You know, it all comes down to loyalty. That’s what it really is for me, just staying true to myself. The only people I ever really looked up to were Baby and Slim, and I guess I admired how they stayed loyal to each other. Wayne is definitely my favorite person to work with; it’s like, “Man, Lil Wayne, you’re just too good.” We’ve got to give him the credit he deserves.
Honestly, I’m just here like, wait, this is you? I was about to be like, “Yo, for real?” But it’s you? Wow. Hey, everyone, you’ve got to come see this. Lil Wayne just did a show in Vegas, and during his set, his DJ mixed in some Kendrick Lamar—not the usual stuff we hear. Even though Wayne switched up some lyrics on “They Don’t Like Us,” it still made waves.
Lately, it feels like everyone who used to be close to Drake is now turning away from him. But who would’ve thought we’d see the day when even his Young Money family—the very crew that helped him blow up—would throw shade his way? Back in the day, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Drake were an unstoppable trio, dropping hit after hit. And it wasn’t just about the music; Wayne and Drake were like brothers, and Drake and Nicki were so close that people wondered for years if there was more than just friendship between them.
Things have definitely changed. It looks like Wayne and Nicki are now joining the growing list of people who are done with Drake. Some of Drake’s die-hard fans are saying this just proves those folks were never really his friends to begin with, and that Drake is actually the one being wronged here. But others are pointing out that Drake has done some shady things himself. Remember when there were rumors that he hooked up with Lil Wayne’s girlfriend while Wayne was in jail? And then there were those times he got close to people who only brought drama into Nicki’s life. Despite all that, Wayne and Nicki stayed loyal to him.
But, in typical Drake style, he couldn’t resist stirring things up. He kept throwing subtle jabs and pulling shady moves online. The latest drama? Drake dropped a huge 100 gigabytes of content, but what really caught everyone’s attention was his random decision to collaborate with Nicki’s longtime rival, L. Now, fans are starting to connect the dots and saying that if Drake is beefing with so many people and losing friends left and right, maybe—just maybe—he’s the common denominator in all this mess.
So, what did Wayne and Nicki actually say when they decided to distance themselves from Drake? Are they really blaming him for Young Money’s downfall? Let’s dive into it.
Wayne once said, “I do know how to lead. I do know how to bring people together. And I also do know how to better them.”
Thinking back, Wayne probably started writing music when he was about 17.
The rise and fall of Young Money: Back in the early 2010s, Lil Wayne’s Young Money label was on the brink of taking over the music industry. They had a roster packed with talent, from established stars to fresh faces ready to blow up. But as we know, things didn’t go as planned, and now Young Money is pretty much dead. Most of the big names have either started their own labels or moved on to better deals, where they don’t have to split profits with Young Money and Cash Money.
What made Young Money so special was its focus on bringing up young, hungry artists. Born out of the larger Cash Money label, Young Money was Lil Wayne’s project during the peak of his career. His superstar status alone attracted a ton of talent. For those between 25 and 35, especially in the South, Lil Wayne was like their generation’s Jay-Z. With that kind of influence, he brought together a trio of young artists who, if they had stayed together, could have become the greatest label crew of all time. Besides Wayne, the trio I’m talking about is, of course, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga.
Drake was destined for greatness right from the start. You could see it in the way he blended rapping and singing, which brought in a huge female fan base and the backpack crowd that was popular at the time. His presence alone took Young Money’s reputation to the next level. Then there’s Nicki Minaj—she doesn’t even need an introduction. She was the only female rapper dominating the mainstream for nearly a decade and could out-rap almost any guy in the game.
Now, Tyga was a massive star at one point, but somehow, Young Money dropped the ball with him. There was a moment when Tyga was on track to be mentioned alongside the rap heavyweights. His albums Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2012) and Hotel California (2013) showed just how much potential he had. But Tyga wasn’t the only one Young Money fumbled. Let’s talk about Jay Mills. He was a rapper’s rapper, straight out of New York, known for his rap battles and lyrical skills. But the issue was, he couldn’t make songs that people wanted to replay. In a sea of talented rappers, just being good wasn’t enough.
