So, here’s the scoop: Ug Boy One and Ug Boy Two? Yeah, they know they’ve got it easy because our girls are just that eager for what they’re offering. I’m working on this album for you, and because I’ve got mad love for Detroit, I’m giving away something from it tonight. Oh, and get this—Nicki and I finally did a song together after all this time. But here’s the thing, being Young Money isn’t just about supporting Wayne, Birdman, and the rest of the guys. It’s also about backing Nicki. And let me tell you, Nicki’s serving some serious tea right now, and she’s not happy with Drake. So, was what Drake did really that shady, or is Nicki just reacting? You decide.
Here’s what went down: Drake dropped a track with none other than Nicki’s biggest rival, L. At this point, it feels like every female rapper is on Nicki’s bad side, which doesn’t leave Drake with a lot of options. But this isn’t just a one-time thing—it’s becoming a pattern, and Nicki’s had enough. She went public with her feelings, so you might want to grab some popcorn for this one. What exactly did she say? How did Drake cross her? Was he just pretending to be her friend all along? Let’s break it down.
Honestly, I think one big reason why the whole “Nicki hate train” picked up so much steam is because Drake—Aubrey Drake Graham, the biggest male artist out there—didn’t say a word in her defense. Instead, he’s been popping up with Nicki’s enemies. And Nicki? She’s pissed. Now, L is gearing up to drop her new album, “Sugar Honey Iced Tea,” and she gave fans a sneak peek. And guess who’s featured on one of the tracks? That’s right, Drake. We know it’s him because, on August 4th, 2024, Drake released “100G Guy,” which included a track with Latto called “Housekeeping Nose.” Latto and Drake fans were thrilled, but there was one person who definitely wasn’t—Nicki Minaj. And honestly, you can’t blame her. Drake teaming up with her rival? That’s a pretty big betrayal.
Nicki didn’t hold back and made sure everyone in the industry knew it. While chatting with fans on Stationhead, she threw some serious shade at Drake and PartyNextDoor, calling them “Ugly Boy One” and “Ugly Boy Two.” But she didn’t stop there. Nicki went on to say that these two will always have eager fans because, in her words, “ugly girls,” who fans think she was referring to as L, are desperate for attention. To top it off, she even mocked L’s southern accent.
She continued, “Ug Boy One and Ug Boy Two, they know they’ll always have someone willing because some girls are just that desperate. So desperate that if you told them to go catch a wild tuna, skin it, and eat it, they’d figure out how to do it all in one day just to get another taste. But, honey, they’re not getting another bite.”
The Barbs, Nicki’s loyal fans, were not having it. One fan commented, “If Nicki did a song with Kendrick, that BBL would be mad and petty at the same time. Loyalty is a two-way street. Plus, L doesn’t sell. And Kendrick already demolished Drake.” Another fan said, “Drake probably only collaborated with Latto because he’s allegedly involved with her sister. If I were Nicki, I’d stop showing Drake love—he’s proven over and over that he has no loyalty to her. He acts all friendly in person but pulls shady moves behind her back. Nicki’s expecting loyalty in an industry where it doesn’t exist. There are no real friends in this game; hasn’t she learned that yet?”
Meanwhile, some people felt Nicki was being a bit too petty. One person said, “Going after Latto when Drake is supposed to be your friend is wild, and calling her ugly is even crazier. I love Nicki, but this isn’t the way to go. She’s got her anger directed at the wrong people.” While Nicki’s frustration is understandable, this whole situation feels like something Drake would do—putting his career and money first, showing once again that he used Nicki. Even the Barbs had to call him out when he didn’t feature Nicki on his album.
Back in 2023, Drake found himself in hot water with Nicki Minaj’s fans after they noticed something that really rubbed them the wrong way—Nicki’s name was missing from the tracklist of his new album, For All the Dogs. The Barbz were not having it, especially since Nicki had gone out of her way to publicly support the album. She even joked, “Drake, I’m not going to tell you again, okay? The Barbz said they need the album. He could be Champagne Papi, he could be P.O.Y., he could be damn Shane P.O.Y., I don’t care. I said the Barbz want the album.”
