Drake is one of the most popular artists of our generation. He racked up billions of listens on Spotify and Apple Music, and was the most streamed artist of 2020.
What many fans might not know, but most Jews will eagerly tell you, is that Drake is a proud member of the Jewish tribe.
Like we said in a Tik Tok about his Jewish identity, Drake is Jewish and proud. He jokes about it, raps about it, and talks about it.
Here are some more things to know about Drake’s Jewish identity:
He’s Jewish and Canadian
Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario.
His father, Dennis Graham, is African American and a practicing Catholic from Memphis, Tennessee, who worked as a drummer. His mother, Sandra “Sandi” Graham is Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian and worked as an English teacher and florist.
He was primarily raised by his mom
Drake’s parents divorced when he was five years old. After the divorce his father returned to Memphis while he and his mother stayed in Toronto.
Naturally, 13 year-old Drake had a Bar Mitzvah
“I went to a predominantly Jewish school growing up, I definitely had a Bar Mitzvah,” he said in an interview.
In 2011 he had another one
In Drake’s music video for HYFR, the opening credits explain: On October 24, 2011 Aubrey “Drake” Graham chose to get re-bar mitzvah’d as a re-commitment to the Jewish religion Drake.” The video features Drake wearing a Kippah, Tallit and seemingly reading from the Torah, and also bagels, Manischewitz and an Israeli flag.
At 31 Drake had Bar Mitzvah 3.0
In 2017, when Drake turned 31 (the reverse of 13), he had a very special birthday party. His 31st birthday party night was themed “Aubrey’s re-bar mitzvah.”
To reinforce the theme, Drake posted an image of his “bar mitzvah board”— seemingly original from 1999.
He also had an SNL Bar Mitzvah
In an iconic SNL sketch parodying his Bar Mitzvah, Drake spoke about being from Toronto,, starring in Degrassi: The Next Generation and growing up with a Jewish mother and Black father.
That time he shared his Passover seder on Instagram
He recently rapped about Yeshiva
In “Wants and Needs,” Drake raps about his sins. In one line, he says: “Yeah, I probably should go to yeshiva, we went to Ibiza.”
Originally Published Jul 1, 2021 12:01AM EDT
