Alternative History
Drake
Drake in 2010
Drake peforming at Bumbershoot in 2010
Background information
Birth name Aubrey Drake Graham
Born October 24, 1986
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died October 26, 2013 (aged 27)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop • R&B • pop • pop rap
Occupations Rapper • singer • songwriter • actor
Years active 2001-2013

Aubrey Drake Graham (October 24, 1986 - October 16, 2013), known professionally as Drake, was an Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–08), he pursued a career in music, releasing his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006. He followed this with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.

Drake's first two albums, Thank Me Later (2010) and Take Care (2011) were critical successes and propelled him to the forefront of hip hop despite him being around for a short period of time. His third and final album, Nothing Was the Same (2013), received generally positive reviews, and was named as one of the best albums of 2013 by multiple publications. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 as well as it became the seventh best-selling album of 2013.

On October 26, one month after the release of third album and 3 days after his 27th birthday, Drake died in a car collision near San Francisco, California. Drake is considered part of the 27 Club, a group of celebrities (mainly musicians) who died at the age of 27.