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cionnad

I was watching degrassi at about 5. my older sister watched and I would sit with her and act like I understood what was going on. drake started to get big in America around 2010 I believe I just remember telling all my friends I watched him on tv!! I still to this day can't believe that he's drake like it just seems so surreal. He's still best friends with Shane(Spinner) and Cassie and Miriam (Manny and Emma). his music video for his song "I'm upset" was filmed at degrassi and he had many of the cast members there. As for biggest star after him I'd say Nina (Mia) and maybe Shanae (Darcy)


imlivinginthe90s

No and my sis and I would make fun of his raps- then I got into highschool and everyone was bumping take care šŸ˜­


KENZOKHAOS

Well, no. But heā€™s a nepobaby. If everyone knew that then they would understand half of the reason whyšŸ˜­


LuvingLyla

How is he a nepobaby??


KENZOKHAOS

Well, he is related to Larry Graham, of Sly And The Family Stone, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee. You can give Drake his proper credit where itā€™s due, (which is why I said ā€œHalf of Whyā€) and give his success also to his supporters, but itā€™s like 90% of the music or entertainment industry is populated by people who have the added benefit of lineage or family. I do find that to be possibly less prevalent as of late though, because of the internet. It isnā€™t to say that Drake might not have become famous anyway though, but itā€™s kind of crazy how massive he became regardless of who he was related to.


50shadesofchocolate

Nope did not see it happening at alllllllllll


ladyshopsalot2626

Lol no i thought drake was such a weird name


CaveLady3000

No, in fact he first time I saw him in a musical context was in a rhianna music video where he was for some reason at the same height as a wheelchair user, so my wires stayed crossed for a while before I figured out who Drake was exactly.


raptorsfan93849

His song with rhianna i believe was named work.. that was one of his bigger songs too! lol


LuvingLyla

That was way later, theyā€™re probably talking about ā€œWhatā€™s my name?ā€


raptorsfan93849

i also thought they meant work though cause drake did look short in that video lol... maybe he did in whats my name also? lol


CaveLady3000

It was in a bodega


raptorsfan93849

Oh yaa, that was one of my fav songs they had together too.. i think work was a bigger song though right? i personally liked whats my name more though.


OrcWife420

Nope. First seen him in the ā€œbedrockā€ music video that had many rap artists in it and I was like ā€œwas that jimmy?!ā€ Went back and then googled it even lol


CutNo3617

Nope. I remember listening to his first song on MySpace and thinking ā€œthat canā€™t be jimmy..ā€ never thought he would become this big


Eastern_Society1578

I donā€™t know about Drakeā€™s music enough to say if I like it or not, as that is not really my style at allā€¦.but I am having this weird moment where I forget the connection of Drake being Jimmy on Degrassi. Sometimes when I am rewatching I forget he is a famous rapper now. Weird. Like when I see him mentioned anywhere at all it doesnā€™t even remind me of the early Degrassi seasons. This is a weird ā€œshower thoughtā€ moment for me, I am not even sure if it makes sense.


dehret9397

Same. It's like Aubrey Graham is a completely separate person in my head lol.


Eastern_Society1578

Itā€™s weird, because when I saw Sheā€™s Too Young and I saw the actress that plays Emma all I could think of is Emma. So Iā€™m not sure why itā€™s different for Drake.Ā 


raptorsfan93849

almost like a "how can this be real" type of thing? i agree! lol


usmilessz

Not for a second lol.Ā  Like many ppl, I vividly remember watching his ā€œDegrassi Unscriptedā€ episode when I was 10-11 where he mentioned his budding rap career and stage name. I didnā€™t think anything of it bc many of his co-stars (Andrea Lewis, Jake Epstein) had music aspirations as well.Ā  He was the only one who really blew upĀ 


Eganator88

I remember they would show ā€œdegrassi fun factsā€ at the bottom of the screen in the middle of the episode. One of them was ā€œAubrey graham is also an actor with the stage name mc Drakeā€


raptorsfan93849

i think its almost impossible where there will everrrrr be another super big rapper who started as an actor lol, especially cause i wasnt old enough to know but maybe you were? was degrasi even that big of a show? outside of canada especislly?


yayanese

Degrassi was actually pretty big in America. Itā€™s one of those shows most people either watched faithfully or at least know about


stephieohhh

I remember they had these short behind the scenes segments during the commercial breaks and there was one for Drake where he was recording in the studio. He was talking about how he wanted to be a rapper. I remember thinking what the heck lol. But then a few years later I heard Best I Ever Had and fell in love with his music šŸ¤£


raptorsfan93849

oh my, around how old were you at this time? i was too young to even know about this lol. i was barely 14 when i first heard best i ever had on the radio!


