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Aubrey "Drake" Graham - In a short period of time, the multi-talented Canadian rapper/singer has established himself as one of the industry's brightest new stars. Even before the release of his debut album, Thank Me Later, Drake was a proven hitmaker thanks to his critically acclaimed mixtape, So Far Gone. Now, as he celebrates his 26th birthday we look back at his meteoric rise to stardom. (Photo: Arnold Turner/BET/PictureGroup)

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Actor-Turned-Rapper\r - Before making a name for himself in the rap game, Drake played a paraplegic hoop star on the popular teen show, "Degrassi: The Next Generation." \r\r(Photo: Jeff Daly/PictureGroup)

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So Far Gone\r - In February 2009 Drake released his breakout mixtape, So Far Gone, featuring hit singles "Best I Ever Had," and "Successful." So impactful was the tape, his label Universal Records later released it as an EP, which sold over 500,000 copies.

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Endorsement Dollars - Drizzy proved a bankable star when he signed a multi-year deal with Sprite to be an official pitchman for the soft drink. (Photo by John Gunion/Redferns)

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A Young Money Mastermind - Lil Wayne signed Drake to Young Money in 2009 after seeing the artist's potential in hip hop, R&B and as a songwriter. Wayne has even gone as far as to proclaim that Drake was a better artist than he was. "This kid has the actual R&B presence. He’s one of the dopest lyricists," Wayne said.\r\r(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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"Every Girl" - Every rapper has their posse, and Drake is no different. Young Money won the BET Award in 2010 for Best Group, due in part to their smash hit record, "Every Girl." Drake joined Lil' Wayne, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda and Jae Millz on the song that had the girls asking questions about this Young Money MC. \r\r(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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Mr. Steal Your Girl? - Drake has worked with Trey Songz on more than one occasion, but it was his appearance on the remix to the very sexy and successful song, "I Invented Sex," that had the ladies going crazy.\r\r(Photos: Adrian Sidney/PictureGroup)

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Collaboration King - Drake joined Lil Wayne, Eminem and Kanye West on the highly respected rap song, "Forever." On all the verses, every rapper brought his skills to the table and tried to out-rap the next man. Although many would argue in favor of Eminem, Drake delivered a memorable one.\r\r(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Team Drake and Nicki - Drake and Nicki's relationship is an interesting topic. It's hard to fight off the rumors when the duo works so well together. The two artists have "Moment for Life" and "Up All Night" in their catalog already, now add to that "Make You Proud," and you can see why they are a dynamic duo. (Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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"Off That" - You've got to be a talented songwriter to even come close to working with Jay-Z. Drake and Jay-Z traded verses on the song, "Off That," from The Blueprint 3. They've even performed on stage together.

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"Say Something" - Producer/rapper Timbaland recruited Drake to add some flavor to his infectious mid-tempo single, "Say Something." Drake laced the chorus and added a rhyme to seal the deal. \r\r(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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"Unthinkable (I'm Ready)" - Alicia Keys enlisted Drake for her monster single, "Unthinkable (I'm Ready)." Though he was featured on the record, Drake wasn't officially credited as a songwriter. Drake later revealed in an interview that he had written the song for Nicki Minaj, with Alicia and Swizz Beats in mind. \r\r(Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images)

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Mary J. Co-Signs - Before they collaborated on the "Fancy (Remix)," Mary J. Blige handpicked Drake to work on "The One" from her album. Before that, she talked about Drake's "Best I Ever Had" single as being a positive song for females.(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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Award Tour - Though he has only released one official album (Thank Me Later), Drake has already picked up a few awards for his shelf. At the 2010 BET Awards, Drake even picked up the trophy for Best Male Hip Hop Artist. (Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images)

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"Money To Blow" - There's no doubt that Drake has been instrumental on the hits that have come out of the Young Money and Cash Money camps. Drake was on a 24-hour champagne diet with Lil Wayne when Birdman's "Money to Blow" literally blew up. Rhyming alongside him and Lil Wayne, Drake took the single to the clubs and beyond. \r\r(Photo: Brad Barket/PictureGroup)

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Thank Me Later - After building a massive buzz with his mixtape, So Far Gone, Drizzy lived up to the hype by delivering one of the best albums of 2010 with his debut, Thank Me Later.

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Rihanna Rumors - Drake's collaborated with Rihanna on "What's My Name?" and even performed the song with her at the 2011 NBA All Star game. The chemistry between the two has sparked rumors of a romantic relationship. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

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Take Care - Drake released his sophomore album, Take Care on November 15. The album features songs with Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Andre 3000, and Nicki Minaj.

Photo By (Photo: Courtesy Cash Money Records)

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"The Motto" - Featured as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Take Care, this infectious Bay Area-inspired banger became one of the biggest records of 2012. It spawned several unauthorized Youtube remixes and helped Drizzy pick up some award show nominations along the way. (Photo: Young Money/Universal)

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Club Paradise Tour - After the release of his sophomore album, Take Care, launched him into another stratosphere of stardom, Drake felt the need to connect with his fans on a more intimate level. So he set out on the, Club Paradise Tour, which played to cozy college arena venues packed with die-hard Drizzy. As an added attraction the Toronto MC brought along hip hop upstarts like Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky as opening acts.  (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Pushing Buttons - In a year when rap beefs became trendy again, Drake found himself in the midst of one of the most talked about rivalries. The tension between Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music clique hit the front page in May 2012 when G.O.O.D. antagonist Pusha T took aim at Drake and Weezy on the scathing “Exodus 23:1.” While Drizzy has addressed the conflict in interviews, he has yet to respond in a direct manner on wax. (Photo by Vince Bucci/PictureGroup, Robin Marchant/Getty Images for ESPN)

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Bottles in the Club - Partygoers at the New York City hotspot w.i.p. will never forget the night Drake and Chris Brown got the party way too turnt up. The entourages of the two music superstars clashed in a bottle-throwing brawl that left several people hurt. Breezy walked away with a gnarly gash on his chin, while Drizzy was uninjured. The row, which was allegedly over Rihanna, forced the temporary closure of the club and set off a string of lawsuits. One such suit came from NBA All-Start Tony Parker who sustained an injured eye in the fracas. (Photos from Left to Right: Jason Merritt/Getty Images For BET, Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Photo By Photos from Left to Right: Jason Merritt/Getty Images For BET

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Hate 'Em or Love 'Em - Drake’s three year rise to stardom has been a complicated journey filled with love and hate. For every devout fan that appreciates the rapper-singer for his very introspective artistry, there is a naysayer that knocks him for being “too corny.” Like many of the greats, Drake’s success is obviously fueled by the contrast in fan reaction. That said we can all look forward to continued greatness from the multi-talented sensation. Like it or not. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)