Drake & His Dad: A Look At The Rapper's Relationship With Dennis Graham

Drake's father, Dennis Graham, has defended the artist amid recent accusations of trolling. The Rap icon recently teased a new song titled “Rescue Me,” which samples Kim Kardashian talking about her divorce from Kanye West. "I didn't come this far just to come this far, and not be happy," Kardashian says on the track. Quickly, social media users accused Drake of trying to provoke Ye. However, Drizzy's father stepped in. “Drake is not trolling anyone," Drake's dad wrote on Instagram. "It’s just a song, why try and create a Kanye and Drake beef again?”

However, while Drake and West have a history of drama, so do Drake and his dad. The Grammy winner has rapped about their relationship and being an absentee father. Additionally, in some of his earlier tracks, Drake describes feeling neglected by his father. He also says Graham was largely absent during his childhood. In 2019, Graham responded, making headlines. In an interview with Nick Cannon on Power 106, he says Drake exaggerated the stories in his music to sell records.

Drizzy took to Instagram, feeling wounded and betrayed, saying, “Woke up today so hurt man." He adds, "My father will say anything to anyone that's willing to listen to him. It's sad when family gets like this, but what can we really do. That's the people we are stuck with... Every bar I ever spit was the truth, and the truth is hard for some people to accept.”

Drake has spoken candidly about the complex nature of his relationship with his dad and how it's evolved. He describes his father as a flamboyant and charismatic man who is a talented musician in his own right. However, Drake has been honest about his challenges growing up with a father who wasn't around. In the song “Look What You've Done," Drake speaks about his father's absence and lack of child support.

Despite that, Drake and Dennis have a loving relationship. The OVO icon discussed how the two discussed their past and worked to overcome their differences. In the song “6PM in New York," Drake raps more warmly about his father. "My dad called me up knowing that I still listen / And he's still got his foot out, guilt trippin' / It's been years though, I just learn to deal with it." Graham is even featured in the music video for "Worst Behavior," and the two also collaborated on a song called “Heat of the Moment."

The father and son have continued to work on their relationship. In an interview with GQ, Drake discussed his father's role in his life. He even says that Graham helped him develop his love for music. He added that his dad was present for the birth of his son, Adonis, and they've bonded over fatherhood.

Graham even released a music video for his own song "That on That." The tune features him rapping and dancing in a barbershop, a casino, and other settings. The video went viral on social media and got mixed reviews. Some praised his energy; others criticized the video for being cheesy and dated.

Despite the negative feedback, Drake is proud of his father's music career. He supports his efforts to establish himself as an artist. The two also seem much closer these days on a personal level. Graham even got significant ink of a younger Drizzy tattooed on his upper arm.

Drake hilariously roasted his dad over his bored expression on the tattoo. In an Instagram post, he wrote, "I was just sitting here thinking why you do me like this, we family!" followed by three laughing emojis. Graham laughed along, replying, "Hahaha I had 16 people try to straighten this out, they're hurting me!"