Drake's relationship history sure has generated a lot of "Headlines."
Jokes aside, from Rihanna to Serena Williams to Jennifer Lopez his alleged dating life
is as prolific as his discography, so let's take a few minutes and dive into Drake's relationship
history.
When two stars as big as Drake and Rihanna get together, fireworks are pretty much inevitable.
Quite literally.
Drake's track "Fireworks" is about Rihanna; the rapper told Elle that RiRi hurt him, propelling
him to write the song, But first, let's look back on how it all started.
At the 2016 VMAs, the "Degrassi” alum explained what it was like when the two first met, saying
-
"The first time I met Robyn Fenty was 2005.
She was shooting a music video at a restaurant called Avocado in Toronto.
I was introduced to her as a kid who played background music at a restaurant as people
ate pasta."
In terms of their romantic relationship, the pair were first spotted getting cozy together
in 2009, when Page Six reported that they were seen kissing each other.
Just one year later, the hip-hop superstar discussed his relationship with Rihanna with
bitterness, telling The New York Times that she treated him like, quote, "a pawn."
However, he did acknowledge that her supposedly objectionable treatment of him mirrored his
own treatment of past girlfriends, musing -
"You know what she was doing to me?
She was doing exactly what I've done to so many women throughout my life, which is show
them quality time, then disappear.
I was like, 'Wow, this feels terrible.'"
When presenting Rihanna with the coveted Vanguard Award at the 2016 VMAs, Drake did a full 180
following his previous admonishment of the songstress by declaring his undying love for
her, saying of his frequent collaborator -
"She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old.
She's one of my best friends in the world."
What made this revelation less than palatable was the fact that when RiRi went to give him
a hug and receive the Moonperson statue, Drake planted what sure seemed to be an unexpected
and unwanted kiss on her.
And then, she took the mic, shook off the arguably awkward interaction, and delivered
her acceptance speech.
Following the show, Rihanna was complimentary about his words, writing on Instagram -
"@champagnepapi your speech was so touching and I love you for that!"
Two years later, she made it clear that she wasn't totally into that VMAs moment.
She told Vogue that she was on edge throughout Drake's speech, saying -
"I don't like too many compliments; I don't like to be put on blast."
The mag also observed that she, quote, "winces slightly" upon hearing Drake's name before
admitting -
"Waiting through that speech was probably the most uncomfortable part,"
Then, entirely in contrast to Drake's declaration about the pair's friendship at the award show,
the singer clarified -
"We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either.
It is what it is."
During Drake’s appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the host asked Drake whether
he had ever dated Tyra Banks.
The rapper admitted to having a brief meet-up with the "America's Next Top Model" presenter
in 2012, saying -
"We went to Disneyland in disguise actually, which was fun.
I don't know if it was a date.
It was a get together.
We're close as well."
A Disneyland date with Drake and Tyra Banks certainly sounds like quite the sight to behold,
but the model didn't take too kindly to Drake's admission.
Chatting with Steve Harvey on his show, Banks said -
"People are going crazy, and I'm just like, 'It's not fair.'
And Drake, I have words for you."
With that, she launched into a freestyle about the rapper, referring to him by his real name
and saying -
"Drake rhymes with snake but no he ain't, he's more like a lion, going on Ellen but
not lyin'.'"
It's pretty clear that things aren't great when someone refers to their alleged ex-partner
by their given name, so maybe Mr. Aubrey Drake Graham should think twice the next time he
decides to kiss and tell.
Drake also confessed to having a thing for "2 Broke Girls" star Kat Dennings, with whom
he went out with just once.
He joked to Ellen DeGeneres -
"They don't call me back after one date according to this."
Based on his relationship history, it appears as though Drake is not wrong.
Dennings acknowledged that she did indeed go on a brief outing with the rap megastar,
but she went on to discuss the verbal abuse she received from Drizzy stans once they suspected
she might be linked to him.
In an interview with Chelsea Handler, Dennings explained that Drake happened to mention her
on Twitter one time, which gave her tens of thousands of new followers all of a sudden.
