Drake and His Dad Still Disagree About Their Relationship 3 Decades After His Parents Divorced
As a successful rap star, Drake seems to have it all. But despite his best efforts, he and his father have had problems with their relationship for years. Some of that struggle has been public, and it doesn’t seem to be going away.
His father is also a musician, and he has clearly passed on his love for music. But despite their shared passion, they still can’t see eye-to-eye about some important facts.
Drake’s parents, Sandi and Dennis Graham
Drake was born in Canada, and the rapper had an unusual upbringing. Drake’s parents are Sandi and Dennis Graham. According to Biography, they come from very different backgrounds. Sandi is from Canada, and she is Jewish and white. Dennis, on the other hand, is from America, and he is Catholic and Black.
While many marriages between people from diverse backgrounds are happy, his parents’ relationship didn’t last. They divorced when Drake was five years old. His dad returned to America, and Drake grew up in Toronto with his mom.
Although he started as an actor, Drake was passionate about music from an early age. It turns out that he may have gotten that quality from his father. Graham is also a musician who has worked for a legend in the business. He played the drums for Jerry Lee Lewis, and music was an important part of his family’s life.
Drake says he was ‘actually hurt by a lot of the things that happened’
According to Neon Limelight, after his parents split up, Drake felt that his dad wasn’t there for him and his mom. He was left to take care of his mom on his own.
“I was actually hurt by a lot of the things that happened throughout the course of my life,” he said. “I had to become a man very quickly and be the backbone for a woman who I love with all my heart, my mother.”
Not only was his dad absent for much of his childhood, but Drake also saw him struggle with law enforcement. “I saw my dad get arrested by like a swat team at the border for trying to crossover,” he explained “I’ve seen things that didn’t make me happy. They were character building.”
Like most artists, Drake’s pain has become a part of his work. CNN reports that he’s written about the experience in lyrics such as, “And my father living in Memphis now, he can’t come this way/Over some minor charges and child support that just wasn’t paid.”
But although he was sharing his perspective, his words didn’t sit well with his dad.
Drake and his father disagree about what happened
A few years ago, Graham complained about Drake’s characterization of their relationship. He said that despite what Drake says, he was always there for him. He even accused his son of making up his claims to boost his career.
“I said, ‘Drake, why are you saying all of this different stuff about me, man? This is not cool,'” Graham said. “And he goes ‘Dad, it sells records.'”
Drake, however, responded by insisting he was telling the truth: “Woke up today so hurt, man. My father will say anything to anyone that’s willing to listen to him,” Drake wrote on Instagram. “Every bar I ever spit was the truth and the truth is hard for some people to accept.”
Drake and his father share a love of music. Sadly, in other important ways, they can still not agree on what’s true.
