Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, a musician born in Memphis, Tennessee, and Sandi (Sher) Graham, a Canadian educator. As a young man, Drake appeared in several commercials, for such retailers as Sears and GMC. In 2001, Drake rose to fame playing the role of "Jimmy Brooks," a character on Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001), a basketball star who is confined to a wheelchair after being shot by a classmate. In 2006, Drake launched his music career by releasing his
