Adonis Graham: The 6-Year-Old Rapper Who Stole Drake’s Heart

Adonis Graham is a six-year-old American media personality, rapper and model, born on 11 October 2017 in the USA, best known as the son of Canadian rapper, entrepreneur, singer and actor Aubrey Drake Graham.

Early life

His father Aubrey was born on 24 October 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is known under stage names Drake, Drizzy, 6 God, and Champagne Papi. Drake has released several influential studio albums, all topping the Canadian Billboard Album Charts and the US Billboard 200 chart. In the “Rap Radar” interview from December 2019, Drake stated that his son’s name was partially inspired by his work with the sports brand Adidas at the time of Adonis’ birth.

Adonis’ mother is Sophie Brussaux, born on 1 August 1989 in Bordeaux, France. Sophie worked as an adult entertainer under her stage name, “Rosee Divine.” She later started creating paintings based on cultural symbolism and biblical, science fiction, and spiritual topics. Sophie displays her art on her website, Sophie Brusseaux Art, and Instagram profile, @sophieknows better, on which she’s amassed over 660,000 followers. Sophie calls herself ‘mom to the greatest little human in the known universe and beyond’ – she relocated to Toronto after Adonis’ birth. Adonis has no siblings or half-siblings as of early 2024.

Diss track and rumors

According to Capital Xtra, Drake and Sophie were spotted together in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on a dinner date in January 2017. Sophie leaked alleged texts from Drake to TMZ in May of that year, in which he asked Sophie to have an abortion, but his public relations (PR) team later stated that ‘if it were Drake’s child, which he doesn’t believe is true, he would do right by the mother and his baby.’ Pusha T released his diss track, “The Story of Adidon,” in May 2018, hinting at Drake having a secret child, and being a deadbeat father.

TheThings reported that a witty fan spread false news that Adonis’ middle name is Mahbed, which many believed was inspired by the Arab culture. Some lied that it means ‘chosen one’ in Romanian, fueling the rumors. After the fan who started the theory elaborated that it comes from the rapper’s 2018 song “God’s Plan,” in which Drake rapped, ‘I only love my bed and my mom,’ it became clear that they were joking.

Proving paternity

According to People, Drake rejected Sophie’s claims that he was Adonis’ father until he released his double album “Scorpion” on 29 June 2018. Drake rapped in the “Emotionless” song from the album, ‘The kid is mine. I wasn’t hidin’ my kid from the world; I was hidin’ the world from my kid, from empty souls who just wake up and look to debate…’ He also revealed that he doubted paternity because he only ‘met Sophie twice,’ hinting at having sexual intercourse with her.

In the “Rap Radar” interview, Drake stated that the first DNA test was ruined in transit, so he expected to receive proof of paternity in 2020 or later.

In the “The Shop” TV show episode from late 2018, Drake explained why he acknowledged Adonis as his son without evidence. He said that ‘he and Sophie found themselves in an unexpected situation that they were equally responsible for, and that he quickly felt the desire to become a great father.’

Early education

Adonis attended a preschool in Canada, likely in Toronto, and started first grade at a public elementary school in September 2023.

Career

Most information about Adonis is available through media reports and Sophie and Drake’s social media posts, shared by fan-made accounts. Drake said that he doesn’t want celebrity status to impact his son’s life, thus he and Sophie agreed not to share photos of Adonis until 2020, although Drake tattooed a portrait of Adonis on his right arm in 2019. In 2021, Adonis’ father called himself ‘hot since the birth of his son,’ implying that his career was on the upswing. Drake also called himself ‘co-parent of the year’ in the September 2021 song “Champagne Poetry” from his then-upcoming album “Certified Lover Boy.”

Adonis 4th B-day Party #adonisgraham #happybirthday #sophiebrussaux #drake #drakesson #big4 #celebritykids pic.twitter.com/klc11dHsT6

— Adonis Graham (@adonisgrahamfan) October 11, 2021

First public appearances

Sophie indirectly revealed that Adonis was bilingual in 2020, when she uploaded an Instagram video in which Adonis was teaching Drake some French words. The two also started sporting matching hairstyles, which became evident for Adonis’ fourth birthday, when they had straight-back braids, also known as cornrows. Drake and Sophie organized a race-themed party for that birthday and named the event ‘Adonis Races into 4.’ That celebration showed that Adonis liked automobiles, popcorn, and the “Space Jam” movies.