You could say that any artist on Young Money had the potential to blow up. You can say that about a lot of artists today too, but the truth is, not everyone has that star power. One of the biggest problems with Young Money, which probably played a part in its downfall, was that they had too many artists signed to the label. They had all these people, and while they probably tried to promote them all, in the end, none of them really made it. The label was so focused on pushing Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga that they didn’t have the time or resources to help out artists like Jay Mills, Cory Gunz, Christina Milian, Euro, Flow, Gudda Gudda, Lil Twist, Lil Chuckee, Glasses Malone, or even Omarion. And that’s just part of the roster. Lil Wayne and the others running Young Money must’ve seen something in all of these artists, but having them all under contracts and not doing anything with them is likely one of the main reasons Young Money fell apart.
Now, when it comes to why the dream team of Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj broke up, it seems there were more personal issues at play. It looks like Wayne and Nicki realized that Drake wasn’t as loyal to them as they were to him.
Here’s how Drake broke the bro code: Drake and Lil Wayne go way back. In the early 2010s, Drake, Wayne, and Nicki Minaj were the ultimate hip-hop trio, dropping hit after hit under the Cash Money/Young Money label. During that time, Drake and Wayne were super close, with Drake always giving Wayne his props, calling him the greatest of all time. But things took a turn in March 2010, when Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to gun possession. Wayne ended up serving eight months at Rikers, and during that time, word got out that Drake allegedly hooked up with Wayne’s girlfriend at the time, Tammy Torres.
Back in 2015, TMZ stirred up some serious drama with a report—though they later took it down—that Lil Wayne was livid with Drake for sleeping with his girlfriend and was ready to confront him. According to the report, Wayne spilled this in a book proposal he was shopping around to publishers. In the proposal, Wayne claimed that while he was serving time at Rikers, Drake visited him and straight-up told him he had already slept with Tammy, the girl Wayne was involved with. Wayne supposedly wrote, “This is the kind of stuff no man wants to hear when he’s locked up. Or maybe it’s better, ’cause who knows what I would’ve done if I wasn’t behind bars. Finding out she hooked up with Drake was the worst thing I could’ve discovered.”
Later on, when Wayne addressed this in an interview with HipHollywood, he downplayed it, saying he didn’t hold a grudge against Drake. When the interviewer mentioned the part in the book where Drake supposedly confessed, Wayne replied, “I wasn’t too worried about that. That’s just how life goes when you’re locked up.”
Fast forward to now, and Kendrick Lamar has reignited the drama by calling out Drake on his track “Not Like Us,” reminding everyone about how Drake supposedly did Wayne dirty. Kendrick even brought up the fact that Drake got a tattoo of Wayne’s face on his left tricep in 2017, about two years after Wayne’s book proposal came to light. Kendrick seems to be hinting that, while the tattoo might look like a tribute, it doesn’t quite make up for the role Drake allegedly played in hurting his mentor.
Fans had a lot to say about this. One person commented, “Drake backstabs everyone he gets close to. You don’t think Wayne was one of the first? He probably burned that bridge long ago.” Another added, “Wayne hasn’t really been messing with Drake. He warned him to stay in his hip-hop/pop lane and not try to act ‘gangsta.’ Wayne’s a real one. He gave Drake his start, but he’s not going to save a 37-year-old man. He knows Kendrick is going to outshine him and will probably just sit back, light one up, and think, ‘I told you so.'”
Alright, let’s switch gears and talk about Nicki Minaj before diving into what Lil Wayne said about the rumors of cutting ties with Drake. It’s pretty clear that Nicki’s really feeling the impact of what happened with Drake. You can see it in her social media posts and hear it in her interviews—she seems genuinely hurt by how things have turned out.
Drake and Nicki’s Relationship: From the moment they started working together, Nicki and Drake had undeniable chemistry, proudly repping the Young Money crew. Their connection was so strong that fans quickly began to wonder if there was more to their relationship than just friendship.
