Drake has been named the No. 5 richest rapper in the world with a $150 million net worth - here's a look at how he got there
Drake — a music artist who goes by his middle name — was named the No. 5 richest rapper of 2019 by Forbes.
From 2018 to 2019, Drake's net worth grew by 50%, according to Forbes. And that's thanks to way more than just his music.
Source: Forbes
Drake told Forbes that he is always trying to get "better at things that make money."
Source: Forbes
While that "objective" of his does include reportedly making around $2 million per night on tour...
Source: Forbes
...it also includes his various business projects like the OVO family of brands he started.
Source: Business of Fashion
OVO stands for October's Very Own — Drake was born in October so the brand name is a nod to himself. The company started as an online community where the budding rap star released his first studio album, "Thank Me Later."
Source: Business of Fashion
OVO co-founder Oliver El-Khatib likened the MySpace page where the brand started to today's Instagram in terms of the platform's ability to facilitate a connection between an artist and their fans.
Source: Business of Fashion
Before he reached hip hop superstardom, Drake was an actor. He was a regular on the teen-focused soap opera, "Degrassi: The Next Generation." So Drake, the actor, turned to a MySpace page to transition to Drake, the musician.
Source: Vox, Business of Fashion
The page turned into a blog, which became a spot for Drake, El-Khatib, and their team to post inspiration and also their original work, El-Khatib said. When the first album came out in 2010, it went right to the top of the US Billboard 200 list.
Source: Business of Fashion
Drake went on to make several more albums, some of which reached No. 1 on charts and won various awards.
Source: Biography
In 2011, the brand started to release clothing. El-Khatib said it was because the group needed some tour-specific clothing for employees at venues to easily recognize the team. Since then, fashion has been the company's biggest source of revenue and is projected to do $50 million in sales in 2019.
Source: Business Of Fashion
The brand has also participated in collaborations with other fashion icons. In December 2013, Drake announced a collaboration line with Nike's Jordan Brand.
Source: GQ
Read more: Photos show the rise, fall, and comeback of Nike's iconic Air Jordan sneakers
But clothing isn't the company's only source of revenue. There is also OVO Sound and OVO Sound Radio — a record label and radio program respectively.
Source: Business Of Fashion
The actor-turned-musician also has quite an extensive real estate portfolio.
Source: Business Insider, Architectural Digest
His most recent Los Angeles acquisition was a $4.5 million ranch in Hidden Hills — a neighborhood also known for being the home of celebs like the Kardashians.
Source: Variety, Architectural Digest, Curbed
He dubbed the first of his three Hidden Hills homes the Yolo Estate. Drake paid $7.7 million for the estate in 2012.
Source: Business Insider, Trulia
The third home — a 1950s-style ranch — bumped up Drake's Hidden Hills acreage to a cool 6.7 acres. That's roughly the size of five football fields.
Source: Variety, Architectural Digest, Curbed
Before all the acting, businesses, and subsequent sources of income, Graham was busy growing up in Toronto, Canada.
Source: Saturday Night Live
Through his own song lyrics and different interviews with magazines like GQ, the rapper has touched on having a complicated relationship with his father, but in recent years the rapper has said, "We're cool" now.
Like many religiously observant Jewish people, Drake had a Bar Mitzvah when he was around 13 years old. Billboard reported that he even hosted a "re-Bar Mitzvah" for his 31st birthday.
Source: Billboard
One of the ways Drake stays connected to his Toronto roots is through his ambassadorship-turned-partnership with the city's NBA team, the Raptors.
Source: City News Toronto, TIME
In 2013, the rapper who grew up a "die-hard fan" of the team was named Raptors' global ambassador.
Source: Hardwood Diagnostic, City News Toronto
He said as ambassador, he wants "to bring the excitement into this building, I want a team that people are dying to come see, I want the tickets to be extremely hard to get, I want to bring that aggression, I want to bring that energy."
Source: Hardwood Diagnostic, City News Toronto
With Drake's help, the team launched a publicity campaign in 2014.
Source: USA Today, Toronto Raptors
Team representatives have said "We the North" is an attitude and mindset that they hoped fans all over the world would get behind...
Source: USA Today, Toronto Raptors
In 2017, the partnership between the star and the team grew its philanthropy reach. Drake and the Raptors donated a total of $3 million to Toronto and to Canada Basketball.
Source: City News Toronto
The money was to be used to build courts around the city and facilitate the overall growth of the sport in the community.
Source: City News Toronto
In fact, he bet French Montana $60,000 that the Warriors would beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals — the Warriors lost and Drake was out a cool $60K.
Source: Bleacher Report
Another NBA team that has had the rapper's heart at one point is the Miami Heat.
Source: TIME, SB Nation, Heat Nation
He's been accused of being a "bandwagon fan" — someone who supports whatever team is supposed to be the best that season.
Source: TIME, SB Nation, Heat Nation
He was spotted on the Heat's sidelines cheering for pals Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James.
Source: TIME, SB Nation, Heat Nation
But the rapper has also proven to show some philanthropic love for the Florida city.
Source: Reuters
In 2018, he donated $50,000 to help pay for a new homeless shelter after visiting Miami’s Lotus House — the city’s only homeless shelter for women and children at the time. He also gave Target gift cards to mothers and toys to children.
Source: Miami Herald
The rapper used his "God's Plan" music video budget of almost $1 million to make different donations around the city. The video opens with a statement that reads: "... Don't tell the label ..."
Source: Drake YouTube, TIME, ABC News
He filmed the video in various locations around Miami and made subsequent donations. He gave Destiny James, a student at the University of Miami, a check for $50,000 ...
Source: Miami Herald
... he walked into a grocery store and told shoppers he'd pay for everything they bought that day ...
Source: Miami Herald
Other lucky people around the city were given cars and shopping sprees at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Source: Miami Herald, Drake YouTube
While it's clear the rapper has spent a significant amount of money on strangers, he has also reportedly been supporting Sophie Brussaux — a former adult-film star and the mother of Adonis, Drake's son.
Source: TMZ, People, Hollywood Life, Hypebeast
Drake hasn't been without his share of controversies. When fellow rapper Pusha T announced to the world that Drake, in fact, did have a son, it made headlines. He also called out Drake for wearing blackface on one of his album covers.
October's Very Own defended himself in the conversation around blackface, but he did confirm Pusha T's allegations that he had a son. The confirmation came in 2018 when Drake said he was "hiding the world from my son," not the other way around.
Source: Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan
Drake is constantly working on new ventures — like investing in tech company Omni — and making music. There's no telling what's next in Drake's plan.
Source: Kulture Hub, Biography, Forbes
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