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Drake · S1 E4
Weston Road
The basement apartment on Weston Road where Drake and his mother started over
The ceiling is so low that Aubrey will have to duck by the time he hits his growth spurt. This is home: a basement apartment in Toronto, beneath someone else's house, with his mother sleeping in the next room.
Drake and Rick Ross in "Money In The Grave." The ultimate contrast to this episode: Drake swimming in wealth while Rick Ross delivers his verse like a closing argument. Every dollar Drake earned started as a dream in a room with a leaking ceiling.
Money In The Grave ft. Rick Ross (2019)
Released on the Care Package compilation, "Money In The Grave" rides a menacing, bass-heavy loop produced by Dmanila. The production is deliberately sparse, leaving room for Drake and Rick Ross to flex without rushing. Ross delivers one of his best guest verses in years, all luxury imagery and veiled threats. But the real story is the title: Drake burying his money like he's burying his past.
“I lived in the basement of my mom's friend's house. When people say I didn't start from the bottom, it's like, you have no idea. We had nothing. My mom gave up everything so I could have something.”
— Drake, interview with The Fader, 2009
TAP TO REVEAL: What does "the bottom" in "Started From the Bottom" literally mean?
Weston Road, Toronto
The working-class stretch on Toronto's northwest side that Drake would reference across his career. Worlds away from Forest Hill's mansions, this is where the "Started From the Bottom" story begins.
Weston Road Flows
From Views (2016). Over a brooding, bass-heavy beat, Drake name-drops the street where his story started and traces the line from basement kid to global star. The flow is relentless, almost stream-of-consciousness, as if he's driving down Weston Road and can't stop the memories from flooding in.
Weston Road Flows, Drake (2016)
Read the lyrics while you listen. Drake name-drops the street where his story started and traces the line from basement kid to global star. Almost stream-of-consciousness, as if the memories flood in with every block.
What type of home did Drake grow up in with his mother?
Aubrey is 15 and stuck. No money, no plan, no way out of the basement. Then a friend from school mentions that his father works as a talent agent, and suddenly there is one door left to try.
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