Imagining Drake's Filmography If He Never Became A Rapper

In our alternate universe, Drake continues acting and never becomes a successful rapper. Almost nothing is the same.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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What if Drake never became a hip-hop giant? From 2001 to 2009, Aubrey “Drake” Graham was a star on a Canadian soap opera for teens, Degrassi: The Next Generation. Since then he’s basically put his acting days behind him. Save for a voice acting role in Ice Age: Continental Drift and an upcoming cameo in December’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Drake's acting days are pretty much a distant memory. It seems like ever since he met Lil Wayne nothing was the same. (Don’t give up on this, that was so necessary. Cutesy meta jokes will be a bare minimum from this point forward.)

In a 2004 episode of Degrassi Unscripted, Drake took us through his Toronto home (the clip has been removed but you can read our original post here), and in adorable Drake fashion he exhibits his hip-hop fanaticism by showing off a stack of spiral bound notebooks with old rhymes. He says he’ll never use the books and only keeps them around for “nostalgia purposes.” At one point he reads a bit of a letter penned by a fan named Jason. According to Jason, Drake has the talent to complete what he calls a “trifecta of great black actors.” Drake would join the ranks of legendary actors Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington.

“If it happens, it happens man,” Drake says.

Well...what if it did happen? What would’ve Drake’s career been like if he became an actor instead of a rapper? What roles would he have taken on and/or stolen from other actors? Complex is about to take you to an alternate universe where Jason’s dream comes true. So, from this point on, there is no Drake. Only Aubrey Graham, the actor. 

Written by H. Drew Blackburn (@hdrewblackburn)

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Senioritis (2006)

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Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)

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Juno (2007)

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Farewell, My Love (2008)

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Inglourious Basterds (2009)

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Battle of Broken Hearts (2011)

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There Is No Such Thing (2012)

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Othello: The Moor of Venice (2012)

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Partners Against Crime (2013)

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