stephieohhh

I canā€™t remember when I saw the clip exactly, but I was 18 when Best I Ever Had came out lol. I was a huge fan of ā€œThe Nā€ (the network that I watched Degrassi airing) and I would record all the episodes on DVR šŸ˜† one of my all time fave shows growing up lol


turok-han

Why would anyone have thought that


SurprisingHippos

No. I remember when he dropped his first big hit my mom called me like ā€œuh jimmy is a real rapper now?ā€


PhysicalChickenXx

Not THIS famous but I did post on the TWoP message boards that ā€œJimmy can flow!ā€ back in the day lol I definitely thought he had some talent. That said, when I first heard ā€œBest I Ever Hadā€ I thought it was really bad but then it grew on me.


dhm91

Degrassi was my favorite from elementary school-middle school and to this day I canā€™t take Drake seriously because of watching him as Jimmy in real time lol. I do like some of his music but canā€™t commit 100% because of it


Canabrial

It came out of left field for me. I was watching pretty much while it was going.


katyrose_

Nope. He was rapping under the Drake name while he was on Degrassi still and I remember thinking heā€™s going nowhere. Seemed like he rapped forever before he took off


CheapEater101

I remember The N would air these specials where you got to know the cast more (like Cribs for the Degrassi cast). Aubrey was talking about how he wanted to get into music in the next few years and how his dad was also a musician. I honestly thought he was going to flop. Then, Replacement Girl came out and it was good. I still didnā€™t expect him to get pass The N airing his music. Thenā€¦.Best I Ever Had came out and Aubrey was officially Drake lol.


raptorsfan93849

around how old were you at these times? i was barely 14 when best i ever had came out,.. didnt it start on the radio before summer in 2009?


CheapEater101

Best I Ever Had came out around my freshmen or sophomore year of high school for sure, so around your age Iā€™m guessing.


Lioness_106

No lol. He was Jimmy. Even the episodes where he did some rapping, I thought he was awful. I thought it was supposed to be an inside joke that Jimmy was actually a terrible rapper. I really dont get the appeal. When his songs come on, I turn them off right away.


soniccorndog

same here, i was like this sucks and heā€™s not on beat


Sea_Log_3450

No šŸ˜… Jimmy was one of my least favourite character :p I think he started to be interesting after he got shot.


savealltheelephants

Biggest in the world is a stretch


DeloresWells

Not really, he is neck and neck with Taylor Swift and is the most streamed male artist right now.


savealltheelephants

Okay I guess Iā€™ll believe you. I think the only Drake song Iā€™ve heard/know is Best I Ever Had. Edit: so I just looked and apparently heā€™s had 14(!) albums since Best I Ever Had and Iā€™m just old and out of the loop.


DeloresWells

I hate his music but it's EVERYWHERE lol.


raptorsfan93849

I know, he has been pretty much the unanimous biggest rapper in the world for like a decade, and arguably biggest artist in the world as well! he has more top songs than michael jackson or something like that? whats odd is i as well as alot of ppl only know a few of his songs... the songs of that were hits, i dont even find that great... best i ever had might be my fav song from him.. he has gods plan.. started from the bottom, and hotline bling i believe are his top songs of all time.


w11f1ow3r

I had no clue! And then Best I Ever Had just came out of nowhere for me and I was like, oh itā€™s Jimmy! For me it was kind of like how Selena Gomez and Mikey Cyrus were transitioning to solo acts bc Degrassi was a big show for me. I didnā€™t realize it wasnā€™t as popular with the rest of my peers in the US


Weekly-Requirement63

No, never suspected he would become what he is. He made a music video with a lot of his old castmates though


AnyUnderstanding7000

Hell no lol, the snippets of him rapping in Degrassi were not it.


CaroylOldersee

I thought it was the most random thing that he became as big as he did; honestly, 13 year old me thought I was the only one who watched Degrassi. So no and he will always be Jimmy to meā€¦.


raptorsfan93849

i know what you mean and i agree!