Unfortunately, the actor soon realized that these new followers were merely hopping onto
her socials in order to troll her, but she stated that Drake was nothing short of a gentleman
in the fallout, as she recounted -
"They were like, 'F**k you, Kat Dennings' and 'You can't take Drake from me,’ and
then I realized what had happened, and then we started talking and he's super, super nice."
Serena Williams may be happily married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, but back
in the early to mid 2010s, she was rumored to be dating Drake.
In 2015, TMZ published snaps of Drake and Williams seemingly smooching, but their relationship
predates that: Four years earlier, they sent each other racy tweets.
Then, in 2013, Drake name-dropped the tennis star in his song "Worst Behavior."
A year later, Williams spoke favorably about Drake to Vogue; when queried about the funniest
person she knows, the tennis player replied -
"Aubrey."
As Billboard noted, Drake also eagerly watched Williams at Wimbledon in 2015.
But the allusions to Williams in Drake's songs grew shady as the years passed.
His 2017 track "Nothings into Somethings" appears to reference Williams' engagement
to Ohanian, possibly even with the title of the song, as MTO News mentioned that Ohanian's
Reddit handle is "Kn0thing."
Intentional title or not, some of his lyrics were definitely pointed towards Serena.
Around 2016-2018, there was a longstanding rumor that Drake dated Bella Harris, the daughter
of acclaimed R&B songwriter Jimmy Jam, when she was a teenager.
As E! News recounted, the Canadian megastar was spotted with Harris at the 2016 American
Music Awards when she was just 16 and he was 29.
That year, she professed to MissGuided that she's a fan of Drizzy's music, telling the
publication in an admission that would prove prophetic -
"The last song I played was 'Fake Love' by Drake."
That same year, she posted a pic of herself and Drake on Instagram, though she has since
deleted all posts pertaining to him.
Vice ran with the unsubstantiated story and branded Drake a, quote, "creepy old man."
E! News also reported that the pair allegedly went for dinner in Washington in 2018.
However, both parties have denied that this is true, with a source telling ET -
"Drake and Harris are not and have never been dating."
It seems that the two are merely good pals, somewhat reminiscent of Drake’s relationship
with actor Millie Bobby Brown, perhaps.
"You and Drake?
That's awesome!"
"What advice does he give you, like what does he say?"
"Uh, about boys he helps me!"
A meaningful friendship between a hip-hop star and a teen celebrity?
Well, stranger things have happened...
With the release of his fourth album, "Views," 2016 was a busy year for Drake, not least
because he was reportedly flitting between sisters India Love and Crystal Westbrooks.
Dating siblings is a shock move even for the Certified Lover Boy; sisters should share
and care, but this is another level.
As a result, the elder sister, Crystal Westbrooks, had some words for Drizzy.
A source claimed to the Mirror -
"Drake and India Love have been hooking up for at least a few weeks."
The elder Westbrooks, who previously had a thing with Drake, did not take too kindly
to this news.
In a series of since deleted tweets obtained by the publication, she wrote,
"That awkward moment when she hops on your exes....."
According to The Sun, Crystal had claimed that she dated Drake during an episode of
reality TV series "The Westbrooks," while Perez Hilton alleged that Drake and Crystal
attended Coachella together the previous year.
Crystal Westbrooks later apologized for throwing shade at her sister and swiftly deleted her
Twitter account.
In a succession of regretful and now deleted tweets, she wrote -
"I reacted like an idiot to a story that I clearly knew nothing about"
Drake hasn't commented on this messy drama, but the story would certainly make for intriguing
lyrical content.
Drake has an adorable son, Adonis, with former adult film actor Sophie Brussaux.
It is unclear how and where the former flames met, but the rapper and Brussaux were first
seen together in public in 2017, with the Mirror posting a series of images of the seemingly
happy couple dining out.
While they are now on benevolent terms, the relationship was once highly acrimonious.
In 2017, Brussaux alleged to TMZ that Drake ordered her to get an abortion when he discovered
that she was pregnant.
