It’s the return of Jimmy Brooks! Drake warmed his fans’ little millennial hearts when he posted a screenshot from an old Degrassi: The Next Generation episode on Instagram. The May 14 throwback shows a very young Drake, now 33, chilling in a rec room with a group of chatting girls, while looking straight at the camera. He’s wearing baggy denim cargo pants and an army jacket, as one did in the aughts. The pic is a bit grainy, which is understandable; there’s a logo for The N, Nickelodeon’s short-lived network geared toward teenagers, in the corner. We’re looking at an ancient relic here, people. Drake simply captioned the photo “JB,” as in Jimmy Brooks, his iconic character. See the photo below!
We seriously can’t get over Drake’s baby face. The “Toosie Slide” singer starred on the Canadian teen drama from 2001 to 2009, meaning he could have been in his late teens or early 20s, depending on when the episode aired. After checking out the Degrassi pic, see a current photo of Drake and compare! His friends and fans were loving the impromptu throwback post. Rapper Backend Ben commented with the lyrics, “”I was in school wit a Drake like degrassi,” while Rich The Kid wrote, “The boy in the spot don’t make it hot,” adding the flame emoji. “He knew what he wanted n got it!!!” DJ Paul Kom wrote. Best of all? Drake’s Degrassi: The Next Generation co-star Lauren Collins, who famously portrayed Paige Michalchuk, joked, “Bieber Unscripted.” We’d totally watch that.
Drake’s one of the world’s most famous rappers, has dated stars like Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, and owns a gigantic, $100 million mansion in Toronto beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. But he still loves going back to his Degrassi roots. He even staged a massive reunion with his former costars in 2018 for his truly iconic “I’m Upset” music video.
The music video took Drake and the rest of the cast back to their high school, and it was a major nostalgia bomb. Who thought you’d ever see Jimmy and Spinner getting ready for prom together, 10 years later? Even better? Jimmy finally got his revenge on Ricky, the kid who shot him in season 4.