he only wanted to be in his life because of the fame. Drake’s relationship with his father is hardly ever spoken of but, a lot of his recent songs talk about experiences with his father and some about feelings he has towards his father. His mother’s recent illness is mentioned in a few of his songs.
http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834
http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834
http://ww.imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Entry 3:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Entry 3:
Is a fellow classmate of Drake’s at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute the one to should receive credit for Drake’s success? It was in fact, a fellow classmate who started Drake’s career in the entertainment industry. Drake states, “There was a kid in my class whose father was an agent. 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.” His agent then landed him a spot on the hit TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, shortly after. Drake was a big celebrity in Canada but, not so much of a celebrity in the United States. After seven years of starring on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake and the original cast was cut from the show and replaced by an entire new cast of actors. He then had no source of income. Then after his acting career ended after seven years, Drake made a mixtape based on the struggles he was going through in his life. He titled it, “Room for improvement.” He shared it through Myspace to many producers. This brought about his career in the music industry. At first, Drake was real shy and scared to perform his songs in front of people. However, he knew he had to get over his fear in order to further his career in the music industry. Obviously, he overcame his fear because now he is one of the most famous and successful rappers in the music industry.
http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Category 2: Career
Entry 1:
In 2001, Drake became a part of the Canadian teen series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He starred as Jimmy Brooks and was later on known as “Wheelchair Jimmy.” He received the name, Wheelchair Jimmy, after he became physically disabled from the waist down as a result of being shot by a classmate and was wheelchair bound in the first season. The character, Jimmy Brooks was a basketball star before he was shot. Later on in the series, Jimmy joined a band with some of his fellow classmates in which rap music was involved. He was generally the drummer but also rapped and sang. This is when Drake made the transition into the world of hip hop. Drake starred as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation for a total of seven years. His role on the show ended in 2009, when the producers cut most of the cast and replaced the original cast with an all new group of actors. This took away his source of income, forcing him to look for a day job. This was a very difficult time in Drake’s life and brought about many struggles. Even though, the TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation wasn’t very popular in the United States, in Canada, Degrassi: The Next Generation made Drake into a celebrity. His small fame from his acting period in his life helped bring about his next successful career in the music industry. After his debut in the TV series, Drake then started his next step in his career, music.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Entry 2:
Entry 3:
Drake became famous very quickly because he has potential of being a very successful rapper. The Young Rapper started writing songs and raps when he was ten years old. Furthermore, he began his career as a small screen actor and got his first role as a high-schooler named Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. As years passed by, his rise to fame came closer as he got more roles in other TV series. After his career as a screenplay actor he decided to move on to the music industry where he became a star rapper. On February 2006, Drake released his first mix tape “Room for Improvement” and through the years he released more. Drake was found by Young Money where he worked with other famous rappers Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Lloyd, Kanye West, and many more. Drake is famous for his song, Forever. Drake’s Best I Ever Had in his first album “So Far Gone”, released in 2009 soon gained his popularity. Drake made his debut at number one on Billboard hot rap tracks with Best I Ever Had the single in the album “So Far Gone”. What raised his popularity and fame was the fact that he started as an indie singer before he was signed into Lil Wayne’s label, Young Money. The latest album of Drake “Take Care” came out big which released on November 15, 2011. The album includes features from Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Andre 3000, Rick Ross and Drake’s mentor Lil Wayne.