Here’s a snippet of how they used to vibe:
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life, Drizzy. So, what was your favorite moment on stage?”
“You know, Nicki, I love that part when you come up from under the stage for ‘Roman Reloaded.’ When you hit those lines, ‘I’ll kick that hoe, punt,’ and ‘If you ain’t [expletive], then get off the pot,’ it’s such a powerful moment. We really connect during that.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m a big fan of everything you do musically, Nicki. Are we going to get any new music from you soon? Because that would be… it’s exciting. Really exciting.”
“Thanks, Drizzy. I’ve been holding things in lately, just focusing on the tour. I’ve had a lot of offers to do features, but if I can’t give my all, I’d rather pass. I never want to overdo it and end up with watered-down work. But once this tour with Britney is done… Sorry, just making sure.”
This conversation shows just how close they were, which makes Drake’s actions all the more painful for Nicki.
Oh, that was just my phone. Sorry about that. Go ahead.”
“I think once we wrap up the tour with Brit, we’ll get started… but, you know, when my Young Money and Cash Money fam calls, I just hop on a jet and get it done.”
“So, do you think you’ll be on Take Care? Will you have the time for it?”
“I gotta check. I mean… it’s looking more like a yes than a no. I’ll try to pencil you in.”
“No, I was just asking if…”
Nikki always called Drake her “little brother,” even though it was pretty obvious that Drake had a thing for her. They had a solid friendship, despite a few bumps here and there, but things got really complicated in 2015 when Nikki started dating Meek Mill. That’s when the drama really kicked off. Meek started throwing shade at Drake, accusing him of using ghostwriters, which Drake didn’t take lightly. This left Nikki in a tough spot, caught between her boyfriend and her long-time friend. She even told the New York Times in 2015, “I hate it. It doesn’t make me feel good. You never want to pick sides between people you love. It’s just ridiculous. I wish it would all just end.”
But after Nikki and Meek broke up in January 2017, things started to smooth out between her and Drake, and soon enough, they were back in the studio with Wayne, bringing back that music magic they always had. But here’s the question everyone’s dying to know: did Nikki and Drake ever actually get together? The rumors have been swirling since day one, and honestly, Drake didn’t do much to stop them. Remember his 2010 mixtape Thank Me Later? On the track “Miss Me,” he basically confessed his crush, rapping, “I love Nicki Minaj, I told her I’d admit it, hope one day we get married just to say we effing did it.”
And Drake didn’t seem too concerned that Nikki was in a serious relationship with Safaree Samuels at the time. Nikki, on the other hand, played it cool, responding to Drake’s flirtation with a wink and a nudge, both on social media and in their music videos—like that unforgettable lap dance in “Anaconda” back in 2010. They even joked about getting married, but it was all just part of the storyline for Nikki’s “Moment for Life” video. Still, in 2011, Drake got a little more serious in an interview with The Daily Beast, saying that Nikki was someone he could actually see himself with. “I like the stripped-down Nikki,” Drake said. “I like Nikki with no makeup, black hair, casual clothes, just rapping an amazing verse in the booth. That’s what’s sexy to me. I know some great women, but all jokes aside, Nikki is someone I could see myself with because I think we just get each other.”
Fast forward to 2019, and Nikki’s married to Kenneth P., and by September 2020, they had their first child together. Meanwhile, Drake became a dad himself in 2017, when Sophie Brussaux, who used to be an adult film star, gave birth to their son, Adonis. Since then, there’s been all sorts of rumors about where Nikki and Drake’s friendship stands. But things really got messy after Nikki’s breakup with Meek Mill when she accused him of being abusive, and several people backed her up on that. So, what did Drake do? As soon as Nikki moved on with Kenneth, Drake teamed up with Meek for a collab on “Going Bad,” the same year Nikki got married. And even with all that, Nikki didn’t badmouth Drake; in fact, she stood up for him during his beef with Pusha T.