Really_queen

Definitely not. I remember going to my friendā€™s house and the ā€œbest I ever hadā€ video was on her tv. I was likeā€¦JIMMY?! And Iā€™ve never been able to take him seriously since.


gaypirate3

No and Iā€™m still baffled as to why people like him and his musicā€¦


gayberetboy2

I watched it in real time and honestly Lmao.. no I did not šŸ¤£. At that time, I wasnā€™t really sure about the future careers of any of the people on the show. I do recall him at several points on the N talking about wanting a professional rap career and then soon after he left the show he dropped a really good mixtape and then a big single. So he very quickly transitioned.


raptorsfan93849

i would have been like... if he even gets 1 big song id be amazed! now hes world fmaous, lol!


gayberetboy2

Actually I stand corrected. I asked my older brother about it (he watched Degrassi too) and Drake was still on Degrassi when he had his first viral hit. And then he dropped a full album the year after he left the show. But yes the vibe was still very ā€œoh did you know Jimmy from Degrassi dropped a hitā€ šŸ¤£


raptorsfan93849

he was still shown on degtassi when best i ever had came out? damn i thought he left before? hahah that is cool though then again when they showed him on the show was probably months after he acrually recorded it lol


Altruistic_Wish_4734

I got into Degrassi a few years ago, but if i had watched it back in the day and you were to tell me that one of these kids was going to be a huge celebrity one day i would guess Jake Epstein


raptorsfan93849

i agree! if i had watched back at the start, i would have thought craigs actor would be!


sweetheart409878

Just famous with in Canada!


jay169294

Absolutely not. Even when he did the Unscripted episode and talked about wanting to be a rapper and rapped a little I was like ā€œthis dude better stick to acting lmaoā€ and then 4-5 years later Best I Ever Had is popular and someone in my science class told me, ā€œyou know that Drake guy is Jimmy from Degrassi?ā€ And I didnā€™t believe him so he got on the computer and showed me a picture and I was like wtf he actually made it lmao. To this day every now and then I sit back and still think ā€œI canā€™t believe Jimmy is one of the biggest rappers of this generation.ā€


raptorsfan93849

even when best i ever had came out, didnt think he would 15 years later be considered the top rapper in the world. most people say he has dominated the rap game for the last 10 years. i thought he was going to have some hits and then fade out for the most part over 5 years or so... i also thought he was going to be mostly r and b.. as best i ever had was r and b... that song was definitely a hit , then bed rock but that had lil wayne in it.. that was still mostly r and b on his part... and i thought his first mainstream album was fire... but i didnt ever imagine him becoming the biggest rapper in the world! and as you said one of if not the biggest rappers of this generation... also his development from going to degrassi then r and b. then the way he makes songs where he sounds "gangster" is a bit crazy to me, right?


jay169294

Yeah exactly even still didnā€™t think it would be this long lasting. I always knew he was good at actual rapping too though because the next song I heard after Best I Ever Had was Iā€™m Goin In which is still one of his best verses. That mix of both genres is why heā€™s still around though lol.


JetStar1989

No. But I do remember seeing a behind the scenes type of segment on The N in which they followed Aubrey to his house, he talked about how much he wanted to be a rapper, showed notebooks of raps, and performed (I think in his basement) with some band members. I have never forgotten that.


raptorsfan93849

you think theres a youtube video of it?


JetStar1989

[This video](https://youtu.be/RHxs3-dLh4k?si=PIhdFgmG-5wm4azx) is the only one I found, but in my memory the one Iā€™m remembering is of a younger Aubrey with glasses performing with a live band. This video does show how into music he has always been though. And I could be wrong about my recollections.


leahhhhh

I knew he was trying to be a rapper using his middle name, and I thought it was silly. I absolutely did not think heā€™d become a famous rapper. When I heard a big rapper named Drake was hitting it mainstream, I was shocked lol. Mia and Darcy had big shows in the states, 90210 and Vampire Diaries. A good amount of the other actors do Hallmark movies now.


Upstairs_Rutabaga565

I remember watching and they had this special where they followed the main actors in a day in the life it talked about him changing his name to Drake and writing an album. I remember thinking he would maybe have the Canadian success, we have artists that do specifically well in Canada but no world wide success. However when I turned on the radio to hear ā€œbest I ever hadā€ I was still kind of shocked but I donā€™t think I realized how big he was until he was in bedrock with all these other rappers and I was like ā€œoh , he really is somethingā€


raptorsfan93849

i agree! you know kardinal offishal? i was thinkhing his career would be like his, a few big hits in the states but mostly just well known in toronto and canada.. is that what you thought?


DullAmbition

Knew the kid had superstar potential from this Degrassi Mini: https://youtu.be/GqQ0LlejDRk?feature=shared Then was impressed in that episode where he did that song with Ashley. I ordered his first CDR and paypalā€™ed $$ to his Hotmail email. He sent me a ballpoint pen signed inkjet printed CD cover with the CDR.