Adonis attended the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, and clutched his father’s legs while Drake accepted his Artist of the Decade Award, and subsequently held the statue while his dad gave his acceptance speech. Drake initially dedicated the award to his family but then picked-up Adonis and announced that he’d changed his mind and would dedicate it to his son.

Sports

In August 2020, Sophie shared a picture of Adonis in a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer team jersey. During the Christmas 2021 celebration, Drake shared videos of himself playfully wrestling with Adonis and another child, which indicated that his son enjoyed tumbling and tossing.

Although Drake brought Adonis to a few basketball games to support the Los Angeles Lakers, it wasn’t clear whether he truly enjoyed the sport. However, People magazine reported on Drake’s Instagram Story posted in December 2021, which confirmed Adonis’ love of basketball. In the video, Adonis dribbled and shot at the hoop, then scored four out of five shots when his father started counting. After Drake praised his precision, Adonis admitted that he began playing basketball at school without telling him.

Drake took him to several National Basketball League (NBA) games in 2022 and 2023, now primarily cheering for the Toronto Raptors. During the game between the Raptors and Chicago Bulls, which ended with 127 to 120 in the Raptors’ favor, Adonis sat courtside and lifted his Coca-Cola cup to cheer his father, and the moment went viral. Consequently, Drake stated that if Adonis remains passionate about basketball, he would bring him to basketball player LeBron James’ house for a summer camp. In late 2022, Adonis began participating in the Youth Basketball League games, and played basketball at the OvO Athletic Centre, alongside other children with well-known parents.

Sophie’s social media post from mid-2022 showed Adonis wearing a white upper-body kimono with black pants, indicating his plans to train martial arts. His mom wore an all-black outfit with a white belt, suggesting that she was practicing taekwondo or judo. In September of that year, Sophie shared a picture of Adonis in a helmet and a sword in a typical fencing stance, suggesting that he might also be interested in the discipline of Kendo.

Other hobbies and interests

Around his first birthday, there were indications that Adonis would be interested in painting; Drake shared that he received a colorful painting Adonis made with his handprints as a Christmas gift, and Sophie confirmed that with an Instagram picture posted in May 2022, which showed Adonis creating an abstract art piece.

Moreover, Drake revealed that his son drew the cover art for his 2023 album, “For All the Dogs.” Adonis also rapped the last verse of the song “Daylight” from that album, making his unofficial music debut, however, he was credited as one of the songwriters, In October 2023, Sophie shared Instagram videos and pictures of Adonis spray-painting on a canvas, assuring her followers that he remains devoted to art.

During Drake’s 12 February 2023 interview with the Sundae Conversation YouTube channel host, Adonis strolled into the frame and showed that he was unaware of his father’s fame by asking the interviewer, Caleb Pressley, what ‘being Drizzy Drake’s son meant.’ He also revealed that he couldn’t read, but was working on it as his best friend Kyle already could. Caleb asked Adonis at the end if he had anything to add, to which he replied that ‘he forgot to say that he is a shooting star,’ which many found amusing.

First concert and modeling

In July 2023, Drake started his “It’s All a Blur Tour”, and attracted attention when he showed an extensive collection of bras that he’d received during his performances. However, what caught people’s eye is that he sang a serenade to Adonis during the show in Inglewood, California, US, on 13 August, and asked his female fans to refrain from throwing bras at the Los Angeles, California concert the following day, because it was Adonis’ first concert.

Adonis made his modeling debut in the music video for Drake’s song “8am in Charlotte” on 6 October 2023. – it started with a conversation between father and son, during which Adonis showed his artwork, which included a goat and monsters that chased it. Drake then asked his son why his name was next to the goat, and whether it meant that Daddy was the goat, referencing an abbreviation for the ‘greatest of all time.’

Music

Adonis released his debut rap song, “My Man Freestyle,” and the accompanying music video on 16 October 2023, five days after his sixth birthday. Lil Esso produced the song, its lyrics revolved around Adonis protecting a friend, and the footage showed Adonis giving his friends a pep talk on a basketball court before he started rapping and shooting hoops. Drake briefly appeared in the video, and stated at this 36th birthday party on 25 October that he financed the project in honor of both birthdays. Adonis surprised the ensemble of celebrity attendees by singing the “Happy Birthday” song with a twist; at the end, he added, ‘Happy birthday, Daddy, in my heart! I’m gonna grow up!’

Physical characteristics

Adonis has long, curly, light brown hair and blue eyes. As of early 2024, he’s 4ft (1.22m) tall and weighs about 53lbs (24kgs).