Drake is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He first 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 rose to prominence as a rapper and singer following the release of his fourth mixtape, Thank Me Later, in 2010, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His next two releases, 2011's Take Care and 2013's Nothing Was the Same, were commercially successful; the former earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, and the latter his second 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. In 2016, Drake released his fourth studio album, Views, which became his first album to top both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. Drake's music has incorporated elements of R&B, hip hop, pop, trap, and dancehall, and has sold over