Drake Bursts Into The Hottest MCs In The Game At #3 

This kid Drake, however, is a different type of beast. Technology allowed his tape to spread wider and faster than CDs, and So Far Gone's word-of-mouth buzz made it a must-have download. He toured the country on the strength of the mixtape while songs from SFG flew from underground to radio rotation.

Drake shares some thoughts...

Drake Blogs About 'The Craziest Part About Becoming 'Famous' '
'To have anyone of any significance in our lives that we can look up to there will be things that we must look past,' he writes.

Drake may be signed to Lil Wayne's label, but he seems to be taking more than a few cues from his mentor Kanye West. Case in point: Thursday, Drake took to his personal blog to get something off his chest. In the post, he contemplated how odd his particular brand of fame is and also defended his decision to release his So Far Gone mixtape as a CD.

"People often ask me the craziest part about becoming 'famous' and I've never had an answer until yesterday," he wrote. "You'll spend half of your time defending yourself and the other half trying to stay sane resulting in you being forced to find time to be creative."

He also openly wonders if the "cyber world of instantaneous information" will ever again yield the sort of rap star who will be able to maintain his image. "I am just urging a generation to understand that in order to have anyone of any significance in our lives that we can look up to there will be things that we must look past," he wrote, likely responding to the rumors floating around the Internet that he's gay.

In the post, Drake defended the forthcoming release of his mixtape So Far Gone, which was previously available for free. "I am only releasing this EP so that everyone involved in the project can hold a physical copy of the CD in their hands and see it in the store," he wrote. "If you got it for free and want to keep it that way then by all means I urge you to."

Drake is currently at his home outside Toronto where he is working on his upcoming full-length debut Thank Me Later and awaiting surgery on his knee, which he injured while on Lil Wayne's America's Most Wanted tour.

Drake
Rapper Drake confirms the re-release of his mixtape So Far Gone and says that the re-release will contain most of the original tracks such as “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful” featuring R&B singer Trey Songz.

The Canada-native sat down with MTV to discuss his re-release plans and said that he will be adding a new track to the mix titled “Fear”. “Fear” will also be the lead single to his upcoming debut Thank Me Later. In a creative twist, Drake explained that the last line in the third verse on “Fear” will be the first line on the song on Thank Me Later. The album is slated for a 2009 release.

Some facts about Drake :

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian actor and recording artist. He originally became known for playing character Jimmy Brooks on the TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a rapper, he performs under the mononym Drake. Drake continued to recognize a close affiliation with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, before officially signing with the record label in June, 2009. His first studio album, Thank Me Later, is expected to be released on the label in 2010.

Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis; he is the nephew of musicians Larry Graham and Teenie Hodges. Graham's father is African American (a native of Memphis, Tennessee) and his mother, an educator, is a white Jewish Canadian. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother in Toronto's wealthy Forest Hill neighbourhood,attending elementary school at Forest Hill Public School, and high school at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, where he began acting, but did not graduate. He also spent many summers with his father in Memphis, Tennessee.

One of the names that fans continue to bring up is Drake's. The young Canadian's fans say he squashes the competition — but Drizzy still feels he has a long way to go.

"What a lot of people don't understand ... people may be like, I may be one of the best MCs — not yet," he told us recently. "I'm 22. I got a lot of growth."

Which brings up an interesting point: Drake hasn't even dropped an album. Yes, he's building up a string of stellar guest spots — like on Young Money's "Every Girl" and Fabolous' "Throw It in the Bag" remix — and his mixtape, So Far Gone, is a certified classic on the underground circuit, spawning radio hits "Successful" and "Best I Ever Had." But with only 10 slots on the Hip-Hop Brain Trust's list, should a person with no LP under his belt make the cut over somebody who has not only had singles in rotation but put product out in stores?

Even if Drake doesn't make the Hottest MCs list, he said even being considered is "an honor."

Known initially for his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Toronto, Ontario, native Drake (born Aubrey Drake Graham) stepped out as a rapper and singer with major pop appeal in 2006, when he initiated a series of mixtapes. A year later, despite being unsigned, he scored major exposure when his cocky and laid-back track "Replacement Girl," featuring Trey Songz, was featured on BET's 106 & Park program as its "Joint of the Day." He raised his profile throughout the next several months by popping up on countless mixtapes and remixes, and as rumors swirled about contract offers from labels, he gradually became one of the most talked-about artists in the industry. It did not hurt that he had support from the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. By the end of June 2009, "Best I Ever Had," a promotional single, had climbed to number two on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Though he was still without a label, he was prepping a proper debut album, Thank Me Later. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide