Drake Criticzed Over New Album in Which He Appears to Diss Rihanna

Drake's new song, Fear of Heights, has become quite popular, but not for the right seasons; many fans are not happy at his apparent disses directed at ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The line "Gyal can't ruin me" that he snuck into the song made it seem like he was making fun of Rihanna's Barbadian accent. The artist later also seemed to be referencing Rihanna's music and current romance with A$AP Rocky in his new song in the lines "Yeah, and the sex was average with you / Yeah, I’m anti ’cause I had it with you. And I had way badder bitches than you, TBH / Yeah, that man, he still with you, he can’t leave you / Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles."

Drake's supposed statements about Rihanna would be the first time he's spoken publicly about the split from his ex. Rihanna in 2018 confessed to Vogue, "We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is." The song's release also took his fans by surprise, and some were displeased by the way he 'spoke' about Rihanna. One fan tweeted, "Drake rapping about Rihanna in 2023 and sounding as mature as he did in 2013 is as disappointing as it is predictable." Another one wrote, "'Drake dissed Rihanna’ my baby she is somewhere changing diapers for the 20th time this morning… that lady does not gaf lmfao."

Page Six also reported that recently, in a radio interview, Drake said that 'he is taking a break from music.' On SiriusXM's Table for One, Drake said, "I probably won’t make music for a little bit. I’m gonna be real with you: I need to focus on my health, first and foremost. … Nothing crazy, but just, like, you know, I want people to be healthy in life. So, I’ma lock the door in the studio for a little bit. I don’t even know what a little bit is." On the same day that Drake made his surprising statement, he dropped his new album, For All the Dogs, a 23-song extravaganza that boasts appearances from SZA, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Chief Keef, and many more.

Rihanna's first music video, for Pon de Replay, was filmed at a café in Drake's hometown of Toronto in 2005, and that is when they first met each other. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Drake confirmed his cameo when presenting Rihanna with the MTV Video Vanguard Award. He recalled, "The first time I met Robyn Fenty was in 2005, I was introduced to her as the kid who played background music at the restaurant as people ate their dinner." After the breakup with Chris Brown, Rihanna and Drake were reportedly seen making out in a New York City bowling alley, as reported by Page Six. In fact, Drake even dedicated a song to that night: Fireworks.

Later, Drake discussed his short meeting with Rihanna in a New York Times interview. He said at the time, "I was a pawn, 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." However, after an on-and-off relationship for years, Rihanna revealed in 2018 that she is no longer speaking to Drake and that she is happily taken, albeit she did not reveal the identity of her boyfriend at the time.