Nicki Minaj and Drake Have Hinted at Being More Than Friends Over the Years

When Lil Wayne ventured off into creating his label, Young Money Records, in the early 2000s, he introduced the world to two artists who would go on to become rap icons. Nicki Minaj and Drake were virtually unknown to the masses before they signed with Wayne. However, they soon became sought-after artists and sold millions of records.

Nicki and Drake have collaborated on songs throughout their careers and continue representing the Young Money brand. They’ve shared a seemingly close friendship and have stood up for each other in the past. But music lovers have often wondered if the musicians ever took their relationship to a deeper level. Did Drake and Nicki ever date?

Nicki and Drake signed to Young Money in 2009. While the label mates didn’t know each other before their deals, they had unmistakable chemistry that fans enjoyed watching onstage. Nicki often referred to Drake as her “little brother,” and he also said they were practically family.

Despite a few disagreements, Nicki and Drake’s friendship remained solid until 2015. That year, Nicki began dating Meek Mill, who later made some disparaging allegations against her friend.

Meek claimed that Drake uses ghostwriters, which he denied. Nonetheless, the comment put Nicki in the middle of the two’s feud.

“I hate it,” Nicki shared with The New York Times in 2015. “It doesn't make me feel good. You don't ever want to choose sides between people you love. It's ridiculous. I just want it to be over."

Fortunately, Nicki and Drake got their friendship back on track when she and Meek broke up in January 2017. Soon after the split, the pals were in the studio with Wayne, and they’ve been on good terms ever since.

Nicki and Drake have endured romance rumors since they became famous. Drake fueled the rumors by professing his crush on Nicki on his 2010 mixtape, Thank Me Later. In one song, “Miss Me,” Drake confessed, "I love Nicki Minaj/ I told her I'd admit it/ I hope one day we get married just to say we f***ing did it.”

The Toronto native seemingly didn’t mind that Nicki was in a long-term relationship with Safaree Samuels at the time.

Nicki has often laughed off Drake’s remarks and flirted back with him a few times on social media and in videos (who can forget the “Anaconda” lap dance). In 2010, the rappers joked that they were married, but it turned out to be the plot for a music video for Nicki's “Moment 4 Life.” Nevertheless, Drake told The Daily Beast she was someone he could “spend my life with.”

“I like the stripped-down Nicki,” he said in November 2011. “I like Nicki with no makeup, black hair, some casual clothes in a recording booth rapping an amazing verse. That's sexy to me. I know some great women, but all jokes aside, Nicki is somebody I could spend my life with because I think we understand each other."

Ultimately, Drake seemingly chose to keep Nicki in his life as a friend. In 2019, the “Dear Old Nicki” artist married her high school boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, and gave birth to their son in September 2020. Drake became a father in 2017 with his and Sophie Brussaux’s son, Adonis.