It’s perhaps not surprising the 22-year-old, who began writing songs at the ripe old age of 10, was destined for musical success—his father was a drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis, and his uncle, Memphis stalwart Teenie Hodges, wrote songs and played guitar for Al Green. Known for his role as the first disabled character on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake has made a name for himself in hip-hop circles beyond Canada over the past two years with his self-released mixtapes, Room for Improvement and Comeback Season, which featured high-profile guest spots from rapper Lil’ Wayne and R&B crooners Robin Thicke and Trey Songz.
Aside from the attention-grabbing collabos, Drake has shown crossover savvy and populist instincts in reworking the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Lykke Li, and Colin Munroe over the past year. While his debut album has been a long time coming, word is that it should finally drop in 2009 on a major U.S. label (though it’s nice to see Drake unabashedly repping his hometown of the T-Dot in his music and interviews). In the meantime, fans can expect yet another mixtape (So Far Gone) in the early part of the year.
With backing by the likes of the Neptunes, Little Brother, Dwele, and Slum Village on the forthcoming full-length, it’s likely that Drake’s name will be uttered amongst those hip-hop heroes before too long.