Everything That Drake Needs To Apologize For

Canadian-born rapper Drake is undoubtedly one of the most successful rappers of his time, but his platform comes at a price. If he's not making enemies, he's singing about them on a catchy pop hook that lands at the top of the charts. Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, got his big break on the Canadian teen drama "Degrassi: The Next Generation" playing "Jimmy Brooks." He later launched a massively successful music career with his record-breaking studio album debut "Thank Me Later." The album was an instant hit, earning him his first Grammy for "Best Rap Album" and cementing his status as a rap phenomenon.

 While his international fame has granted him plenty of women to write about, being in one of his songs is far from a romantic gesture. Quite literally, it might be "Her Loss," referring to the controversial title of his 2022 album. If it's true that all press is good press, Drake uses his relevance to his advantage. SNL even premiered their own skit on his shadiness, titled "Drake PSA," which satirically called for all the women Drake wrote about in his songs to file for financial compensation. Since he's making millions on his heartbreak and shade, no one's in a rush to dry the rapper's tears, certainly not if he might drop a bar about it later. We're breaking down everything that Drake needs to apologize for.

Imagine being the brains and vocals behind a hit song with your famous rapper boyfriend and never getting any compensation. That's exactly how scorned Drake's ex-girlfriend Ericka Lee felt when hearing Drake's hit song "Marvin's Room" off his debut studio album "Take Care." Speculation swirled over who the rapper was crooning to when he softly sings, "You could do better," and the mystery was solved when Lee came looking for a paycheck. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the female vocalist filed a lawsuit against the Toronto native alleging that the two had a business and romantic relationship between 2010 and 2011. Lee claimed Drake agreed to work together on the song and split the profits, and even produced text messages supposedly from the rapper that read, "U Basically made that song."

Lee stated that their relationship deteriorated once the song was released, and an attempted meeting between the pair fell through. Instead, the Grammy winner offered his ex-girlfriend two percent of publishing royalties, which eventually was raised to 4-5% with an additional $50,000 payout. As for Drake's legal team, they fired back saying "Ericka Lee consented to the use of her voice in the song 'Marvin's Room' prior to its release. Lee asked only for the credit she received as 'Syren Lyric Muse,' and she did not ask for any compensation." Looks like Drake told Lee to "Take Care" as TMZ later reported the two parties settled their dispute. It's unknown if any money was involved.

Nobody could have predicted the tragedy that was 2021's Astroworld — when a massive crowd crush resulted in utter chaos. The devastating event resulted in eight deaths and multiple injuries when a poorly planned event cost fans their lives. At the forefront of the mass casualty event was headliner Travis Scott and surprise guest Drake — who appeared midway through Scott's set. In a since-deleted Instagram post (via The Hollywood Reporter), the Toronto native addressed the night writing "I hate resorting to this platform to express an emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself," he added, "My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all."

It seemed that Drake had other things on his mind than grief a day after the tragedy. The rapper was seen out at Area 29 in Houston the next day to blow off steam with strippers. The Sun obtained a deleted tweet from the strip club tagging the rapper's Twitter account and thanking him for stopping by. Instagram snaps also obtained by The Sun show floors covered in dollar bills with the caption "2 floors covered with money and EVERY DANCER who worked last night went home happy thank y'all for the love and support WE RUNNING IT BACK 2 NIGHT!"

Drake doesn't always "Take Care" with every decision he makes. In 2009, his performance on stage as a part of "Young Money" alongside Lil Wayne incited outrage when young girls were brought on stage during their set. The songs performed involved several sexual connotations, prompting Drake to issue an apology for the poor impromptu decision. The rapper took responsibility in a statement saying, "It was just timed very poorly and it definitely wasn't planned like that, but with that being said, it is what is. To anyone who was offended, my personal apologies, it wasn't intended to offend anybody."

Fans had a lot to say when a 2010 video resurfaced of the rapper in which he caresses and kisses a 17-year-old concertgoer. "I told you I like your hair, right? What is that? Is that Herbal Essence?" he asks as he leans in and kisses the back of the girl's neck. When he asks the girl her age he replies "I can't go to jail yet, man! Why do you look like that?" He went on to admit he "had fun," and liked the way her breasts felt against his chest. He didn't stop there, however. In this 2018 clip, "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, just 14 years old at the time, reveals the rapper texted her to give her boy advice. "We just texted the other day he's like 'I miss you so much' I was like 'I miss you more!" Cringeworthy — to say the least.

