Drake is best known to the world as Canada’s most famous rapper, but he’s been active in the entertainment industry since 2001, starting out as an actor on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The 37-year-old played Jimmy Brooks for the show’s first seven seasons, nearly quitting when his athletic character was left wheelchair bound due to a shooting. Of course, Drake – born Aubrey Graham – had no choice but to continue, as his sick mom, Sandra, was depending on her son’s estimated $50,000/year salary. “My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV,” he once recalled of his challenging teenage years. These days, things are looking much better for the father of one; as of April 2024, Drake’s net worth is $250 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Though audiences enjoyed watching Champagne Papi on the small screen, he felt called to pursue a career in rap. Drake was inspired by Jay-Z and other entertainers who earned their record deals after becoming successful independently. Now that he’s well established, the “God’s Plan” hitmaker has no problem taking creative risks, or investing in luxurious homes which he turns into his personal playground. Keep reading to better understand how Drake amassed his $250M net worth, which was grown substantially from the $1M he was reported to have in 2009.
Drake Makes Major Money Moves Outside of Entertainment
Though the 6ix will always be his home, Drake spent many summers in Memphis as a youth, as his dad, Dennis Graham lived there. After successful debut and sophom*ore studio albums, the biracial artist dished out $7.7M for a mansion in the Hidden Hills, called the “YOLO Estate.” The Certified Lover Boy came across the home online years before buying, and was so intrigued by its wraparound pool he made it his computer background. It seems that subtle act of manifestation worked in Drake’s favor, as he was able to purchase it in 2012 at a rate considerably discounted from the original $27M it was listed at. Other amenities include a 2,000 square-foot party house, equistrian stables, a 25-person movie theater and a full-sized basketball court.
It seems Drizzy’s vision for YOLO Estate was even grander than the past owners, so in 2015, he paid $2.8M for a 1.6-acre estate next door. Then, in 2018, the Anchorman 2 actor spent $4.5M on another neighbouring house, giving him 6.7 acrres at the end of a cul-de-sac, or $15M in real estate acquisition costs. Of course, Drake was ready to part with his expensive project in 2022, listing it in March for $22.7M. Rather than parting with the full property at once, NFL star Matthew Stafford paid $11M ($3.6M over asking) for two of the three estates in April. By the summer, another person bought the third estate for $12M.
In Canada, Drake’s net worth grew as he sold his 3,600 square foot Yorkville condo for $3.75M (below asking price of $4.2M), but that doesn’t mean he was done with the city. In 2016, amid the YOLO Estate expansion, the multi-talent bought $6.7M worth of property in the Bridle Path neighborhood. After a few years of construction, the beautiful home now boasts a 10-car garage, a regulation basketball court and an awards room. More recently, Champagne Papi paid $75M for a 20-acre mansion in Beverly Hills, which he put on the market in 2023 for $88M.
Finally, we would be remiss not to mention his extravagant private jet, dubbed “Air Drake,” which joined the rhymer’s collection of toys in 2019. The proud owner bragged on Instagram about the plane being “no rental, no timeshare, no co-owners,” which is an estimated cost of $75M to $100M for Drizzy.
Drake’s Multi-Faceted Career
In 2001, a childhood friend of Drake’s landed him a gig on Degrassi: The Next Generation. This led to other small roles on shows like Blue Murder, Soul Food and Best Friend’s Date, but by the time 2005 rolled around, Graham was ready to expand his creative portfolio. He uploaded his Room for Improvement mixtape on MySpace, selling more than 6,000 copies directly and the next year he dropped Comeback Season via his October’s Very Own label. “Replacement Girl” went on to become an underground single, catching the attention of BET and Jas Prince, who passed the song off to Lil Wayne. This led to the creation of songs like “Forever” and “Ransom” and Drizzy supported Weezy on The Carter III Tour.
As he was establishing himself in hip-hop, Drake continued to pick up small acting roles like Charlie Bartlet, the Degrassi Spring Break Movie and small parts in shows like The Border, Being Erica and Sophie. He continued his string of successful mixtape releases with 2009’s So Far Gone, which boasted appearances from Lil Wayne, Lloyd, Trey Songz, Omarion and Bun B. It was downloaded 2,000 times in its first hour, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, won a Juno Award and has since been certified Gold by the RIAA. As a result of his independent success, a bidding war ensued over Drake, which is said to have been one of the “biggest in music history,” as per Celebrity Net Worth.
Ascension to No. 1 Through the 2010s
Nearly a decade into his career as an entertainer, Drake dropped his debut studio album, Thank Me Later, spawning singles like “Over” and “Find Your Love.” He embarked on his Away From Home Tour at this time, and launched his annual OVO Fest in Toronto that remains a sold-out tradition in the city. The momentum continued into 2011, as his sophom*ore LP, Take Care, went No. 1 in numerous countries. As his star continued to rise, the Scorpion artist’s roster of collaborators expanded with J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Rihanna and Diddy all joining the list.
After using Weezy’s guidance to get his start, Drizzy formed his OVO Sound record label in 2012, with Warner Bros. Records handling distribution. Artists currently signed to Drake and his team include Naomi Sharon, PartyNextDoor, Roy Woods, Smiley and Majid Jordan. His next album, Nothing Was the Same came in 2013, and is 6x Cerified Platinum by the RIAA. It would be several years between that and the Toronto Raptors Global Ambassador’s next LP, Views, but he made sure to feed his fans with two mixtapes – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and What a Time to Be Alive – in 2015, both of which made a No. 1 debut on Billboard.
Midway through the 2010s, Drake signed a $19M exclusivity deal with Apple Music and launched his Virginia Black bourbon brand. His 2016 album was supported by the Summer Sixteen Tour, which became the highest-grossing hip-hop tour at the time, earning $84.3M over 54 shows. The 6ix God broke that same record two years later on the Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour, which made $80M over 43 dates. To close out the decade, Drake dropped his More Life mixtape in 2017, Scorpion and the first Scary Hours EP in 2018, signed a $10M Las Vegas Residency deal in 2019 and released some throwback classics on his Care Package compilation album.
He Continues To Reign Almost Two Decades In
Though he clearly has nothing left to prove, Adonis’ dad is showing no signs of stopping in the 2020s. He began the decade with another No. 1 debut thanks to his Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Drake made sure to continue his chart-topping trend with Certified Lover Boy in 2021 followed by Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss in 2022. The latter was a collaborative effort with 21 Savage, who he toured with in support of the project and his past two LPs.
After years of working with Universal Music Group, Drake’s catalog was generating upwards of $50M/year for the company. This worked to his benefit, as the former teen star signed a long-term worldwide partnership with them, giving him an alleged “$360M up front,” which would equate to about $200M after taxes. This new deal allowed Champage Papi to confidently share his eight studio album, For All the Dogs in 2023 which was later reissued as a Scary Hours edition.
Based on Kendrick Lamar’s latest diss tracks aimed at Drizzy, it’s obvious he doesn’t think that his contemporary really “Started From the Bottom.” However, the way Drake tells it, he faced his share of tribulations in his youth, and all the hard work he’s put in since the Degrassi days has helped cement his status as a GOAT. Since his humble beginnings, the basketball lover has won more than 180 major awards and has sold upwards of 163M singles and 26M albums. He’s arguably one of the most-memed rappers on the internet. Pair that with his unique style and consistency, and it’s a no brainer to see how Drake’s net worth is $250 million and growing.