In 2023, rumors of a rift between Nicki Minaj and Drake began circulating after Drake removed Nicki’s feature from his album For All the Dogs back in July. At a Detroit show, Drake had hyped up the audience by announcing that Nicki would be on the album, marking their first collaboration in years. He said, “I’m going to give away one thing off the album in Detroit tonight because I’ve got a lot of love for Detroit. So, I’m going to tell you: me and Nicki Minaj did our first song together in a really long time. I’ve got a lot of love for her… um, okay, let me just assess the titties tonight, and then we’ll get to the most.”
When the album finally dropped, fans were eagerly waiting for the promised Nicki feature. But to their surprise, it was missing. Instead, the album featured big names like 21 Savage, Bad Bunny, Sexy Red, and J. Cole. Nicki’s fans felt let down, especially since she had been hyping the album on social media. This led some to wonder if the snub was tied to Drake’s well-known issues with rejection. Drake has had a long history of romantic feelings for Nicki, similar to his past with Rihanna. Both women were once linked to Drake in rumors, but they’ve since moved on and started families with other men. Interestingly, it’s around the time they moved on that Drake began shading them publicly.
Regarding Nicki and Drake’s rumored fling, nothing has ever been confirmed. However, there was a report from 2013 that claimed Nicki rejected Drake after a one-night stand. According to this report, Drake was deeply in love with Nicki and wanted to take their relationship further, but Nicki didn’t feel the same way. Apparently, Drake thought their night together was the start of something serious, but Nicki only saw it as a one-time thing.
After this alleged rejection, Drake seemed to take things personally. He first collaborated with Meek Mill, who allegedly had a physical altercation with Nicki. Then, he led Nicki on about the song feature, and finally, he started cozying up to her female rap rivals. Now, with Drake’s recent collaboration with an artist who’s known to be one of Nicki’s bitter rivals, it seems Nicki has had enough. She didn’t hold back and publicly called Drake out for being a snake. There are even rumors that Lil Wayne has also distanced himself from Drake, with Wayne recently making statements that suggest their relationship has soured. Meanwhile, Drake dropped 100 GB of content, including some unreleased tracks, one of which was a collaboration with Nicki’s rival. Nicki responded by throwing shade at Drake and even took aim at OVO artist PartyNextDoor, who had just posted a photo with that rival. During a chat with fans on Stationhead, Nicki didn’t mince words, calling out “two ugly boys who found a willing participant in a desperate ugly girl.”
“So, let’s talk about these two guys—let’s just call them ‘Ugly Boy One’ and ‘Ugly Boy Two.’ They know they’ll always have someone willing to do anything for them because these girls are desperate for attention. Desperate enough that if someone told them to catch a wild tuna, skin it, and eat it, they’d do it without a second thought. They’d figure out how to hunt, fish, swim, kill, and cook—whatever it takes—just to get what they want. But here’s the kicker: once they get a taste of it, they want more, but they’re not getting it anymore.”
Now, calling these two ‘ugly’ might be a bit harsh, but fans are siding with Nikki, saying she has every right to be mad at Drake. After all, she’s stood by him through all his beefs, while he’s mostly looked out for himself. There’s also talk that Lil Wayne might finally be seeing Drake’s true colors. Recently, Wayne was spotted wearing an XO chain that The Weeknd supposedly gave him right after Abel threw some shade at Drake. To make things even more interesting, The Weeknd posted a picture of Wayne wearing the chain on his Instagram story, stirring up even more drama. Fans are now saying this just proves that Drake only cares about himself, with some even blaming him for the downfall of Young Money. One fan said, “Drake hooked up with Wayne’s girl while he was in prison. He’s been cool with people who hurt Nikki. He literally betrayed his own crew, and you still think others will stay loyal to him?” Another added, “Yeah, Drake ruined Young Money.”
So, what do you think about Lil Wayne and Nikki seemingly cutting ties with Drake? Do you think they’re justified, considering everything that’s happened? Drop your thoughts in the comments
