Claim: Drake is a rapper.

Aubrey Drake Graham -LRB- born October 24 , 1986 -RRB- better known by the stage name Drake , is a Canadian rapper , singer , songwriter , record producer , and actor . Drake initially gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi : The Next Generation in the early 2000s . Intent on pursuing a career as a rapper , he departed the series in 2007 following the release of his debut mixtape , Room for Improvement . He released two further independent projects , Comeback Season and So Far Gone , before signing to Lil Wayne 's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009 .   Drake released his debut studio album Thank Me Later in 2010 , which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America -LRB- RIAA -RRB- . His next two releases were 2011 's Take Care and 2013 's Nothing Was the Same , with certifications of quadruple and triple platinum respectively in the U.S. , with the former also earning him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album . They were followed by two mixtapes , with the trap-influenced If You 're Reading This It 's Too Late , and a collaboration with Future for What a Time to Be Alive , in 2015 , which both also earned platinum certification in the U.S.   Drake released his fourth album , Views , in 2016 , breaking several chart records in the process . The dancehall-influenced album sat atop the Billboard 200 for ten nonconsecutive weeks , becoming the first album by a solo male to do so in over 10 years . Its single `` One Dance '' topped the chart in several countries , including the U.S. , the UK and Canada , where it became his first number-one single as the lead artist . This saw Drake leading the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 simultaneously for eight weeks , coming close to a record held by Whitney Houston . It achieved quadruple platinum status in the U.S. , and earned over 1 million album-equivalent units in the first week of its release . The single `` Hotline Bling '' secured him his second and third Grammy win , for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song , at the organization 's 59th ceremony .   Drake released the multi-genre More Life in 2017 . Described by Drake as a playlist , it was his seventh consecutive number one on the Billboard 200 , and set multiple streaming records .   Drake owns several Billboard chart records . He has the most charted songs -LRB- 154 -RRB- among solo artists in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 , the most simultaneously charted Hot 100 songs in a single week -LRB- 24 -RRB- , and the most Hot 100 debuts in a week -LRB- 21 -RRB- . Drake also has the most number one singles on the Hot Rap Songs , Hot R&B / Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Charts . Alongside his Grammy Award wins , Drake has won three Juno Awards and six American Music Awards .   Drake has developed other ventures , including his OVO Sound record label with longtime collaborator Noah `` 40 '' Shebib . Drake acts as a producer , producing under the pseudonym of Champagne Papi . Using the `` OVO '' moniker , Drake has his own clothing line and his own program on Beats 1 Radio . He is also currently acting as the global ambassador for NBA franchise , the Toronto Raptors .