Advertisement

Drake says John Calipari inspired him to finish high school

It may come as a surprise who inspired rapper Drake to finish high school after dropping out of Toronto's Forest Hill Collegiate Institute to pursue an entertainment career almost a decade ago.

He says it's Kentucky coach John Calipari.

"I never really got, like, a great school experience," Drake told CN2 in Kentucky this past weekend after coaching one of the teams in the Wildcat's alumni game.

"When Coach Cal asked me to come out here for the first Midnight Madness (in 2009), it just really gave me ... a sense of school, a sense of love, a sense of belonging to something. That's why I feel like I belong to the UK family. That's why I'm graduating high school this month. I'm definitely inspired by UK."

Drake has become one of Kentucky's most visible celebrity fans since the arrival of John Calipari three years ago.

He coached one of the intrasquad teams at Big Blue Madness in 2009. He sat behind the bench during the NCAA tournament in 2010. And he famously received a championship ring this summer after the Wildcats won the national title a few months earlier.

It's a shame Drake didn't expand on Calipari's influence because the Kentucky coach has always been better known for helping people to leave school early rather than inspiring them to finish school. Regardless, it's great Drake is setting a good example for kids who enjoy his music.

Related college basketball video from Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
Orlando Magic fan sues franchise over use of her image in ads
Golden Tate hopes to avoid fine for his block on Sean Lee
Alex Rios slide flips Tigers, keys White Sox win
Y! Movies: New 'RoboCop' suit revealed in first photo from the remake