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Skrt On Me

Skrt On Me

Nicki Minaj (June 30, 2017)

Arriving fresh off the back of a successful summer so far, Nicki Minaj joins forces with Calvin Harris on his gem of a summertime album called Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1 for the tropical song Skrt On Me. Despite spending the earlier part of the year proving herself as a rapper amidst the beef with Remy Ma — Nicki mainly sings on this song, rapping for only one verse towards the end. Skrt On Me is a song that feels wistful and gives a sneak peek into Nicki's current state of mind as she fools around with potential suitors, completely in love with her independence as a single woman.

"You know my loving ain't free, babe/Won't make you do what you don't wanna do/What you don't wanna do, no, that ain't me, babe." Here, Nicki talks about her love of expensive gifts and lavish jewelry. The man in her life can't just satisfy her sexually but should be able to adorn her with gifts since he's trying to keep her attention. In 2017, Nicki was one of the most sought-after women in the industry, freely flirting in ways she couldn't in the past due to her relationship with Meek Mill. Nicki entertained Nas in early 2017, but then she quickly pivoted in the direction of the Toronto native that's spent the last few years of his career professing his love for her: Drake. It's no secret that Drake and Nicki reunited after Nicki's breakup, but they also hung out privately a lot more and spent more time around each other than they had in years. "I need you ten hut now, need you ten toes down, baby." Nicki might be playing into Drake's hand, but she needs security from him. The guarantee that if he's hers, then he'll stay hers and not wander off when she needs him. "Said if you ride, baby, ride up/Pull up from behind, baby, wine up/And you and me, we can shine up/So, baby, come make your mind up." Nicki pokes at Drake's indecisiveness, telling him that she wants to ride with him: as in, literally riding him (sexually) and riding with him as his woman if he really wants her like he says he does. Nicki uses the playful lyrics of the pre-chorus to sexually characterize how she wants him to be there for her. He can "pull up from behind" when they're dirty dancing, but also "pull up" when it comes time to hold her down so they can shine together.

This entire song is Nicki singing as she discreetly tries to communicate her wishes to the man she's dancing with about what she desires from him. At the end of the chorus Nicki sings: "'Cause you keep telling me your love ain't free, babe." Interestingly enough, in 2016 Dj Khaled and Drake released a tropical pop song (kind of like this one) where Drake raps about needing to be paid because the "sex is too good" for it to be free. "I always wonder if you ask yourself (Ask yourself)/Is it just me? (Just me)/Is it just me?/Or is this sex so good I shouldn't have to fuck for free?." Nicki knows how Drake gets down and knows that he won't stay in something if it isn't benefitting him. She knows that he could be looking at anyone, but he's giving her his attention — and while she has it she intends to hold him to his word and take him seriously, so long as he is honest with her. "Yeah, maybe I-I-I got so used to just giving you the least, babe/But nowadays, I need more from ya, I need something I can keep." Nicki knows that she's pushed him away in the past and wants him to know that she's trying to be better, she just needs more reassurance.

"And I'm playing the field, Brad Wing in the punt/I'ma tell him I love him in the foreign and cuff him." As much as Nicki is trying with Drake, she's still technically a single woman. They're both feeling each other out, taking steps to see each other without doing anything concrete that confirms anything. So in the meantime, Nicki continues "playing the field" having a couple of "new boys" as she waits for Drake to follow through and show her that he's worth it. "This the real thing, can you feel the force yet?"

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #skrt on me #calvin harris #tropical #love #make your mind up

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Come Closer

Come Closer

Wizkid ft. Drake (March 31, 2017)

This collaboration between Drake and Wizkid is the second song off of Wizkid's album called Sounds From The Other Side. It's a tropical love song where both men talk about the women, they want to put in their life. In his verse, Wizkid is relishing in his fame drinking with women that make him feel good. He's looking for the kind of love he can feel (physically), he doesn't care to chase after a woman when he has a lot of options currently. "When me tune drop, the girls, they bounce along/Me no let nothing come between me and me paper."

