National Post (National Edition)
Rihanna’s friendship with Drake fizzles following stars’ short-lived romance
For the last decade, the questions surrounding the status of Rihanna and Drake’s potential romance have been: Will they? Won’t they? Have they? Should they? Should she?
It turns out, they did and now they don’t and she definitely shouldn’t have — at least according to Rihanna herself in this month’s cover profile for Vogue.
She revealed, “We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is.”
It seems the moment that things fizzled may have been when, to the rest of the world, it looked like they were just getting started.
At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, a big night for Rihanna, Drake presented her with the esteemed Video Vanguard Award after she had performed throughout the broadcast. His speech defined what it means to swoon and, in natural Drake fashion, he did it for the world to see. Not to mention, he had taken out a billboard in Los Angeles days before the event to congratulate her.
“She’s someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old,” he said with a massive grin as she stood off to the side, visibly uncomfortable. “She’s one of my best friends in the world. She’s a living, breathing legend in our industry.”
After his lengthy and lavish speech, the two embraced, and he leaned in for what appeared to be a kiss as she swerved away and offered him a cheek, making it the viral moment of the night.
The pair were spotted later in the evening, and she was seen days later at his Miami concert. She also thanked him on her Instagram for a “touching” speech and wrote, “I love you for that!”
In February 2017, Drake again professed his love for her on stage at a Dublin concert and had his fans sing her “Happy Birthday” — even though she was not in attendance. In April, it was clear the romance had shrivelled when the two were seen awkwardly running into each other at a mutual friend’s child’s birthday party, in the same room but not speaking.
It seems things took a turn for Rihanna at that stage. In Vogue, she revealed she actually had been as uncomfortable in the VMAs moment as she appeared, recalling the moment and “wincing slightly at the mention of the rapper’s name before her eyes glaze over with cool indifference.”
She said, “The VMAs is such a fan-focused awards show, so having that energy around me, and knowing the people who had received the award in the past, made it feel like a big deal. 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 two may have been a fan-favourite couple, but in true Rihanna style, the singer has long moved on and hasn’t spared Drake a mere glance in the rear-view.
She’s been reportedly dating billionaire businessman Hassan Jameel for over a year; the two have been spot- ted canoodling on the occasional weekend away.
While she didn’t address Jameel directly, she did say, with the slightest jab in Drake’s direction, “I used to feel guilty about taking personal time, but I also think I never met someone who was worth it before.”
And that is how it’s done.