Rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor Aubrey “Drake” Graham is originally from the city of Toronto in Canada. After gaining initial notoriety for his role as a lead actor in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation, he went on to pursue a career in rap music.
The Universal Music Group Agreement
Universal Music Group revealed in its Q1 earnings call in May 2022 that it had re-signed Drake to a “long-term worldwide collaboration” that encompassed “recorded music, music publishing, movies, television, and brands.” Drake has referenced this transaction in a few lyrics. In one song, he rapped about a contract that included “360 up front.”
Some have interpreted this lyric in light of Universal’s statement to suggest that he was paid $360 million upfront. Other outlets have estimated the deal’s value to be at least $400 million. In the years preceding the contract, Drake’s song catalog alone generated $50 million in annual revenue for the corporation.
Assuming the contract was worth $400 million, Drake would have been paid an estimated $200 million upfront after taxes, assuming the deal was worth $400 million.
Related Topics:-
Kirstie Alley Net Worth 2022: Early Television Profession!
Joe Manganiello’s Net Worth 2022: How Much Money Does He Have?
Jerry Mathers Net Worth 2022: Leave It to Beaver, Subsequent Acting, Personal Life
Early Years
Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Canada on October 24, 1986. Throughout his career, Dennis Drake was a drummer who performed with artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis. Sandra, sometimes known as Sandi, was Drake’s mother. She was an English teacher and a florist. Drake attended a Jewish day school and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah with a ceremonial ceremony.
Sandi and Dennis split up when Aubrey was five years old. Subsequently, his father moved to Memphis, where he was finally convicted and imprisoned for several years on narcotics charges.
Aubrey lived with his mother in Toronto, although he traveled to Memphis every summer to see his father (when his father was not incarcerated). Later, Drake would describe Dennis as being absent during his upbringing, charges Dennis has passionately refuted and alleged were inflated to sell songs.
Drake and his mother resided in the lower level of a two-story townhouse in the upscale Forest Hill suburb beginning in sixth grade. Drake stayed in the basement while his mother lived on the street level. They were not wealthy; in fact, money was extremely scarce.
During his time at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, Drake discovered a passion for performing and singing. Later, he attended Vaughan Road Academy, where he was victimized because of his mixed-race and religious heritage. He dropped out for a time but graduated in 2012 anyhow.
Music Industry
In 2006, Aubrey, who was now known by his middle name “Drake” as his stage persona, began releasing mixtapes. He was inspired by rap giants like Jay-Z who obtained record agreements after achieving success as independent musicians.
In February 2005, he released his debut mixtape, titled “Room for Improvement,” on his website and his MySpace page. He was able to directly sell over 6,000 copies. The following year, he released his second mixtape, “Comeback Season.” He released the mixtape on his newly-established record label October’s Very Own (aka OVO Records).
This mixtape includes “Replacement Girl,” which became a popular underground tune. It was the first music video by an unsigned Canadian rapper to be broadcast on BET. One version of the song used a sample from Brisco, Flo Rida, and Lil Wayne’s “Man of the Year.”
Jas Prince, a Houston-based producer and founder of Rap-A-Lot Records, heard the song and forwarded it to Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne was impressed and called Drake to invite him to join his Tha Carter III tour in Houston. Drake and Wayne penned and recorded many songs, including “Brand New,” “Forever,” and “Ransom,” as the tour progressed.
Young Money Entertainment
Drake had not joined Wayne’s record label at this time, despite what you may believe. 2009 saw the release of his third mixtape, “So Far Gone.”
The mixtape was made available for free download on his OVO website. Lil Wayne, Lloyd, Trey Songz, Omarion, and Bun B made guest appearances on the mixtape. The mixtape was later certified Gold by the RIAA and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being downloaded 2,000 times in its first hour.
The mixtape was ultimately published as an EP that debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and won the 2010 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year.
Drake, who remained an independent artist, was in high demand throughout the music industry. Numerous record labels engaged in a bidding war for his services. The urgency has been described as the “greatest bidding battle in the history of music,” although this cannot be substantiated.
Drake signed a contract with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment on June 29, 2009. The record agreement was a joint effort between Young Money and its parent company, Cash Money, with distribution handled by Universal Music.
Drake’s Net Worth
Drake is a Canadian-born actor, producer, and rapper with a $250 million net worth. Consistently, Drake ranks among the highest-paid entertainers in the world.
Drake was a young actor who appeared in the Canadian adolescent drama Degrassi: The Next Generation before he became a rap superstar. Since achieving mainstream popularity for the first time, Drake has earned over $430 million in his career before taxes and living expenses.
From June 2017 to June 2018, Drake made $45 million. He earned a total of $95 million in 2017. From June 2018 until June 2019, he made $75 million. In the subsequent 12 months, he earned $50 million. Below is a complete breakdown of Drake’s annual earnings by year.
Mainstream Achievement
“Thank Me Later,” Drake’s debut studio album, was released on June 15, 2010. The album reached number one in both Canada and the United States. It topped the Billboard 100, the R&B/Hip Hop, and the US Rap charts in the United States. The RIAA eventually certified it Platinum.
2011’s “Take Care,” his second studio album, debuted at number one in various countries and eventually went six times platinum. Since then, every album has gone at least 4-times Platinum.
Drake is one of the most popular and influential figures in hip-hop and the music industry as a whole. He has collaborated with many of the music industry’s top names, including Kanye West, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Travis Scott.
Drake has received numerous nominations for awards. As of the time of writing, he has won over 180 major honors, including four Grammys from over 40 nominations. Per concert, Drake earns roughly $1 million.
Singles Sold
Drake has sold the most digital singles in the history of music. As of the writing of this article, he has sold over 163 million digital singles. This is 40 million more than the runner-up, Rihanna.
With an estimated 26 million records sold, ranks as the eightieth most successful musician of all time. That ranks him the third-best-selling Canadian musician of all time, following Shania Twain (48 million) and Celine Dion (36 million) (50 million).
Private Jet
Drake published a video on Instagram in May 2019 revealing his newly-acquired Boeing 767 private plane, which he has named (and painted) “Air Drake.”
Drake proudly proclaims in the video that he is the sole owner of the jet, with “no renting, no timeshare, and no co-owners.” A comparable model and quality private airplane would cost between $75 million and $100 million.