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Happy Birthday, Drake! Watch the Rapper's Evolution from Degrassi Actor to Champagne Papi

Jonathan Borge

Updated Tue, October 24, 2017 at 2:45 PM UTC

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Degrassi — Who can forget James "Jimmy" Brooks? Drake portrayed the fictional character across several seasons of Degrassi. Famously, Jimmy was the cute star of the basketball team and won over several hearts. Eventually, he was injured in a school shooting that left his paralyzed from the waist down.
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So Far Gone — Remember when "Best I Ever Had?"—the hit single off Drake's first commercial EP, So Far Gone— hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009? It stripped away his goo boy persona and made him a certified capital-R rapper. Here, Drake was obviously much younger, and it showed in his style. Then 23-year-old wore boyish plaid shirts and pieces from Comme des Garçons Play.
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If You're Reading This, It's Too Late — InStyle editors have referenced Drake's If You're Reading This, It's Too Late countless times in stories—and for good reason. His lyrics have something for everyone, and by 2015, it was impossible to ignore Drake's relevance in pop culture.
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More Life — In 2017, Drake released More Life to critical acclaim. It features tropical-like songs like "Passionfruit" and a collaboration with Jennifer Lopez on "Teenage Fever." The album broke streaming records and also fueled rumors of a romance with Lopez. Later, the rapper was featured on Nicki Minaj 's "No Frauds" alongside Lil Wayne. At the Billboard Awards, he took over Las Vegas's Bellagio Foundations and performed "Gylachester." 2017 has also found him intertwined in the headlines with model Bella Hadid , though fans always hope he'll reunite with Rihanna.
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Drake and Rihanna — These two have a complicated relationship, but let's face it: you want to see them together. Most memorably, Drake presented Rihanna with the MTV VMA Video Vanguard Award in 2016, when rumors were flying that they were dating again. He said, "She's someone who I've been in love with since I was 22 years old," before kissing her on the cheek on stage. Swoon. They've shared salacious, hot moments on camera before (remember Rihanna's "Work" video?). Please get back together?
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The rapper has gone from teen dramedy actor to chart-topping rapper in less than a decade. On his 31st birthday, we take a look at how he got to where he is.

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