What made this sting even more was the fact that Drake had promised a Nicki feature earlier that year while performing in Detroit. He told the crowd, “Detroit, I’m cooking this album for you. I’m going to give away one thing off the album in Detroit tonight because I got a lot of love for Detroit. So, I’m going to have to tell you, me and Nicki Minaj did our first song in a really long time. I got a lot of love for her.”
And let’s not forget the time Drake got everyone excited for a possible collab with Nicki when he posted a picture of an exclusive Japanese Drake and Nicki Minaj mixtape. For the next two months, Nicki’s fans were all over Twitter and Queen Radio, hyping up “Dricky.” But then Drake pushed back the album release—again—and fans started to feel like they’d been played. Nicki herself even liked a tweet from a fan that said, “Dricky crumbs side-eye emoji. Get it together, sir,” which pretty much confirmed the fans’ frustration.
But it gets worse. Think back to 2020, when Nicki was getting all kinds of disrespect in the industry—not just from the music scene, but even from magazines. That was a time when Nicki could have really used Drake’s support. But where was he? Nowhere to be found. Instead, Drake brought Cardi B, who many saw as part of the “hate train” against Nicki, on stage with him. So, it’s no wonder the Barbz feel betrayed, thinking Drake used them and Nicki. He teased a collab and then just ghosted on it.
Honestly, I can kind of see why Drake did it—he needed to build hype for his album. But what’s his excuse this time? Why did he do Nicki like that? To figure it out, we might need to rewind a bit.
Remember the summer of 2014? Nicki was on stage at Hot 97 Summer Jam, and who joined her? Yep, Drake. Back then, everything was good between them. They had that chemistry that fans fell in love with in the first place. “Oh my God, I could stay like that, but you know what, the one thing I could always do is count on you, oh wait, the people love you. You the people’s champ.”
In March 2017, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and their mentor Lil Wayne came together to drop “No Frauds.” It was a big deal for the trio, and with the music video now at 229 million views, it’s clear that fans loved seeing them back together. But this is also when things started to go south between Nicki and Drake.
At the time, Nicki was dating Meek Mill. There had been rumors about them for a while, especially after a photo of the two in the studio popped up. But it wasn’t until January 2015 that they made it official. They shared a casual selfie on Instagram, which didn’t give much away, but another picture of Meek’s Maybach Music crew partying together had fans zooming in on Nicki and Meek, who looked pretty close. A month later, Nicki posted a picture of Meek kissing her on the cheek, and that’s when fans knew for sure—they were definitely more than friends. Nicki even teased a possible engagement by tweeting a ring and diamond emoji with the words, “I’ll post it later.”
Despite all the fan love, Nicki and Meek didn’t last. In January 2017, Nicki announced their breakup on Twitter, saying, “To confirm, yes I am single. Focusing on my work and looking forward to sharing it with you guys really soon. Have a blessed new year. Love you.”
So, where does Drake fit into all this? Well, during those two years, a lot went down, especially between Meek and Drake. It all kicked off when Meek accused Drake of using ghostwriters, tweeting, “Stop comparing Drake to me too. He don’t write his own raps. That’s why he ain’t tweet my album because we found out.” Meek even said he would’ve taken Drake’s verse off their song “RICO” if he had known about the ghostwriting earlier. “He didn’t even write that verse on my album, and if I’d known, I would’ve taken it off. I don’t trick my fans LOL.”
Not long after, Meek decided to switch things up. He hit the stage with Nicki during her Pinkprint Tour stop in Bristol and admitted, “I was just upset as a fan. Shout out to Drake, let him be great in all the lanes he’s great in.” He even apologized to Nicki, saying, “I want to give a special apology shout out to Nicki Minaj for my crazy ass going crazy on Twitter.” So, what made him change his tune? Maybe Nicki had a little chat with him on Drake’s behalf? We can’t say for sure, but by then, the damage was done.
