Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. An influential figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop artists. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008), Drake began his recording career in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement (2006). He followed up with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
Frank Ocean is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist, among other accolades; both of his studio albums have been listed on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (2020).
OVO Sound is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2012 by rapper Drake, producer 40, and manager Oliver El-Khatib. The label operated as an imprint of Warner Records from its formation until 2022.
"ATM Jam" is a song by American rapper Azealia Banks featuring vocals and sole production from Pharrell Williams. The track was released in 2013, originally serving as the second single from Banks' debut studio album, Broke with Expensive Taste (2014). The track debuted on June 29, 2013, as part of the rapper's set at Glastonbury Festival 2013, with New York radio station Hot 97 premiering the clean, shortened version of the studio recording three days later on July 2. On July 11, 2013, the full studio version of "ATM Jam" was officially released for radio airplay on BBC Radio 1. On November 9, 2013, Azealia tweeted that she would be taking "ATM Jam" off the album and that the song was meant to be a "passing chapter" and not a single.
Majid Jordan is a Canadian-Bahraini R&B duo, composed of vocalist Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman, both of whom originate from Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2011, the duo signed with fellow Toronto native Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records, to release their debut extended play (EP), A Place Like This (2014). The duo is best known for their guest appearance on Drake's 2013 single "Hold On, We're Going Home", which peaked within the top five of both the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100.
Makonnen Kamali Sheran, better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen, is an American former rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2014 single "Tuesday", which initially gained recognition following its remix with Canadian rapper Drake. After its release in August of that year, he signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records that same month; the song was re-released by the label shortly after and subsequently peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Tuesday" also received a nomination Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, and served as the lead single for his likewise re-issued self-titled debut extended play (2014), which moderately entered the Billboard 200. He parted ways with OVO in 2016, and his following releases have failed to chart.
"Tuesday" is the debut single by American rapper ILoveMakonnen, released on September 1, 2014. The song, which was produced by frequent collaborators Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin, featuring guest vocals from Canadian rapper Drake, was released as the first single from his debut extended play (EP), ILoveMakonnen (2014). On March 4, 2015, "Tuesday" was certified platinum by the RIAA, signifying at least 1 million units sold.
The Chopstars, also known as Chopstar DJs or simply Chopstars, are a collective that include American DJs and turntablists that perform chopped and screwed remixes of popular music under Chop Not Slop Ent. including Drake's 2011 Take Care album, as well as Little Dragon's 2014 Nabuma Rubberband album., Savage Mode II from Metro Boomin and 21 Savage and Brent Faiyaz’s 2022 Wasteland. Created by Swishahouse Records co-founder OG Ron C, DJ Lil Steve, DJ Candlestick, and DJ Hollygrove. It is a homage to the late DJ Screw. The motto of The Chopstars is "Keeping DJ Screw alive since 2001" and "Dedicated to the memory of DJ Screw." Notable members include DJ Candlestick, DJ Lil Steve, Mike G, DJ Ryan Wolf the official DJ of the Cleveland Browns, DJ Hollygrove formerly of KQBT, and Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins. On Nov 4th, 2022 The Chopstars received a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declaring July 1 The Chopstars Day.
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker, and through the Apple Music web browser app.
Denzel Spencer, better known by his stage name Roy Woods, is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter. He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2014. His first two albums, Waking at Dawn (2016) and Say Less (2017), both moderately entered the Canadian Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Woods has also founded his own collective, Unlock the Underground.
What a Time to Be Alive is a collaborative commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future. It was released on September 20, 2015, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, Republic Records, Epic Records, A1 Records and Freebandz. The mixtape was executive produced by Metro Boomin, who also produced or co-produced eight of its 11 songs. Additional producers include 40, alongside Southside, Allen Ritter, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and others. It was released on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
Views is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on April 29, 2016, by Cash Money Records, Republic Records, and Young Money Entertainment. Recording sessions took place from 2015 to 2016, with both Drake and his longtime collaborator and record producer 40 serving as the record's executive producers. 40 also primarily handled the production on the album alongside Nineteen85, Maneesh Bidaye, Kanye West, and Jordan Ullman, among others. It also contains guest appearances by PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, and Rihanna.
Dvsn is a Canadian R&B duo composed of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85. After releasing three songs in 2015, the duo signed with Canadian rapper Drake through his label OVO Sound. They released their debut studio album Sept. 5th to positive reviews that same year. Their second album, Morning After (2017), continued their critical success. They released their third album A Muse in Her Feelings (2020) and followed that up with the collaborative album Cheers to the Best Memories (2021) with Ty Dolla Sign. The duo's fourth studio album, Working on My Karma, was released on October 22, 2022.
Amir Obeid, known professionally as Amir Obè, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer of Sudanese-Polish descent from Detroit, Michigan. He started his music career in 2009 as Phreshy Duzit and signed to Atlantic Records. He later left the label to reinvent his style and changed his name to Amir Obè and found his own collective Neighborhood PHCK$. Obè rose to fame by releasing the mixtape, Detrooklyn in 2014. In 2015, he released the EP, Happening in the Grey Area and then 2016's, Won't Find Love in the Hills. On December 1, 2016, Amir announced that he had signed a deal with Def Jam Recordings, and that an album is set to release sometime in 2017. His debut single on Def Jam, "Wish You Well" was released on March 9, 2017.
Sean Seaton, known professionally as Neenyo, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He is known for his works with Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR as well as various artists including Future, Mr. Probz, blackbear, Jadakiss and Lloyd Banks.
More Life is the fifth commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake. Described and marketed as a playlist, some publications have referred to it as a mixtape. It was released on March 18, 2017, through Republic Records and distributed by Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment. Production of More Life was handled by a variety of record producers, including 40, Frank Dukes, Boi-1da, Murda Beatz, T-Minus, Nineteen85, and Kanye West, among others. An ensemble of guest vocalists also appear, including West, Young Thug, Giggs, Skepta, Quavo, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jorja Smith, Sampha, and PartyNextDoor.
Michael Martin Kaminski, known professionally as Plaza, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his singles "Personal", "All Mine", and "Use Me". From 2017 to 2021 he was signed to OVO Sound, the record label co-founded by rapper Drake, producer Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib.
Care Package is the first compilation album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on August 2, 2019, by OVO Sound. The compilation consists of songs released between 2010 and 2016 that were initially unavailable for purchase or commercial streaming. The compilation features guest appearances from J. Cole, Rick Ross, and James Fauntleroy and additional vocals by Sampha and Beyoncé.
Jordan Whiston, better known by his stage name Jay Whiss, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. He first gained international attention after the release of the single "Watch This", which appeared on OVO Sound Radio in late 2015. Whiss also appeared on the Noisey documentary 6IX RISING (2017), which showcased hip hop culture in Canada. He is one-third of the hip hop collective Prime Boys, alongside Jimmy Prime and Donnie. Prime Boys released their debut studio album Koba World on July 27, 2018; the album received a 9/10 score by Exclaim!. Whiss was also featured in the short film Remember Me, Toronto (2019) by Mustafa the Poet.
Larry Jackson is an American record executive and technologist who co-founded gamma. in 2023. Prior, he served executive positions at Interscope Records and later Apple Music. Billboard included Jackson on its "40 under 40" list, and the "Power 100" list.
