Drake Birthday, Age, Zodiac Sign & Career Timeline

Drake — born Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada — is the rapper, singer and songwriter who turned a teen-drama acting job into one of the biggest music careers of the streaming era. Today he is 40 years old, and his name sits at the top of almost every Billboard record book.

Who Is Drake?

Drake blends rap verses with melodic, R&B-style singing, a mix that shaped the sound of popular hip-hop from the late 2000s onward. Before music, millions knew him as Jimmy Brooks, the basketball star who uses a wheelchair after being shot, on the Canadian series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008).

He co-founded the record label OVO Sound and has spent years as a global ambassador for his hometown NBA team, the Toronto Raptors — a big reason the city is nicknamed “The 6” around the world.

Early Life in Toronto

Drake grew up in Toronto with his mother, Sandra “Sandi” Graham, a teacher and florist. His father, Dennis Graham, is a drummer from Memphis, Tennessee, so Drake spent childhood summers in the American South and grew up between two music cultures. He began acting as a teenager, and the steady Degrassi role gave him the money and confidence to start recording.

Career Timeline

Year	Milestone
2001	Cast as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation
2006	Releases first mixtape, Room for Improvement
2009	Mixtape So Far Gone and the hit “Best I Ever Had” make him a star; signs with Young Money
2010	Debut studio album Thank Me Later opens at No. 1
2011	Take Care — later wins the Grammy for Best Rap Album
2012	Co-founds OVO Sound
2016	Views and “One Dance” become worldwide streaming hits
2018	Scorpion; “God’s Plan”, “Nice for What” and “In My Feelings” all reach No. 1
2021–2023	Certified Lover Boy, Honestly, Nevermind, Her Loss (with 21 Savage) and For All the Dogs

Studio Albums at a Glance

Album	Year	Key songs
Thank Me Later	2010	“Over”, “Find Your Love”
Take Care	2011	“Headlines”, “Marvins Room”
Nothing Was the Same	2013	“Started from the Bottom”, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
Views	2016	“One Dance”, “Hotline Bling”
Scorpion	2018	“God’s Plan”, “In My Feelings”
Certified Lover Boy	2021	“Way 2 Sexy”
Honestly, Nevermind	2022	“Sticky”, “Jimmy Cooks”
For All the Dogs	2023	“First Person Shooter”

Records and Achievements

• Most Billboard Hot 100 entries of any artist in history — more than 400 charted songs.
• Most Hot 100 top-10 hits of any artist, plus the most top-10 debuts.
• A record number of Hot 100 No. 1 songs for a male solo artist.
• Five Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album for Take Care and Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan”.
• “God’s Plan” spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in 2018, the year he logged 29 total weeks at the top.

Interesting Facts About Drake

• His middle name, Drake, became his stage name; “Aubrey” is what close friends and family call him.
• He holds both Canadian and American citizenship.
• The owl logo of OVO stands for “October’s Very Own” — a nod to his October birthday.
• He kept acting on Degrassi while writing and recording his first mixtapes.

👉 Born on the same day: See every famous birthday on October 24

👉 Plan a celebration: What else is celebrated on October 24?

Frequently Asked Questions