He’s come a long way from DeGrassi: The Next Generation. When 26-year-old Toronto native Aubrey Drake Graham—better known simply as Drake—arrives in Western New York for a 7 p.m. concert on Friday at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, he will boast two singles in the Billboard Hot 25 (“Take Care” with Rihanna and “The Motto” with Lil Wayne and Tyga). Drake’s second full-length album, Take Care—currently at 43 on the Billboard 200—is number four and three on the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts, respectively. Drake is a key member of Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment roster and has received nine Grammy nominations over the course of his short career.

The concert on Friday is part of Drake’s ongoing Club Paradise tour and will include appearances by J.Cole (perhaps best known to the masses for his nasty performance in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game earlier this year) and Waka Flocka Flame (who is on the cover of the most recent edition of SPIN Magazine).

In other (relatively) local Drake-related news: the rapper announced today that the third annual OVO Fest will be held on Sunday, Aug. 5 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto, a quick drive up the QEW / Gardiner Expressway for Western New Yorkers.  The hip-hop summer festival will also feature performances by the extremely buzzy A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd and 2 Chainz.

“Bringing together the 3rd Annual OVO Fest is such a milestone for me,” Drake remarked in a press release shared by his publicist. “A lot has happened over the last three years-a journey that I’m so grateful for-but it’s always coming home and performing for my hometown that means the most. This year, we’re going to bring it just like we do every year-with high energy and music at its best.”

Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 9 at www.livenation.com.

Photo by Flickr / eastscene.