Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, looked back on his past prior to becoming a rap superstar, in a nostalgic post he shared on social media.
The Canadian rapper reminisced about his humble beginnings by sharing an image of his very first press kit. In the music industry, a press kit is a promotional package that artists send to media outlets for publicity. Those who hope to get noticed or picked up, and eventually make it big in the music industry, use the press kit.
Drake proved that he started from the bottom, performing at Chris Bosh's private birthday party and having less than a thousand mentions in message boards. His ties with the basketball player gave him the much-needed publicity to boost his career or get him noticed.
At that time, Bosh was the leading scorer on the Toronto Raptors before he moved to Miami Heat. In 2013, Drake eventually became the Raptors' Global Ambassador. It is also worth mentioning that he was also an actor before he became a famous musician.
Fans may be familiar with Drake from the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation, where he portrayed basketball star Jimmy Brooks from 2000 to 2007. He left the show to pursue a career in music after he released his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006. The move led to a deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in 2009.
Now, the 31-year-old musician plays in sold-out arenas and is one of the sought-after rappers in the music industry. His estimated net worth is $90 million.
Drake has also released several chart-topping hits including the recently released single "God's Plan," which debuted to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, from his two-track EP Scary Hours, marked the fourth time the rapper landed on the No. 1 spot on the chart.
Another track, "Diplomatic Immunity" also debuted to the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart, landing at No. 7. Drake now has more tracks under Billboard's Hot 100 Top 10 than other famous rappers. He surpassed Jay-Z.
The 2017 Billboard Music Awards was also a huge moment for the songwriter after he swept 13 awards. He took home the trophy for Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Artist, and Top Billboard 200 Artist, to name a few. He also won Best Rap Song at the 2017 Grammy Awards for his track "Hotline Bling." Drake's first press kit is a clear reminder that with determination, anyone who starts from the bottom can achieve their dream.
