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victim, because Aubrey is way too full of life. And he’s put that into
Jimmy very smartly, and that’s been a very great decision on Au-
brey’s part—to portray Jimmy in a wheelchair with a zest for life.” 20
Drake’s character began to do many things to cope with the
pain of his disability, including drawing, writing, visiting art muse-
ums, and composing rap lyrics. Jimmy’s shooting occurred in the
fourth year of the program, when Drake was seventeen. By then he
had been rapping with Poverty over the phone for several months.
Rather than having the show’s writers try to come up with raps for
Jimmy, Drake offered to write them himself. He wrote all of the ma-
terial he performed in the program. In less than a year, Drake went
from performing raps for one lonely inmate to rapping for millions.

Dropout
Although Degrassi did not pay Drake huge sums of money, he
was making a steady salary. This was a good thing for his family,

Encouragement from a Fan

Drake’s performance as Jimmy Brooks impressed not only Degrassi’s producers
and television critics but also the viewers. A fan named Jason took the time to
express his appreciation in a letter to Drake. The young star was so touched by
the fan’s comments that he read parts of the letter aloud during the behind-the-
scenes television program Degrassi Unscripted and thanked the fan on the air:

This is one of the nicest letters I’ve ever received from anybody. He feels
that I can complete the trifecta of the greatest African American actors
of all time—Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and he says, “The third
addition would be Aubrey Graham.” Jason, I thank you, man. . . . I ap-
preciate it with all my heart. Just know that I keep it close, and I will keep
this with me for the rest of my life. No matter where I go, you’re the one
who said it. So, if it happens, it happens, man, you called it.

Quoted in Degrassi Unscripted, YouTube, November 5, 2018. https://youtu.be/RHxs3-dLh4k.