Not everything was kosher with Drake's "HYFR" music video shoot at Temple Israel in Miami. The Toronto native filmed the video with the permission of the Reform synagogue's president, who hoped it would help connect youth to Judaism. Drake was raised by a single Jewish mother, and even attended a Jewish school, telling Heeb Magazine that he was largely misunderstood for being both Black and Jewish. 

However, his attempt to tap into his former religious roots didn't garner any praise from Temple Israel's president Ben Kuehne. "Temple Israel does not adopt, condone, or sponsor any aspect of the Drake video, and was not involved in its production," Kuehne said in a statement (via Jewish Telegraph Agency). The music video follows Drake singing the profanity-heavy track, which includes lyrics like "I took her for sushi, she wanted to f***, so we took it to go, told them don't even plate it," as he recreated his bar mitzvah. Kuehne first called the video (lyrics aside) "an embracing of religious passage," but doubled back on his statement after more closely reviewing it.

Despite the criticism, Drake still embraces his Jewish roots. "When kids are young it's hard for them to understand the make-up of religion and race," Drake told Heeb Magazine. "But the same kids that made fun of me are super proud [of me] now. And they act as if nothing happened." The Canadian rapper even donned a diamond-encrusted Chai pendant for his Vibe Magazine cover (as shown here).

Drake knows how to shut things down — and not in a good way. The rapper got involved in a marijuana meltdown in 2012 when TMZ reported that he and his entourage were responsible for the giant cloud of weed smoke that shut down an Oklahoma City nightclub. The owner of Dollhouse Lounge was arrested for the mishap and asked the rapper to cover the monetary damages related to the incident.

The owner provided TMZ with a letter that he sent to Drake and his team claiming the rapper asked the nightclub to open just for him to host a private party, which later spiraled out of control. The Grammy winner allegedly brought a huge entourage with him and smoked up the VIP section until the Oklahoma Police arrived to escort people out. The rapper escaped the cops, leaving a half-burnt marijuana cigarette on the floor.

Drake and Chris Brown may have let bygones be bygones, but there was a time when the two artists had plenty to beef about. The tension between the two stemmed from their mutual ex Rihanna, who was a victim of domestic assault by Brown in 2009. Rihanna started dating the "Run It" singer in 2008, but they split up following the incident in 2009. They got back together briefly in 2012 before ultimately calling it quits for good in 2013, as per Hollywood Life. Drake has history with the Fenty founder, meeting her in 2005 and dating her on and off for a decade following her first split with Brown.

Drake and Brown faced off in 2012 when witnesses told TMZ that Drake was seen yelling and pointing at the R&B artist inside a New York City nightclub. At one point, a bottle was thrown, which resulted in several punches between both parties' entourages. A photo obtained by TMZ shows Brown's bloody gash from the incident. The pair left before the cops showed up, and the mayhem resulted in several individuals needing medical assistance. 

Fast forward a decade, and the two seem to have put the drama behind them. Brown appeared on "Drink Champs" in 2022 and addressed his former beef with the rapper. "It was just a misunderstanding on both ends," Brown said. "It was funny, and then when we actually sat and talked about it afterward, it was just like, man, what the f*** was we doing?"

In 2017, Drake found himself in yet another controversy when a retired porn star claimed to be pregnant with his child. According to TMZ, Sophie Brussaux claimed to be three and a half months pregnant with the rapper's child when she hired a New York City attorney and sought child support. Brussaux alleged that the Toronto native texted her, "I want you to have an abortion," to which she replied, "I can't kill my baby to indulge you sorry." TMZ reached out to Drake's reps, who told the outlet, "This woman has a very questionable background. She has admitted to having multiple relationships. We understand she may have problems getting into the United States. She's one of many women claiming he got them pregnant." His reps then claimed that the rapper would assume responsibility and do right by the child if it was proven to be his.

