‘Degrassi’ Producers Reveal It Took ‘Convincing’ To Get Drake To Rap On The Show

Drake might be a superstar rapper now, but before he got his start in the music industry, he was Jimmy on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

On Monday, an executive producer for the show told Page Six that they tried to get him to use his music in the series. But the actor-turned-rapper was adamant about keeping his music career separate from his music career.

“He would play us mixtapes, and we really tried to talk him into letting us use some of his music in the show and getting him to rap and sing,” Stephen Stohn told the outlet at ATX TV Festival.

He added, “His music side was one side of his career, and the acting was another. We did manage to get him to do some rap, but it did take some convincing.”

Drake, now 34, played Jimmy Brooks on the show from 2001 to 2009. Stohn said that they knew Drake was musically inclined; they didn’t know how compelling his music would come to be. 

In 2018, Drake brought the cast of the Canadian teen soap together for his “I’m Upset” music video. The video was shot in the style of a Degrassi high school reunion. He even brought back Stefan Brogren, who played Archie “Snake” Simpson. The character originated on the original 1980s series Degrassi High and Brogren reprised the role for Degrassi: The Next Generation and again in Degrassi: Next Class.

“It was just a totally joyous occasion,” Stohn said of being involved in the three-day shoot.