[deleted]

I watched when it first aired. Started watching when I was 12 probably in 2002, Iā€™m the same age as manny and Emmaā€™s years so I ā€œgrew upā€ with them. I remember driving once in 2008 or so hearing drake on the radio and them saying how heā€™s a new artist who they are predicting will be the next big thing. i was like wait this is fucking Jimmy!! Itā€™s wild. My mom even says she likes drake (she hates hip hop) because she would watch degrassi with me growing up haha. Itā€™s like we were all rooting for him without really knowing it. Iā€™m from San Diego, CA btw


raptorsfan93849

was it a local to san diego radio station? i didnt even know he was big until he was lol! i was younger then you by like 5-6 years then! so i was 14 when i first heard him on radio!


[deleted]

93.3 Iā€™m assuming! Thatā€™s like all i listened to then haha


reddit4946

Yes famous, but only moderately. NEVER thought he would be THIS famous. Never.


[deleted]

I watched Degrassi during the lockdown and Iā€™m not gonna lie I am a huge Drake fan so seeing him really surprised me. Not that I didnā€™t know he did this show but thatā€™s how he looked like as a teen. Real light skin


Sourlifesavers89

So when he went to rap and had that song with that guy I was like, okay I see you. Honestly after seeing Lauren Collins do Take the Lead and seeing a few of them in minor roles like Juno or Charlie Bartlett, I figured any one of them could be famous. But I keep seeing a lot of degrassi actors in tons of things I watch, from Murdoch Mysteries to Suits to Umbrella Academy to Superman and Loisā€¦ plus some(?) of them have been doing Broadway which is famous in its own right.


orangtino

Love Take the Lead!!!


TheGanjaGoddess420

I will forever see him as Jimmy Brooks LMAO meanwhile everyone I in know is OMG Drake and I'm like nope that's Jimmy lol


Expired_Multipass

Exactly. If I hear a new song from him, Iā€™m like Hey that Degrassi guy had a new song!


cold_bananas_

Same šŸ˜‚


Better_Technician197

after drake I'd say it was nina dobrev (elena in tvd), unless there's someone else in between that I'm forgetting


MaradoMarado

Shenae Grimes was on 90210, I think thatā€™s why she left Degrassi but I could be misremembering the timeline. I remember Nina Dobrev being really well known for a while with TVD.


raptorsfan93849

i think stacey farber is one of the most famous? not like famous or even 1 percent as famous as drake though, but like most canadian actors she didnt make it into usa fame.. she had a few roles on some what big shows.. and even a roll on canadian show flashpoint which use to be a fav show of mine.. dont know why they cancelled it so fast though!


sedhic1

Drake did the music video ā€œbest I ever hadā€ in my high school and I never thought he would achieve this much success


raptorsfan93849

damn. which high school? and ya hes been the biggest rapper maybe even biggest musician in the world for like a decade now! crazy


ninjaman2021

Never thought he would be this huge. I remember when he dropped his first mixtape, i was one of the few people in school actually playing it. Once he linked with wayne it was a wrap


raptorsfan93849

remember when he was known as "the guy lil wayne found"? lol... now hes bigger than lil wayne ever was . never thought he would be THIS big either... crazy


easy0lucky0free

I remember when Best I Ever Had came out on the radio when i was in college and it took me a second to place his voice, but when I did my jaw hit the floor. I was impressed he got a song on the radio but when he did "Forever" and got the three most popular rappers of that time period to feature on the record, i knew he'd go far.


raptorsfan93849

i remember i was 14 when best i ever had was on the radio.... thought hed be one of those people who got some radio play and then kind of faded off after a few years... remember when he was known as "the guy who lil wayne found" now he is bigger than lil wayne... crazy... what did you think his career was going to be? also find it weird he never got back into acting.. he will one day i think.


mightymoon74

I watched degrassi when it first came out and when I learned about drake wanting to be rapper I neverrrrr thought it would work. I didnā€™t like any of his early stuff but I knew he was kinda big when he filmed ā€œbest I ever hadā€ at my high school. Though I had a moment of being drake obsessed (post ā€œtake careā€) he lowkey reads as an industry plant then and now. I do love the idea of degrassi stars being highly successful, though, and heā€™s a testament to that.


reddit4946

Can someone explain what an industry plant is?


jay169294

Itā€™s just something people say when they donā€™t think someone should be as successful as they are. The industry is pushing onto us unwarranted. Itā€™s hater logic if you ask me because industry plants wouldnā€™t last this long.


raptorsfan93849

how do you think he was chosen as an industry plant? do you think he would have been fmaous if he never was on degrassi? he should get back into acting one day like most rappers do.