Reflection:
In 2001, Drake became a part of the Canadian teen series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He starred as Jimmy Brooks and was later on known as “Wheelchair Jimmy.” He received the name, Wheelchair Jimmy, after he became physically disabled from the waist down as a result of being shot by a classmate and was wheelchair bound in the first season. The character, Jimmy Brooks was a basketball star before he was shot. Later on in the series, Jimmy joined a band with some of his fellow classmates in which rap music was involved. He was generally the drummer but also rapped and sang. This is when Drake made the transition into the world of hip hop. Drake starred as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation for a total of seven years. His role on the show ended in 2009, when the producers cut most of the cast and replaced the original cast with an all new group of actors. This took away his source of income, forcing him to look for a day job. This was a very difficult time in Drake’s life and brought about many struggles. Even though, the TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation wasn’t very popular in the United States, in Canada, Degrassi: The Next Generation made Drake into a celebrity. His small fame from his acting period in his life helped bring about his next successful career in the music industry. After his debut in the TV series, Drake then started his next step in his career, music.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Entry 2:
Drake began his career in music with the release of his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, in 2006. Since then, his music career has brought about great success for Drake. After that, he began sending more mixtape to different music producers until finally, in 2009, he signed a record deal. Ever since, he has made platinum albums and chart-topping songs. Some of his most popular songs include, Forever, Best I Ever Had, Headlines, and Marvin’s Room. Drake’s music includes many different moods such as arrogance, self-pity, sadness, and tenderness which attract a lot of fans on a level that they can relate to. Drake’s music reflects different aspects of his life- family, relationships, and fame. “We live in a generation of not being in love,” he states in one of his newest songs, Doing It Wrong, which explains his problems in his relationship. In the song, Up All Night, featuring fellow rapper, Nicki Minaj, Drake speaks of his fame; “Famous like a drug that I’ve taken too much of.” Drake is featured on many other artist’s albums including, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Trey Songz. As stated in the magazine, Rolling Stone, “Hip-Hop has never produced anything like Drake – a guy with a Jay-Z ego and a Charlie Brown soul.” His platinum album released in 2010, was his first album released, while the album, Take Care, followed later on. Drake is now a part of the record label, Young Money, since he signed with them in 2009. Their slogan, “Young Money Cash Money Business” has recently become very famous as well as Drake’s personal motto mentioned in one of his recent songs, YOLO: You Only Live Once.
Entry 3:
Drake became famous very quickly because he has potential of being a very successful rapper. The Young Rapper started writing songs and raps when he was ten years old. Furthermore, he began his career as a small screen actor and got his first role as a high-schooler named Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. As years passed by, his rise to fame came closer as he got more roles in other TV series. After his career as a screenplay actor he decided to move on to the music industry where he became a star rapper. On February 2006, Drake released his first mix tape “Room for Improvement” and through the years he released more. Drake was found by Young Money where he worked with other famous rappers Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Lloyd, Kanye West, and many more. Drake is famous for his song, Forever. Drake’s Best I Ever Had in his first album “So Far Gone”, released in 2009 soon gained his popularity. Drake made his debut at number one on Billboard hot rap tracks with Best I Ever Had the single in the album “So Far Gone”. What raised his popularity and fame was the fact that he started as an indie singer before he was signed into Lil Wayne’s label, Young Money. The latest album of Drake “Take Care” came out big which released on November 15, 2011. The album includes features from Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Andre 3000, Rick Ross and Drake’s mentor Lil Wayne.
Reflection:
Drake is one of the most successful rappers today. Many people believe that fame changes a person; they become arrogant and self-centered. That may be true in some cases, but my personal opinion is that with all the recent fame that has been brought towards Drake, he hasn’t changed in a negative way. Drake takes past bad experiences and uses them in his music. He claims that his hard childhood has made him stronger as a person and has taught him a lot. If anything, I believe that Drake has changed in a positive way. He uses his experiences and includes them in his music, which helps his fans that have gone through similar situations. His fans can relate to his music, which has a major positive impact on his fame and success.“The realest people say your lyrics do a lot for me. I took my story and made it history.” –Drake
Category 3: How His Career Impacted His Life
Entry 1:
