US rapper and label boss Jim Jones recently spoke in a podcast about his chance at the time to sign Canadian rapper Drake. But he refused. As a reason he gave the former appearance of Drake.
At the time, Drake was on the show Degrassi, where he played the role of Jimmy Brooks. A role that made the today’s rapper seem rather nerdy to Jones and therefore failed to impress him. Consequently, the label boss decided against signing today’s superstar Drake.
Drake as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi:
#SignsYouMightBeAnAdult
If You Remember @Drake As a Character on Degrassi & Not A Rapper pic.twitter.com/97UDThe2K2— Wolfies Boutique (@wolfiesboutique) February 7, 2022
Speaking on the podcast about a conversation I had with music executive Alan Grunblatt at the time, Jones said, “Drake definitely ended up on my desk. I got a call from Alan Grunblatt, I think I was on tour and Alan said I have this guy called Drake, he’s an actor on the show Degrassi. And I was like, who the hell is Drake from Degrassi? He let me hear him rap, this boy was rapping his ass.” He later added, “He’s an actor, he’s in a wheelchair, what’s that called Disney Channel? I said to him, boy, I don’t know how to do this.”
Sooner or later, he had to painfully realize that Jones was wrong in his assessment. After all, over time Drake has emerged as the superstar of today’s music world. The multi-platinum rapper not only touches millions of people with his music, but also acts as a role model for numerous artists today. Only the rapper Lil Wayne was able to recognize Drake’s talent and marked the start of his then young career.
However, Jones hinted in the podcast that at some point the insight came that maybe he had made a mistake. He said of Lil Wayne: “Weezy was smart enough to do that and I remember on another tour I was in the back of the bus and I heard Weezy and Drake rapping. Drake said something about Princess Diana and it got crazy. And I just thought wow, life is crazy. That n**a is badass fuck what he looks like.”