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Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Bun B and many others are also influential in Drizzy’s hip-hop journey. By MTV News staff Hip-hop phenom Drake might only be 23 years old, but his roots in the rap world run quite deep. His debut album, Thank Me Later (which dropped this week) is the result of years of studying with a handful of masters, toiling in the mixtape circuit and traveling across North America in an effort to synthesize his unique style and build his credibility. But who is connected to the man born Aubrey Graham? As you can see in his hip-hop family tree , there are quite a few branches in Drake’s musical story. October’s Very Own (Drake’s personal crew) Noah “40” Shebib : Drake’s musical partner produced the bulk of Thank Me Later , and in the past, he served as the rapper’s road manager, engineer and lifeline as he ran up thousands of dollars on his credit card for the two to follow Lil Wayne on tour while they worked on So Far Gone. Oliver El-Khatib : Oliver functions as Drizzy’s creative director, weighing in on the majority of decisions in the lyricist’s career outside the recording booth. He posts to the OVO blog frequently, highlighting the tastes of the collective, from fashion to music. Oliver introduced Drake to the music of now tourmate Francis and the Lights. Niko : One of Drake’s longtime friends from Toronto, Niko introduced the rapper to his own barber when the former “Degrassi” star needed a fresh look. The two are often together, and in his Thank Me Later album credits, Drizzy tells his friend he thought he was an only child until he met Niko, whom he calls “my closest confidant.” Instrumental Allies (Kick-started Drake’s career) Jas Prince : The son of legendary Houston hip-hop pioneer J. Prince, the younger Jas found Drake on MySpace and urged Lil Wayne to listen to the upstart artist. Lil Wayne : The Cash Money Records superstar took Drake under his wing and offered the then-unknown rapper recording advice, telling his prot