In case you didn't know, Drake isn't your average rapper. Maybe it’s because he is able to can spit a mean 16-bars on the microphone, and then switch it up and sing his own hooks and melodies. It is obvious that Drake is not afraid to step out of the box when it comes to his music. Drake has recently accomplished the unimaginable. His mixtape "So Far Gone" made in 2009 has sold more copies than most artists' full-length albums. Also in 2010, Drake’s hit song "Best I Ever Had" was nominated for two Grammy awards before Drake had released the album the song belongs in. Drake’s album “Thank Me Later” recently became platinum. There is no doubt that Drake is a successful asset to the music industry. Drake’s recent song, Successful, talks about how successful he really is. “Yeah, I want it all, that’s why I strive for it. Diss me, and you’ll never hear a reply for it. Any awards show or party, man I get fly for it. I know that it’s comin’, I just hope that I’m alive for it.” –Drake, Successful . Even Drake’s father spoke of his son’s success to Fox Action News 5 after not being a part of his son’s life for most of his childhood. He mentioned the impact it had on Drake. In what seemed like a matter of minutes, Drake went from being virtually unknown to the rapper most likely to succeed, which led to one of the biggest major label bidding wars in hip-hop history.http://www.bet.com/news/music/2011/11/16/drake-s-father-speaks-on-son-s-success.html
http://ww.biography.com/people/drake-596834
http://ww.biography.com/people/drake-596834
Entry 2:
Over the last four years, Drake has made over four million dollars. Drake now owns a mansion he bought from 1970’s Jimmy Page. Drake flaunts his large amount of money throughout many of his songs including Money to Blow. “I got 'em. They can't help it, and I can't blame 'em. Since I got famous, boy! I got money to blow. Gettin' it in, lettin' these bills fall all over your skin. I got money to blow.” –Drake, Money to Blow. He also mentions his money in his remixed song, Money. “And my, proceeds and cash right, money. There's, no need to stash right, money. I got the same, 4 g's from last night, money. You cannot take that from me, homie.” –Drake, Money. His successful career has brought him millions of dollars.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=24&sid=5e184055-d4a9-43f8-a3b2-b18
http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/drake-lyrics/money-remix-lyrics.html
Reflection:
http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/drake-lyrics/money-remix-lyrics.html
Reflection:
Drake is one of the most successful rappers today. Many people believe that fame changes a person; they become arrogant and self-centered. That may be true in some cases, but my personal opinion is that with all the recent fame that has been brought towards Drake, he hasn’t changed in a negative way. Drake takes past bad experiences and uses them in his music. He claims that his hard childhood has made him stronger as a person and has taught him a lot. If anything, I believe that Drake has changed in a positive way. He uses his experiences and includes them in his music, which helps his fans that have gone through similar situations. His fans can relate to his music, which has a major positive impact on his fame and success.“The realest people say your lyrics do a lot for me. I took my story and made it history.” -Drake
Conclusion
Recently known as Drake, one of the most successful rappers today, Aubrey Graham takes his relationships, childhood, and recent fame and incorporates them into his music. Drake is best known for his chart-topping raps that have brought him great success. Drake is best known for his clever use of wordplay in his music. Before Drake became a rapper, he had a career as an actor. He starred in a hit TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation. He pursued his acting career until 2007, when the producers cut the entire original cast and replaced them with new actors. Drake has a musical background, his mother has a very musical family and his father was the drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis. His musical background contributed to his rising as a rapper. Most of Drake’s songs include his difficulties that he had throughout his life, such as his parent’s divorce and relationship problems. However, his does flaunt his great success in most of his music. Drake mentions, “If it wasn’t for all of the rough patches I’ve experienced in my life, I doubt I would as successful in the music industry as I am now. I thank God for the struggles, they resulted in success.” Drake has witnessed big differences in lifestyles since he has become famous. He grew up in a middle class family and recently signed a 4 million dollar contract. Drake’s career continues to become more successful after each album. He is now working on his third album that should bring even more success.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Aubrey Graham - IMDb. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2012, from IMDb: http://imdb.com/name/nm1013044/
Carter, K. L. (2011, December 5). Being Drake. (cover story). Jet , 120 (23), pp. 22-26.
Carter, K. L. (2010, September 20). Drake. (cover story). Jet , 118 (12), pp. 28-32.
Drake Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2012, from Bio. True Story: http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834
Drake ups the ante - in his somberly worldbeating kind of way. (2011). Rolling Stone (1145), 99-100.
Encyclopedia Britannica - Rap Music. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2012, from Enyclopedia Britannica: http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9473158?query=query=Rap%20Music&ct=null
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