In texts obtained by the site, the rapper appears to admonish his ex, telling her -
"You do know what you're doing you think you're going to get money."
The drama was intensified by Pusha T, with whom Drake has long had beef, berating his
rap peer in the song "The Story Of Adidon," a heated diss track in which he accuses Drake
of being a deadbeat dad who tried to hide the fact that he fathered a child with an
adult film actor.
In an Instagram Story, Drake paid a sweet Mother's Day tribute to his baby mama in 2021.
Likewise, he dubbed himself "co-parent of the year" after mending things with Sophie
Brussaux on his track "Champagne Poetry" from his sixth album "Certified Lover Boy."
But Drake still isn't over pining for Rihanna.
During his appearance on HBO's "The Shop", he talked about his fling with Brussaux and
admitted -
"I end up in this situation where I don't have the fairytale, like, 'Oh, Drake started
a family with Rihanna,' like, so perfect [...] By the way, I wanted that."
On telling his mom about Brussaux, Drake said -
"It was tough for me to tell her that it's somebody she's never met.
I am a single father learning to communicate with a woman who, you know, we've had our
moments, right?"
The rapper acknowledged that the publicity around his relationship with Brussaux could
negatively affect his son, which is something he does not want, saying -
"But I don't have any desire for him to, like, not love his mother, or I don't ever want
the world to be angry at his mother.
We have found ourselves in a situation, and we are both equally responsible."
An exclusive source told Us Weekly that Drake and Brussaux are on much better terms, sharing
custody of their son and co-parenting in Toronto.
Her love don't cost a thing, but Drake's rumoured relationship with her sure did buy our attention.
Whispers about a thing with Jennifer Lopez popped up in 2016 when J.Lo posted a series
of cozy snaps on Instagram, in which the pair cuddled on a sofa and hung out backstage at
the "On the Floor" star's show.
On 2018's "Diplomatic Immunity," Drake references his rumored romance with Lopez, rapping, about
losing J. Lo in 2017.
The lyrics, which, as Pitchfork noted, are arguably somewhat self-pitying, mirror Drake's
previous infatuations with famous women such as Rihanna and Serena Williams, who were also
targets of his salty rhymes.
Speaking in May of 2017, HollywoodLife reported that J.Lo played a clip of "Hotline Bling"
at her Las Vegas show, and said -
"Huh.
Booty call."
In 2019, "Rap Radar" asked Drake if things with J.Lo were legitimate or if it was all
for publicity as some had theorized.
Drizzy said -
"I have plenty of love for her.
We had great times together, and, yeah, we were just hanging out at one point."
J.Lo has been relatively elusive about the nature of her relationship with Drake, telling
Ellen DeGeneres that they were merely friends, but the $100,000 Tiffany Victoria diamond
necklace that Drake reportedly gifted her suggests otherwise.
Us Weekly reported that Drake threw supermodel Bella Hadid a star-studded birthday bash in
October 2017, with Hadid captioning it on Instagram as -
"A perfect day."
Just two weeks later, Page Six reported that Hadid's former beau, The Weeknd, was beefing
with Drake over the model, with the source alleging -
"They aren't getting along right now.
[Drake] broke the bro code.
They 100 percent hooked up."
A year later, Drake referenced Hadid not once, but twice, on his album "Scorpion."
The track "Sandra's Rose" contains lyrics that reference the model's wealthy real estate
developer father.
Likewise, on the song "Finesse," Drake gives a probable nod to Bella and Gigi Hadid.
A source for Us Magazine claimed that Drake ghosted Hadid shortly before the album's release,
though she has always dodged rumors that the pair dated, tweeting that they're simply friends.
However, an unreleased song by Drake was leaked in 2020 and, yet again, he appears to bitterly
pine for Hadid and possibly her sister too.
He apologized for the leak, but after hearing the lyrics, one thing is for sure: Drizzy
sure wears his heart on his sleeve.
Drake's paternity scandals didn't end with Sophie Brussaux.
