Get with Drake: From Degrassi Star to Rap Act

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Meet Drake: A fresh rapper whose new single, Best I Ever Had, is currently blowing up the radio.

Though Drake is closely associated with Lil Wayne he's signed to Wayne's Young Money Ent the music maker has been pumping out his own material since 2006. That year he released his first mixtape, Room for Improvement, on his mySpace.

2007's follow-up, Comeback Season, drew a wider audience and teamed him up with Lil Wayne for the first time. As an emerging musician, he was building buzz. And yet, his face was already familiar to many fans.

Born Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian performer first found success as an actor. You may know him as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. As a teen idol, it can be hard to crossover into a mainstream hip-hop act.

Though most rap stars toil endlessly to prove their street cred, he's hasn't allowed the public's perception of him as a likeable young guy to interfere with how he projects himself to the world at large. Instead, he's going with it, proving you can rap without the hardcore machismos. His persistence paid off. Over the past three years he's worked hard to show his skills and establish himself with his audience.

There is one - slight - change though. As a new artist on the music scene, he's decided to play a little name game and just go by the mononym Drake. Simple enough. Though he's now branding himself as a rapper, he's still staying true to who he is.

His first official studio release is expected later this year under the title Thank Me Later. Followers are updated on his progress via Drake's Twitter account while you're there, be sure you follow @4younghollywood too!

Wes Ferguson is a lifestyle expert and entertainment writer living out the Young Hollywood dream in beautiful Westside Los Angeles.