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Drake, 33, wasn’t afraid to reflect on his feelings about some important things in his life when he sat down with Rap Radar for in-depth discussion. In a video he posted to his YouTube page on Dec. 25, the rapper talked about a multitude of topics that many people have been wondering about, including his current feelings about his on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna, 31, and his previous feud with her ex Chris Brown, 30. The “Hotline Bling” crooner and the “Forever” singer, who collaborated on the song “No Guidance” this year, were known to be on the outs due to some disagreements about certain things, including Chris’ previous abusive past with RiRi, but Drake is now putting it all behind him.
“We’ve come together before and tried to link and make music and I think we were always kind of forcing it. I think there was always resentment on both sides,” Drake told Rap Radar about working with Chris. “You know, really at the end of the day when you kind of step away from it and break it down you start to feel silly ’cause it’s over girl stuff, you know? But obviously, that can snowball into real sh*t and that’s what happened in this situation.”
“I think we just both grew up to the point that 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,” he continued. “I think of her as family more than anything.”
Drake also revealed that he hesitated for a bit before deciding to collaborate with Chris on “No Guidance” because he wasn’t sure how Rihanna would feel about it. “I actually had a moment of hesitation before because I didn’t want her to ever feel disrespected by me linking up with him but I also know how many nights she knows that me and him have both been consumed by this issue,” he said. “I think she’s a good person with a good heart that would rather see us put that issue to bed than continue childish sh*t that can end up in a serious situation, so I decided to go ahead with it.”
Drake and Chris made headlines in 2012 when they got into a brawl but they have since reconciled their friendship and have been spotted hanging out, including at a club outing in Miami in July. Drake also invited Chris on stage during one of his shows in Oct. 2018. “I was hearing from people that he was in a really good space to link up and I think that show when he came out was one of those best buds moments,” he admitted. “I just always really had a lot of admiration for his talent and I think finally he gave me the mutual respect and admiration by allowing me to take the lead on the song.”
Drake and Rihanna, who dated on and off from 2009 until 2016, also seem to be on good terms since she showed up to one of his birthday parties in Oct.