Kanye West and Drake's long, tumultuous history has taken another turn, this time in an oddly sentimental direction. After years of public feuds, lyrical jabs, and competitive tension, Kanye is saying that jealousy was the true genesis of their volatile relationship. Even more bizarre, he's requesting that Drake eulogize him when he finally passes away.
Between tweeting in his typically controversial manner on Wednesday (March 5), Kanye carved out a moment to address some of the history with his longtime foe. True to form, he tweeted in all caps, disclosing a rare moment of humility and self-examination: "I SAW A VIDEO OF DRAKE WALKING THROUGH HIS HOUSE AND SHOWING HE HAD A LIBRARY OF RHYME BOOKS. GOD, I WISH I HAD OF SEEN AND REMEMBERED THIS WHEN MY JEALOUSY OVER WHELMED ME. I LOVE DRAKE."
The uncharacteristic acknowledgment is also a sharp departure from Kanye's recent prose regarding the Canadian rap superstar. There was no throwing shade or claiming dominion. Instead, Ye peeled back the layers to reveal that a lot of their infamous beef was due to insecurity on his part. And it couldn't get any more surreal, Kanye added, "IMA SAVE THIS… WHEN I DIE, I NEED YOU TO SPEAK AT MY FUNERAL."
Of course, fans and hip-hop heads rushed to figure out what inspired the sudden show of affection. Others suggested the connection to a vintage clip of Drake from 2004, during his appearance on the series "Unscripted," in which the young Aubrey Graham showed off the Acura TLX he could now afford to drive after becoming a star, the home he shared with his mother and, perhaps most poignantly, his notebook filled with rhymes. Whether this was the specific video that resonated with Kanye isn't clear, but what is apparent is that he's now looking at Drake with a fresh vision.
This new level of praise couldn't be further from Kanye, who criticized Drake in April 2024 when he freely mused about participating in a diss record against the Grammy-winning author. Kanye was a guest on Justin LaBoy's The Download podcast, where he explained that Future brought him in to contribute a remix of "Like That," a song that Miguel recorded originally featuring Kendrick Lamar jabbing at Drake. "The challenge was thrilling," Kanye said then. "Pluto reached out. I went into the studio and put down that. And then we walked through the creative process, we added the chorus … You know, everybody was just very, very excited about the removal of Drake. Not excited, we were motivated."
For someone celebrating Drake's demise, this new admission is 180. Whether this is a genuine change of heart or another bizarre episode in the saga of Kanye West remains to be seen. Drake has not responded publicly, but considering their history, it wouldn't be out of character for Drake to address the matter in a sly bar or a vague Instagram post. Until then, all fans can do is wonder if this could dawn a new, peaceful era between two of hip-hop's most revered figures. Or is it another episode in the long-running Kanye vs. Drake soap opera?
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