Before Drake was the biggest rapper in the world, he was a Canadian actor. Given all the accomplishments and the mere fact he looks so different, it’s easy to forget. But for a while, he was Jimmy Brooks, the kid left paralyzed in a wheelchair on Degrassi. However, ‘Jimmy’ also ruined the credibility of his rap image. It’s especially bad the deeper he got in his career. His machismo was stronger and his mafioso raps grew in volume. Drake stood far from this image for a long time. But now, he’s opening up about it.
Recently, Billboard reported that the Canadian rap icon is going to appear and talk in an upcoming Degrassi documentary. Degrassi: Whatever It Takes will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival later this year for their 50th anniversary. The film will be directed by Lisa Rideout, where the film will examine Drake, in addition to the other stars and creators of the show. It also plans to look at how superfans felt about the series as it grew over the years.
Drake to Talk About His Time on Degrassi in New Documentary
Aubrey Graham starred on the show from 2001 and 2009 for 145 episodes. Famously, one episode immortalized him, where a school shooting saw him paralyzed and wheelchair-ridden for the rest of his time on the series. Apparently, Drake wasn’t all too thrilled about this, given his aspirations for rap.
Back in 2021 for AV Club, writer James Hurst recalls receiving a letter from a law firm, saying he wouldn’t return if they didn’t miraculously rewrite his injury. “It was an odd letter that said, ‘Aubrey Graham will not return to Degrassi season 6 as Jimmy Brooks unless his injury is healed, and he’s out of the wheelchair,’” he recalls of Drake.
Apparently, he didn’t know what Hurst was talking about. Consequently, he asked what he thought of the wheelchair accordingly. He’s like, ‘All my friends in the rap game say I’m soft because I’m in a wheelchair,’” Hurst recalls Drake saying. “And I said, ‘Well, tell your friends in the rap game that you got shot. How much harder can you get? You got shot, and you’re in a wheelchair.’”
The post Drake Will Open Up About Degrassi Past in Upcoming Documentary appeared first on VICE.
