Rapper Drake Doles Out Advice At High School Graduation

If you look at rapper Drake’s life, it’s difficult to see anything but hard work and success. However, when Drake was 15—and just embarking on an acting journey with Degrassi: The Next Generation--he made the decision to drop out of school. Last Friday, the 26-year-old finally finished up his high school degree and was given the opportunity to talk about his experiences at the Jarvis Collegiate Institute's commencement ceremony in Toronto.

The actor and performer spoke out about how he had achieved a lot of other goals and increased his reliance on material possessions. At some point, all of the physical stuff he had earned was not enough for the man, and he decided to return to school. Drake also says it took him a long time to learn why going to school is so important, but now he says he “gets it.”

His speech is a bit long-winded, but his focus on all of the other kids who followed through and made it to commencement with him is heartfelt and extremely genuine. There’s nothing like seeing a man going through something enormous and, after being given an opportunity to speak about his educational challenges and triumphs, choosing to place the focus on everyone rather than simply patting himself on the back. So congrats to Drake, class of 2012.

You can read more over at Rolling Stone.