Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, is back in Canada after over 15 years of being denied access into the country.
On a post on his Instagram stories, Drake announced that his father was able to visit him in Toronto for the first time in over 15 years.
“First time in over 15 years they let the OG back into Canada,” he wrote on the pic of his two parents together. “Thank you to everyone that helped us out.”
Drake apparently has some sway at the border. This is not the first instance in which Drake has helped someone overcome legal difficulties to visit Canada — as evidenced by his recent entry of fellow rapper 21 Savage at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.
The multi-platinum rapper's father split with his mother Sandi Graham when he was a child. Drake was raised by his mother in Toronto while his father lived in the U.S. They've had a complex public relationship since then, demonstrated by a public dispute between the two regarding some of Drake’s lyrics. Despite this, Dennis Graham has accompanied his son at multiple award ceremonies, appeared in multiple music videos throughout the years and seems to maintain an active relationship with him.
Although it is unknown what legal issues prevented Dennis from entering Canada, Drake said in his 2011 song “Look What You’ve Done” that his father could not enter Canada due to “minor charges and child support that just wasn’t paid.”
Dennis Graham is from Memphis, Tennessee, but has a long history in Toronto. In 1984, he performed with Jerry Lee Lewis in Toronto, where he met Drake’s mother Sandi Graham, née Sandra Sher.
Dennis now lives in Los Angeles, but he accompanies Drake to visit family whenever his touring brings him to Memphis. Drake’s ties to the city are quiet but evident, with decisions such as opening his 2023 “It’s all a blur” tour in Memphis. However, Drake and his father have not been together in Canada since the Grammy winner was 17, according to an interview with The Fader.
In 2021, Dennis released a single titled “Father and Son,” which he dedicated to Drake and his own son, Adonis. Now that he finds himself in Toronto, maybe Dennis and Aubrey will hop in the booth and record something in Drake’s home studio.