Drake's verse however, is different from the tone of Wizkid's. "Too mix up in drama to go outside/Too mix up in drama to free my mind." For the past few years he's been dealing with the beef with Meek, beef with old heads in hip-hop, and dealing with the aftermath of a bad breakup with Rihanna. He wants to step out of the hot seat and just chill so he can think clearly. He has too many jealous people around him that want to see him fail; he needs a change in pace. "What would I do without you, my chargie?/I don't feel that way with anybody/Tell me your secrets, I'm not messy." Chargie is Jamaican Patois for the word "friend", first popularized by the singer Popcaan. Despite having Trinidadian roots, Nicki Minaj has always been more comfortable speaking Jamaican Patois rather than her own Trinidadian dialect because she lived in an area in New York around a lot of Jamaican immigrants and naturally grew up using Patois more. I say this to say, Nicki is very familiar with Jamaican culture and loves speaking Patois around Drake.

They are friends but Drake knows they can be more because he doesn't feel the same with anyone else like he does with her. "Steady it for me, girl, hold steady/I wanna put you in my life/Your hair smell like the tropics, your body look nice." He wants Nicki to be patient with him and just follow his lead. When he mentions the tropics, Drake is referring to when Nicki celebrated her birthday (the year prior) in the Turks and Caicos Islands. "One fuck cyaan hold me, we gotta go twice/I'm here for you, just tell me what you like/I wanna put you in my life." Being with her once isn't enough for him, he doesn't want Nicki around as a casual fuck but as a full on romantic partner. One of the more emotional parts of the year for them was in March when Nicki appeared in a few stops for Drake's Boy Meets World Tour. The energy between them was palpable. When they were onstage together, neither one of them wanted to let go of the other. I personally feel like outside of the tour, the two of them spent a lot of much needed one on one time in Paris together — bringing them closer together during one of the rockiest points in Nicki's career.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #come closer #free my mind #I don't feel this way with anybody

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Signs

Signs

Drake (June 23, 2017)

This song was born out a collaboration between Drake and Louis Vuitton for their 2018 Spring/Summer Collection during Paris Fashion Week. This song details Drake trying to keep his emotions under control around a woman that just feels perfect for him in every way. It's the "signs of the times" because all of this tension between the both of them seems to be leading up to something that could cause a huge change in their dynamic.

In the pre-chorus Drake sings about having champagne just after waking up in the morning and then lamenting about how he can't "take things slowly." Drinking in the morning is a bad habit to set and could be a sign of someone who is on their way or already is an alcoholic. He's discussing his compulsive overindulgence when it comes to things and with people as something he wants to try to stop, but it's a bad habit. "She tryna take it all off for me/Tryna stay real close to me (Close)/I gotta catch myself." Like with the champagne, Drake finds it hard to keep himself under control when he's just dancing really close to a woman that turns him on. He doesn't want to "play himself" by looking like a fool if she isn't as into him as he is into her, so he tries to cool down by "taking it easy".

