Anais Gutierrez
On Tuesday, Drake proudly showed off an $8.25 check for his work on the Canadian teen drama ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation.’. The rapper shared the picture on an Instagram for his work on the Canadian teen drama.
Drake is currently considered one of the highest paid names in entertainment, so those $8.25 don’t make much difference. It’s still nice for him to show them proudly, tho.
Not so big royalties
It’s been almost a decade since Drake last appeared on ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ and the star is still receiving cheques for his role on the show.
Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, played Jimmy Brooks in eight seasons of the teen drama series.
As an actor, he’s entitled to residual payments which begin once a show starts re-airing. Also of it’s released to video/DVD, pay television, broadcast TV, basic cable, or new media.
But it’s not as if he’ll be rushing out to buy a car with the proceeds of his latest cheque. The singer posted a photo on Instagram revealing that his last cheque was for just $US8.25.
Fans of ‘Degrassi’ may remember Drake’s character performing a little ditty called “Spinners Rap.”
“It was the first time I ever got to showcase rap on television,” he said of the song in a 2016 interview. “I think they gave me the opportunity after that to write a real song myself.”
His role as wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks made him famous before he entered the music industry, first as a guest artist, then on mixtapes before breaking through with his debut album “Thank Me Later” in 2010.
The highest paid man in the business
Every little bit helps though and the paltry residual cheques played a very small part in Drake being named the fourth highest earning celebrity last year.
According to Forbes, Drake pocketed $US94 million in the last 12 months thanks to his concert tour, endorsements from Apple and Sprite and being the most-streamed artist on the planet.
Drake’s music career took off after he was given the boot from ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ in 2008.
“That was part of the reason I was kicked off the show”. Drake told W magazine about his love of music.
“Back then, I’d spend a full day on set and then go to the studio to make music until 4 or 5 am. I’d sleep in my dressing room and then be in front of the cameras again by 9 am,” he added.
“Eventually, they realized I was juggling two professions and told me I had to choose. I chose this life.”
Good choice.
Source: CTV News
