Because it is 2018 and social media has become an integral part of the way we communicate and relate to each other in our everyday lives, an unfollow on Instagram is a pretty big deal for some people. That’s why fans on Instagram were apparently aghast to learn that superstar rappers and former close friends and labelmates Drake and Nicki Minaj had apparently stopped following each other on the popular photo-sharing app.
At the outset of their careers, their relationship was mutually instrumental in their respective rises to prominence. They featured on each other’s songs, in each other’s videos, and on group compilations with the rest of Young Money with an easy chemistry that made it seem like they really were good friends — maybe even something more. Certainly, Drake joked around about “marrying” Nicki and was profuse with the compliments, while Nicki at pretty good at teasing her friend (and their fans) with suggestive wordplay and even a lapdance or two.
However, since 2016, it appeared their connections were frayed when Nicki began dating regular Drake collaborator Meek Mill, Meek and Drake had a falling out that last for around two years, and Nicki found herself caught in the middle. Nicki eventually broke up with Meek, who spent some time in prison, and although Nicki was supportive of the Philadelphia rapper, she eventually moved on romantically. When Meek was freed earlier this year, one of his first orders of business was to reconcile with Drake, leading to a collaboration between the two on Meek’s new album, which incidentally also featured a guest verse from Nicki’s current rival, Cardi B.
If it all seems sort of teen drama-ish, it should. After all, Drake first rose to prominence as a star on a Canadian teen soap, and it all makes for riveting, reality TV-esque entertainment. Drake and Nicki’s mutual unfollows could mean nothing, or they could mean everything. Until one or the other speaks up — probably Nicki, considering the rampant success of her tell-all Apple Music radio show, Queen Radio — we’ll all have to be content to watch and speculate.
