Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) once approached the writers of Degrassi: The Next Generation and told them that his friends in the rap industry thought he was "soft" because the character he portrayed on the show was in a wheelchair.
"There was a letter from a law firm in Toronto, and it was from Aubrey," Degrassi writer James Hurst recalled in a new oral history published by The A.V. Club. "It was an odd letter that said, 'Aubrey Graham will not return to Degrassi season six as Jimmy Brooks unless his injury is healed, and he's out of the wheelchair.'"
Hurst revealed that, upon receiving the notice, he asked the actor-turned-rapper to come down to his office and discuss what was really going on. "He came in and was like, 'What letter? I don't know about that.' And I said, 'All right, I understand. But how do you feel about the wheelchair?'" the writer explained. "He's like, 'All my friends in the rap game say I'm soft because I'm in a wheelchair.' And I said, 'Well, tell your friends in the rap game that you got shot. How much harder can you get? You got shot, and you're in a wheelchair.'"
After the conversation, Hurst said Drake "was so nice and apologetic about everything," noting that "he instantly backed down." Hurst also recalled telling the entertainer, "Aubrey, there's some kid somewhere in a wheelchair, who's completely ignored, who's never on television, never gets represented. I need you to represent this person. You're the coolest kid on the show, and you can say there's nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair."
Drake portrayed student-athlete and musician Jimmy Brooks on Seasons 1-8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation. In Season 6 of the series, Jimmy was shot in the back and paralyzed by fellow student Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis) after Rick was told by bullies Spinner and Jay that Jimmy pulled a prank on him. While Jimmy initially struggled to adapt to being in a wheelchair, the injury helped him discover a new passion for music. Drake last appeared as Jimmy in the Season 8 finale, when he graduated as a member of Degrassi High School's Class of 2007.
Degrassi: The Next Generation served as a direct follow-up to Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, and ran for 14 seasons from 2001 to 2015. The series continued for four additional seasons as Degrassi: Next Class, which ran from 2016 to 2017.
Source: The A.V. Club