Aubrey Graham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aubrey Graham
Born Aubrey Drake Graham
October 24, 1986 (1986-10-24) (age 21)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other name(s) "Drake" "New Version of The Fresh Prince"[1]
Official website

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian actor and rapper. He is known for playing Jimmy Brooks, the physically disabled character on Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a rapper, Graham uses the stage name Drake, and is often billed as the new version of The Fresh Prince.[2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis; his uncle is musician Teenie Hodges.[3] Aubrey Graham's father is African-American (a native of Memphis, Tennessee) and his mother is a white Jewish Canadian.[4][5][6] He attended Forest Hill Collegiate Institute and began acting during high school.[5]

[edit] Career

Since 2001, Graham has played Jimmy Brooks, the student who was injured in a school shooting at Degrassi Community School, making him the first main character with a physical disability on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He also appeared in the film Charlie Bartlett, co-starring Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey, Jr., which was released on February 22, 2008.

As a rapper, Graham has two self-published mix tapes, Room for Improvement and Comeback Season, under the stage name Drake.[7] He shot a video for his debut single "Replacement Girl" which features R&B singer Trey Songz.[8][9] He also made a cameo appearance in Trey Songz's "Wonder Woman" video. Graham also has an independent record label called ATF Records (All Things Fresh). During the process of recording and writing for both mixtapes, Drake worked with a limited amount of artists so people can get a feel for Drake. The obvious Trey Songz was featured on both mixtapes, and Lil' Wayne and Robin Thicke dropped their two cents on Comeback Season. A young talent also from Toronto knew Aubrey since his days on Degrassi, but both parties have brought truth to that rumor.[10]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Mixtapes

[edit] Single: Replacement Girl

Replacement Girl is the first single released by Drake. The song was produced by T.Williams and Boi-1da. R&B singer Trey Songz is prominently featured in the song as well. The music video was the first video by an unsigned Canadian artist to premiere and play on BET's 106 and Park.

[edit] References

  1. ^ STR8HIPHOP.COM "New Jacks Interview: Drake". http://www.str8hiphop.com January 7th, 2007.
  2. ^ STR8HIPHOP.COM "New Jacks Interview: Drake". http://www.str8hiphop.com January 7th, 2007.
  3. ^ Moore, Tracy. "Graduating Degrassi". sceneandheard.ca, 2005.
  4. ^ HipHopCanada.com :: Interview with Drake - July 12th 2006
  5. ^ a b Jordan, Harrison. "Degrassi actor says being different made him stronger", The Canadian Jewish News, 2006-12-20. 
  6. ^ Jones, Jen (12/06). "School's In for Degrassi". JV!be. Jewish Family & Life. ISSN. 
  7. ^ This Is Drake, website for Graham's musical ambitions.
  8. ^ "Concrete Loop: Replacement Girl", 2006-12-17. 
  9. ^ Replacement Girl, video for Graham's debut single.
  10. ^ All Things Fresh, official fan website of ATF.

[edit] External links

Languages