CELEBRITY CENTRAL: DRAKE

Born in Toronto, Canada in October 26th 1986, Drake aka Aubrey Drake Graham is already spitting rhymes with some of the biggest names in the rap game. He’s collaborated with Lil Wayne, Jay Z and Young Jeezy. Drake’s interest in music started in the most unlikely manner. While Drake’s dad was in jail, he shared a cell with a rapper named Poverty. Drake and Poverty would swap lyrics over the phone and that’s how Drake’s interest in rapping began. Drake’s first music video for ‘Best I Ever Had’ was directed by Kanye West and critics have compared Drake’s 2009 mix tape, ‘So Far Gone’, to Kanye’s ‘808s’ and ‘Heartbreak album’, probably because Drake has a tendency to drench his smart lyrics in autotune too. But don’t be fooled by the robot voice, Drake can rap and sing. In August 2009, after hearing a few of his tracks, Lil Wayne gave Drake a call while he was sitting in the barber chair getting his hair cut. Drake flew to Houston to meet him the very next night and now he’s signed to Lil Wayne’s label, Young Money Entertainment. Drake’s debut album, ‘Thank Me Later’ is slated for release later in 2009 but rumors are already circulating that he’ll be recording with Andre 3000, Jay Z and Kanye West. Drake says his new album won’t sound as arty as his mix tapes, but Drake assures his fans that “it’s a solid hip hop album.” Rumors are that Drake and Rihanna are dating, but both deny the romance and swear they’re just good friends. They were apparently seen canoodling (aka kissing) at a lounge bowling alley in New York. Drake already has some famous ex-girlfriends, one of which is Keisha Chante, he mentions her in his song, Deceiving. dedantos2002@yahoo.com