During a two-hour Beats 1 OVO Sound Radio show, Drake dropped “Charged Up,” taking a clear shot at Meek with lines like, “Nas snitching on us without no interrogation. I stay silent ‘cause we at war and I’m very patient. Six God is watching and done doing favors for people ‘cause it ain’t like I need the money I make off a feature. I see you nas having trouble going gold, turning into some so-and-so that no one knows.”
Meek didn’t waste any time firing back, jumping on Twitter to write, “Baby lotion soft, talking about…”
Drake’s first diss track might have been a little soft, but he came back strong with “Back to Back,” dropping the unforgettable line, “Is that a world tour or your girl’s tour?” He didn’t stop there, adding, “I know that you gotta be a thug for her, this ain’t what she meant when she told you to open up more.” If Meek wanted a showdown, Drake definitely gave him one.
Nicki, meanwhile, was stuck right in the middle. She didn’t want to take sides, saying, “They’re grown-ass men, it’s between them. I hate it. It doesn’t make me feel good. You never want to choose sides between people you love. It’s ridiculous. I just want it to be over.” But she did speak out about the ghostwriting rumors, saying, “See, a n* can’t write my raps. You know why? You don’t have the heart, the mind frame, or the intellect. You don’t even know how to pronounce the words in my raps, b*.”
Still, Nicki’s choice not to leave Meek when he disrespected Drake put her in a tricky spot. Imagine how Drake must have felt—he and Nicki had been close from the start, so he probably expected her to stand by him. When she didn’t, it likely hurt, even if Drake didn’t let it show publicly. Later, he said, “I don’t really talk to Nicki, you know. But again, she’s someone I have a lot of love and respect for—not just because of our past and how much work we put in, but even the way she handled the situation. I understand what love is, and I understand personal situations. She dealt with me with class, and I could only ever do the same.”
Eight years later, Drake and Meek finally squashed their beef when Drake brought Meek out during his “It’s All a Blur” tour stop in Philadelphia. Drake acknowledged the past, saying, “You see who I walked out here with, right? Always keeping it 100 with you. The last time I was in this building, that man right there, who’s been representing this city since he started, we weren’t getting along. And he’s a real one, so he got us out of Philly real quick.”
It seems like Drake didn’t really return the favor when it came to Nicki. Fans are picking up on the tension and think he might still be holding a grudge. One fan pointed out, “She stood by Meek Mill when he tried to drag Drake, made music with him, and now Drake’s upset because she collaborated with L?” It’s disappointing, especially when you consider their history—both of them got their start under Lil Wayne in the same year. Drake even used to talk about how much he valued their friendship, going on about how he had a crush on Nicki when he first entered the scene.
Drake once said in a song, “I love Nicki Minaj with all my heart, and one day we’re going to get married.” He even joked with her, saying, “It’s all good ’cause light skin’s back, right?” Their playful back-and-forth was something fans really loved, with Drake dropping mentions of Nicki in his lyrics.
For example, in his track “Miss Me,” Drake raps, “I love Nicki Minaj, I told her I’d admit it. I hope one day we get married just to say we did it.” And on Nicki’s track “Only,” he says, “I never f***ed Nicki, ’cause she got a man, but when that’s over, then I’m first in line.”
But lately, it seems like things have changed between them. In an interview on Power 106, Drake opened up about a falling out they had. He admitted he did something to upset her—something that’s not too surprising for Drake—and said, “I had to reevaluate and fix it. We fixed it, we’re good, we definitely talk. I saw her the other night, and it was all love.”
Still, it feels like Drake tends to leave Nicki hanging when she needs him most. Even Nicki has said, “Drake is always mad at me. He always finds a reason not to be my friend anymore. We’re like an old married couple.”
Fans aren’t too happy with his recent actions. One person commented, “Drake collaborating with every woman who disrespected Nicki is such a weird move. He’s bitter she didn’t f*** him.” Another added, “Nicki held Drake down during the Kendrick beef, and now he’s switching up on her.”
So what do you think? Is Nicki right to call out Drake? Why would he pull something like this on someone who’s always had his back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
