Drake's Record Label: Everything You Need to Know About His OVO Sound & Universal Music Deals

Drake's Record Label: Everything You Need to Know About His OVO Sound & Universal Music Deals

By Marcus Bennett

November 27, 2024 at 04:42 PM

Drake is currently signed to Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), through his own record label, OVO Sound. He established this partnership in 2012, and it has been instrumental in his continued success in the music industry.

OVO Sound, which Drake co-founded with producer Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib, serves as his primary label. Through this imprint, Drake maintains creative control over his music while benefiting from Republic Records' distribution and marketing capabilities. The label's name "OVO" stands for "October's Very Own," referencing Drake's birth month.

Before his current arrangement, Drake was signed to Young Money Entertainment, a subsidiary of Cash Money Records, which was distributed by Republic Records. This earlier deal, signed in 2009, helped launch his mainstream career with successful albums like "Thank Me Later" and "Take Care."

The current label structure for Drake looks like this:

• OVO Sound (Drake's own label)
• Republic Records (Major label partner)
• Universal Music Group (Parent company)

This multi-tiered arrangement has proven incredibly successful for Drake, allowing him to maintain artistic independence while accessing major label resources. Under this deal, he has released numerous chart-topping albums including "Scorpion," "Certified Lover Boy," and "Her Loss."

Since signing with Republic Records, Drake has become one of the most commercially successful artists in music history, with multiple diamond-certified singles and record-breaking streaming numbers. His partnership with Republic Records and UMG continues to be active as of 2024.

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