Before the speculation went viral, there was this Thank Me Later deep cut. The line is now infamous in Drake lore: “Always promised that I’d take ‘em to the top / I guess that Nicki Minaj is the only thing I got.” At the time, fans saw it as a label shoutout. But in hindsight, given their undeniable closeness, it reads like a young artist admitting who his real anchor was.
On For All the Dogs , Drake drops a line that reignited the rumor mill: “I had a crush on Nicki Minaj / But that was back in the day.” For years, he deflected and hinted. Here, he finally says the quiet part out loud. It’s casual, almost throwaway, but it confirms what fans always suspected: at some point, the Young Money duo had a real, albeit unresolved, spark.
One of Drake’s most direct nods came years later on Her Loss . He raps: “Shorty said she feelin’ my aura / I said, ‘That’s just Nicki Minaj’s perfume.’” It’s a subtle callback—implying that even now, his scent or presence is tied to her. It’s less about a current romance and more about lingering nostalgia and an unbreakable bond. drake song about nicki minaj
This Take Care track is a heartfelt letter to the important women in Drake’s life—his mother, his grandmother, and… Nicki Minaj. He raps: “Nicki, I’ll tell you this on the road / I just hope that you know that I’d give you the world / If you wasn’t the one that already had it.” It’s a respectful, almost bittersweet admission of admiration that goes far beyond “colleagues.”
This one is complicated. On the surface, “Only” is Nicki’s song about female empowerment and sexual freedom. But Drake’s verse feels deeply personal: “You know we got that chemistry, the lab just called / You know I’m pussy-whipped, the cat just called / A real ni**a, that’s the only thing I never been / Let me be the only thing you never let him.” Many fans believe he’s speaking directly to Nicki—referencing their real-life chemistry and hinting at unspoken boundaries. Before the speculation went viral, there was this
While not a love song, the music video for HYFR (Hell Ya F***ing Right) is a time capsule. Drake and Nicki share a charged, playful energy during their scenes together. The song itself isn’t about her, but Drake’s body language and the way he looks at her in the visual cemented the “shippers” theory for good.
Drake & Nicki Minaj: A Hip-Hop Love Story (Told Through His Songs) On For All the Dogs , Drake drops
Drake has never written a full, explicit “Nicki Minaj diss track” or a “love letter ballad” titled after her. Instead, he’s woven her into his catalog like a recurring motif—admiration, longing, playful jealousy, and finally, nostalgic confession. Whether it was ever a full relationship or just a deep friendship with tension, Drake’s songs suggest Nicki Minaj was never just a labelmate. She was a muse. Want more deep dives into hip-hop’s most intriguing relationships? Drop a comment below!