Dennis Graham talks Memphis' influence on Young Money star.
Drake's father, Dennis Graham, was featured on Fox News' Action News 5 in Memphis, Tennessee, speaking for the first time about his son's success. In the segment, Graham explains that although Drake reps Toronto as his home town, the summer's he spent visiting his dad in the White Haven area of Memphis played a huge role in influencing his music.
"That's why his metaphors are so phenomenal now because he's been in Memphis," he says. "[Drake] considers Memphis home more than he does Toronto."
Graham, the brother of soul singer Larry Graham, is also a musician and a former drummer for legendary rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. He says that he exposed Drake to music, taking him to the infamous Royal Studios where artists like Al Green recorded. The elder Graham recalls encouraging his young son to pursue music.
"Appleville, which is Shelby Drive and Nealy, that's where we always came to … I used to hold him in my office, while I played the piano … I told him, I said, 'Drake, you got a beautiful voice.'"
Although Graham doesn't speak to the media often, he took the time out to express how proud he is of Drake's success. "My god, I look at him and I think, 'Oh my god! This kid's got it.' I said, 'Drake, you've done it, man,'" Graham said.
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