Drake says he regrets ‘disrupting’ exes’ lives by name-dropping them in songs

Drake has expressed remorse for name-dropping his exes in his songs, with the rapper revealing he’s “tried [his] best” to stop doing so.

Many of the 36-year-old Canadian rapper’s top hits have directly mentioned several of his ex-girlfriends by name.

In a recent conversation with fellow artist Lil Yachty for the premiere of FUTUREMOOD’s Moody Conversation series, Drake opened up about the previous times he’s “said girls’ names in songs,” as well as the conversation that convinced him to cut back on the name-dropping moving forward.

“I look back on [that] and I’m like: ‘Maybe I could have done without, like, s***ting on people for age or disrupting somebody's life,’” he said.

“The lyrics are never with ill intent,” Drake clarified, “but I had somebody one time be like: ‘You know, it's not necessarily what you're saying about me, it's the fact that you said it’”.

When asked to further explain, he spoke from the perspective of his ex, saying: “‘You don't know who my boyfriend is at the time or you don't know what my family knows or doesn't know. And if you express any form of discontent for me and call me by name in a song, then all of a sudden, I'm left to pick up the pieces of my own life that I've tried to build up for myself.’

“So I've tried my best to stop doing that,” Drake added. “But I like to be honest in music too so that one's a push and pull.”

The rapper’s song “In My Feelings” is perhaps one of his most popular tracks to reference one of his ex-girlfriends.

The 2018 chart-topper’s famous lines, “Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding?” sent the internet into a frenzy as fans tried to figure out Kiki’s identity.

Drake’s first girlfriend, singer Keshia Chanté, became the centre of public attention after many listeners assumed she was Kiki.

However, months later, in an interview for Los Angeles radio station’s Power 106, Oakland-based dancer K’yanna Barber revealed she was, in fact, Kiki.

Then on 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s 2020 song “Mr Right Now”, featuring Drake, he rapped: “Yeah, said she wanna f*** to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ‘08.”

The lyric sparked controversy at the time, as 17-year-old SZA was underage for most of 2008, while Drake was 21. Shortly after, SZA addressed the uproar on Twitter, where she clarified that she and the rapper dated in 2009.

Drake was most recently romantically linked to influencer Johanna Leia, who he dated in 2021. He has one son, five-year-old Adonis Graham, who he shares and co-parents with French artist Sophie Brussaux.