At the age of 15, Drake was cast in the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation<\/em> as Jimmy Brooks, a high school basketball star who became disabled after he was shot by a classmate, resulting in a life bound to a wheelchair. Shortly after his stint on the beloved Canadian show, Drake released his first mix tapes and the rest is musical history!<\/p>\n With the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker — real name Aubrey Drake Graham<\/strong> — being such a huge, multihyphenate powerhouse of talent, there’s no doubt he has some strong genetics and good parenting behind him. Keep reading to find out more about his mother and father, here! \u00a0Sandi Graham<\/p>\n Born on January 28, 1960, Sandi Graham grew up to become an English teacher and a florist. She met Drake’s father in the 80s at a club called Club Bluenote. They welcomed Drake on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, but separated when the rapper was five years old. As a single mother, Sandi struggled financially to raise Drake. She also suffered from osteoporosis and joint pain, which left her bedridden for much of Drake’s childhood.<\/p>\n “Everybody thinks I went to some private school and my family was rich. Maybe it\u2019s my fault. Maybe I haven\u2019t talked enough about it, but I didn\u2019t grow up happy,” Drake told Complex<\/em><\/a>. “I wasn\u2019t in a happy home. My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke.”<\/p>\n Despite the hardships, Drake has unconditional love for Sandi, often paying tribute to her in his songs and in interviews. “My mother is an incredible woman,” he gushed to The Hollywood Reporter.<\/em><\/a> “She\u2019s always just told me, \u2018You know, whatever you want to do, whatever you end up being, I\u2019ll always love you. I\u2019ll always support you.\u2019”<\/p>\n Dennis Graham<\/span><\/p>\n Drake must get some of his musical talents from his father, Dennis Graham<\/strong>, as the Memphis native once played drums for Jerry Lee Lewis<\/strong>. After Dennis split with Sandi, Drake claims he was a bit of an absentee father. Dennis, however, has said previously that his son uses that excuse to sell records, which Drake refuted, saying on Instagram, \u201cMy father will say anything to anyone that\u2019s willing to listen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the back and forth and the quasi-estrangement, the pair seem to be back on good terms with each other.\u00a0On his song \u201cFrom Time,\u201d Drake sings, \u201cI\u2019ve been dealing with my dad, speaking of lack of patience \/ Just me and my old man getting back to basics \/ We\u2019ve been talking \u2019bout the future and time that we wasted.”<\/p>\nSandi Graham<\/h2>\n
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