AUBREY “ DRAKE” GRAHAM already has one prerequisite crossed off what seems any aspiring rapper’s to-do list—he survived a bullet. Granted, it was for a Colombine-style high school shooting scene in Degrassi: The Next Generation.
“I’ll be honest,” says the 22-year-old as he leaves his Toronto home, studio-bound. “I’m an actor. I’m not a thug who decided to be in a movie and play himself. I’m not reppin’ a ’hood, I’m not claiming a set, no street shit. I try and keep my lyrics triumphant.”
Once eight years of playing the studious Jimmy Brooks on the small screen, Drake is stealing a move from Allen Iverson’s playbook: the classic crossover. All it took was the monster mixtapes Room for Improvement (2006) and Comeback Season (2007), the slinky single “Replacement Girl” featuring Trey Songz, and the riotous “Ransom” with a particularly energetic Lil Wayne.
Once rumors of signing with Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment began floating, the Toronto-native started being wooed by the majors. “I’m finishing up negotiations on a deal I’m very, very happy with,” says Drake. “I’ve had a chance to sit down with Jimmy Iovine from Interscope and work out a great situation.” His official debut, Thank Me Later, will hit in early 2009.
So after flipping off the notion of street cred, hip hop’s next Fresh Prince is spitting with everything he’s got. It’s all blood, sweat, and tears—even if it is just stage blood.
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