Drake will be at the helm when Saturday Night Live returns for its first episode of 2014. The rapper will be facing the twin concerns of presenting and performing when he takes the microphone in January, the show announced last night.

DrakeDrake will have the spotlight on him come January

Will he be able to emulate, or even outdo, Justin Timberlake Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus who have all taken the mantle recently?

He should be able to handle the pressure: he was best known – before launching his rap career in 2006 - for his role as Jimmy Brooks on the show Degrassi: The Next Generation. And more recently, the YMCMB rapper can be seen in a cameo in the new Anchorman 2 film that is in theaters now, so acting won’t be a new thing for him.

He’s also been on SNL before, on a 2011 episode hosted by Anna Faris. And even though his job at the time was musical guest, he did manage to slip in some cheeky comedy acting in a Weekend Update segment, playing one of "two teenagers dressed as werewolves".

Last night, SNL delivered a Christmas episode to remember with Paul McCartney Justin Timberlake (who’s been on the show 9 million times), Madonna, Barry Gibb and Michael Bloomberg.

DrakeDrake Is Heading to SNL

Drake recently released his 'Nothing Was The Same' album in September of this year, with the record debuting at Number Two on the UK's Official Albums Chart – Drake's highest position yet in the UK. He is also set to tour the UK in 2014, hitting Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool and London.