Just one month after impregnating Brussaux, Drake hooked up with Layla Lace, also known
as Laquana Morris, who is an author according to her Instagram page.
As per TMZ, Drake and Lace first got together in February 2017.
After getting cozy backstage at a concert in Manchester, Drake conceded that he had
a consensual one night stand with her.
The outlet obtained text messages between the pair, in which Drake pines that he hopes
to see Lace again soon.
But her account of that night was quite different, and she went on to accuse Drake of rape, and
also alleged that he impregnated her.
However, as the Independent reported, the British authorities cleared the rapper of
sexual assault and it is unclear whether Lace was actually pregnant.
In court documents obtained by the Independent.
Drake stated -
"There is no credible evidence of pregnancy, or any baby, which would have been born last
fall."
Subsequently, he sued his former lover for extortion and defamation of character.
The case was settled in 2018, and he reportedly shelled out $350,000, according to TMZ.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Always one for over the top stunts, XXL reported that, during Houston Appreciation Weekend
in 2017, Drake retired a number of jerseys embroidered with the names of different strippers,
all of whom were reportedly in attendance.
Adult entertainer Maliah Michel is another of Drizzy's ex-partners and her name was on
one such jersey.
It seems that Drake and Michel go way back, as he name-dropped her in his song "Miss Me"
from his 2010 debut album "Thank Me Later."
However, Michel's account of the relationship was anything but rosy and she was enraged
by Drake's jersey stunt.
In a series of tweets, she alleged that Drake had, been attempting to get Michel to quit
dancing, and that he had a negative viewpoint of her profession.
She also accused the rapper of belittling her, saying in one of her posts -
"I said Beyoncé wears the same kind of stuff I wear."
Michel also called out his behavior towards her.
Drake didn't respond to Michel's comments, but it seems he has a horde of angry ex-lovers
on his case.
With such a lengthy résumé of ex-lovers, there must be something that draws women towards
Drake.
Perhaps some insight from an alleged former flame can help explain the ever growing stack
of past girlfriends attached to Drizzy's name.
Reality TV personality Deelishis, who was born Chandra Davis, is the winner of "Flavor
of Love 2" and she has dished on her involvement with the rapper.
Their flavor of love?
Well, according to her, it was quite delicious.
During an appearance on TS Madison's "Cracking The Cold Case" YouTube series in 2020, she
talked about Drake's passion and went on to gush about the rapper, saying -
"I was crazy about Drake."
A year earlier, it was revealed during Deelishis's appearance on "Dinner with the Avery's" that
she attended a Drake afterparty, so it's possible that this is how the two met.
And let’s not forget that 2015 interview with Kandi Burruss where she sang Drake's
praises.
In a transcript published by All Hip-Hop, Deelishis was asked about her best lover ever,
to which she replied -
"He's a rapper from Toronto […] He's excellent in bed."
She also told "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star that she and the guy behind "Best I Ever
Had" remain on friendly terms, which is certainly a pleasant change from his nasty breakups.
It seems that Drake may have finally found the Miss Right he imagined in his Rap Radar
interview.
In 2021, TMZ reported that Drake started dating influencer and reality TV personality Johanna
Leia.
The rumored couple were snapped together at a high school basketball game, along with
"Black Panther" star Michael B. Jordan.
Leia's son is Amari Bailey, who plays for Sierra Canyon School — yes, the same school
where LeBron James' son Bronny James plays.
Drake reportedly dotes on Bailey with presents and grand gestures, such as renting out Dodger
Stadium for a date, according to TMZ.
On his Instagram Story, Bailey posted snaps of some pricey bling that Drake gifted him.
As reported by Radar Online, the basketball player showed off a fancy, bejeweled chain
and tagged Drake in his post followed by some colorful heart emojis.
According to The Sun, Leia appeared to confirm dating rumors by posting a video on her Instagram
Story with Drake's song "Laugh Now Cry Later" playing in the background.
While Drake didn't start the family with Rihanna that he so sorely wanted, his latest relationship
can hopefully provide him with some familial bliss.
Here's hoping Drizzy's in it for the long haul.
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