The following year Drake came clean about the hush child on his "Scorpion" album. The song talks about him finding out the news and his new role as a co-parent with the lyrics: "She not my lover like 'Billie Jean,' but the kid is mine, Sandi used to tell me all it takes is one time, and all it took was one time." Drake frequently shows off his son Adonis and their shared love of basketball. The proud dad took to his Instagram story in 2022 (via Entertainment Tonight) to share videos of his soon dribbling two basketballs saying, "This guy's different, man."

It's hard to keep track of the on-again-off-again beef between Drake and Kanye West. Their polarizing rap careers have been characterized by constant digs at each other, which seemed to end when the two performed together at a benefit concert in 2021. It's hard to tell if the two have put aside their differences for good, with drama dating back to 2010. The feud began when the Canadian rapper was taken off West's Grammy award-winning track "All of the Lights." Drake revealed in an interview, "Kanye's creative process is ever-changing. [I don't know why I] was removed. We make music differently. I make what comes to me and I hate changing it, whereas 'Ye will change something 30 or 40 times to get it perfect. To each their own, and the change was to put all those people on it, and I wasn't one of them. That's completely OK."

The two went on to be rivals for years, with Drake singing in his "Summer 16" track, "Now I got a house in L.A., now I got a bigger pool than Ye." Rapper Pusha T added to the fire after releasing the "Story of Adidon" track through West's music label that revealed Drake's son to the world. West seems to have had enough of the fighting and responded to Drake's mention of him in the 2022 track "Circo Loco." Drake sings, "Linking with the opps, b****, I did that for J. Prince/B****." The Donda founder tweeted (via TMZ), "Enough already ... Imagine all the rappers on the same side."

Drake made waves when he proclaimed his love for Rihanna at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards. The "Thank Me Later" rapper presented the Fenty founder with the Video Vanguard Award and wrapped up his 4-minute speech by confessing he'd been in love with Rihanna since he was 22. The "Pon De Replay" singer didn't respond to the live confessional in the best way. She told Vogue, "Waiting through that speech was probably the most uncomfortable part. I don't like too many compliments. I don't like to be put on blast." The pair were spotted out together getting cozy — even performing "Work" together at Drake's Dublin concert in 2017 — but their romance turned awkward by the Spring of 2017.

It's unclear what exactly changed the course of their relationship, but Rihanna told Vogue in 2018, "We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either. It is what it is." After it was clear their relationship ran its course, Drake added fuel to the fire by collaborating with Rihanna's former abuser Chris Brown on the track "No Guidance." Drake spoke out about the love triangle to Rap Radar saying, "I think we just both grew up to the point that person that was in the middle of us is like, no longer a part of either of our lives currently, and I have the utmost love and respect for her. I think of her as family more than anything."

Drake took his digs to a new level when he took a shot at someone who's literally been shot. The "Tuscan Leather" rapper called out Megan Thee Stallion in his track "Circo Loco" saying, "This b**** lie 'bout getting shot but she still a stallion, she don't even get the joke but she still smiling." Drake was referring to an incident in 2020 in which Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, shot the "Savage" rapper's foot when she was leaving a party at Kylie Jenner's house. The Houston native wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post (via Buzzfeed News): "On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me." 

Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, took to Twitter (via People) to fire back at Drake. "Stop using my shooting for clout b**** a** N—s! Since when tf is it cool to joke [about] women getting shot !" she wrote. "You n—s especially RAP N—S ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y'all homeboys abused her." In December of 2022, Pete was vindicated when Peterson was convicted of assault and weapons charges for firing multiple shots at the rapper and striking her several times in the foot. The altercation was sparked after it was revealed that Pete and Peterson had intimate relations behind her friend Kelsey Harris's back.

Drake invited criticism when he took to his social media to post a photo of a random unsuspecting woman. The rapper posted a photo of the woman to his Instagram stories (and 117 million followers) writing, "Tried to airdrop this woman a pic of herself cause she's a dime," per BuzzFeed News. The woman, unidentified, seems to be oblivious, sitting at a restaurant with a man while she scrolls on her phone.

Drake's Instagram followers weren't buying it, however, reposting the snap in question to a Reddit forum. "I haven't seen anyone talking about this, this is so unbelievably creepy," one user wrote. "I hate how normalised it's become to take photos/videos of strangers in public. It literally gives me anxiety. From a celebrity it's even worse because he should know better in regards to respecting privacy," another commented.