"Railiza, you need a… money and visa." In the first line of his first verse, Drake references a woman named Railiza Cepeda that he may (or may not) have been briefly involved with after she appeared in French Montana's No Shopping music video. "Howisha, you need a… baby with me, uh/And I'm takin' my time, just wait, don't leave." In this next line he shifts gears, going from talking about splurging on models to wanting to have a baby with someone he can't say no to. A girl that drinks like she's Bajan (his ex Rihanna) and dances like a Trinidadian (Nicki Minaj). "You want a supermodel pose like mi real friend Winnie." This bit is interesting because Winnie Harlow and Nicki Minaj are actually really good friends, and were great friends in 2017. Specifically, around February and March Nicki spent a lot of time in Europe to prepare for fashion week; she was with a lot of models. "I stay to myself, I'll explain myself, I can't play myself/Oh, first night, holy night, five in the morning, yeah-yeah (Yeah)/And it feels like you're mine, signs of the times, oh, what a time." Taking thigs back a little (trust me it will make sense), in an interview on Big Boys Neighborhood Drake was asked if he would save Wayne or Nicki if both of them were drowning in the ocean. Drake picked Nicki, his reasoning being that he wanted to have one last "magical experience" (sex) with her. With this I can fairly say that Drake sees having intercourse with Nicki as something incredibly special….."holy" even. Nicki was essentially moving pretty casually in 2017, and there were rumors that perhaps Nicki and Drake had sex for the first time that year. Not to spoil any future analysis down the line, but due to a "certain song" I'm inclined to believe that they did have sex in 2017. They were both in London for No Frauds early in the year, and then Nicki made a few special appearances with him in Paris in March. In February, a few days after linking up with Drake for the first time since 2014 she tweeted: "If you ask me I'm ready." Sound familiar? They're from that song Unthinkable. You know, the one Drake wrote about Nicki way back in 2010.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #signs #hold on steady #sign of the times #you feel like you're mine

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Ice Melts

Ice Melts

Drake ft. Young Thug (March 18, 2017)

Drake and Young Thug collab on this poppy, upbeat hip-hop tune rapping about how the woman they want needs to know how special she is. "You're a diamond out the rough or somethin', somethin'/You need to give it up to someone/You need to give luck to someone." Young Thug feels like this woman should give her time to a man that deserves her because she's a "diamond in the rough".

"Look, I want you to myself/But I know you just left someone else, I know you did/He did a number on you (I know, brrrt)/That must be why you move so… icy." Still fresh from the Meek Mill break up, Drake has now set his sights on Nicki Minaj as a potential girlfriend. But she has her guard up, and is moving "icy" to keep from looking vulnerable like she did after her breakup with Safaree. This "iciness" could also be the cause of Nicki being recently dissed by rapper Remy Ma with the song Shether on February 25, 2017. In response to this diss, Nicki released the song No Frauds (originally supposed to be a club song) with Drake, and Lil Wayne.

In the bridge Drake says that Nicki is moving icy "like 1017". Referencing the rapper Gucci Mane's 1017 Brick Squad label and the jewelry he loves wearing. Before Nicki joined Young Money, she actually ran around with Gucci Mane in Atlanta for a little bit doing music with him and his crew. In the Pre-Chorus he further elaborates: "I still need some satisfaction/A little less talk and a little more action/I need you out in Jamaica, relaxin'." During the Billboard Music Awards in 2017 Drake took a photo with Nicki that he posted to his Instagram with the caption: "This that I still need some satisfaction" face. During this time, Nicki's dating life was very casual. She was talking to rapper Nas around this time; it was nothing serious, just casually seeing each other. Most theorize that Nicki only entertained him because of the beef with Remy Ma (she sampled his song). "I wanna see you do more in this life if we takin' it there (Takin' it)/I want to see you do 911, fuck a Panamera (In a 911)." This line is a clear shot at Meek Mill who was on his friend Omelly's song Panamera in 2013. The 911 is a reference to the Porsche 911. Drake is clearly telling Nicki that she needs to upgrade from a Panamera (Meek) to a Porsche 911 (Drake). At the end of the next bridge Drake raps: "Better not give that up (Better not give that up)/I'm here patient as can be, man." He's telling Nicki to hold out for him and wait until he's ready to make steps towards making her his.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #Ice Melts #still in love #icy like 1017 #patient as can be

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Since Way Back

Since Way Back

Drake ft. PartyNextDoor (March 18, 2017)

On January 5, 2017 Nicki Minaj confirmed in a tweet that she had separated from rapper Meek Mill. Soon it was being reported that sources close to Drake told TMZ that he wanted Mack Maine to help organize a peace summit for both him and Nicki after seeing her in the studio with Lil Wayne on ESPN, just days after her breakup announcement. Not too long after, Nicki was seen in the studio with Wayne and Drake in February.

Since Way Back is a love song that speaks on the importance of having a lot of history with someone PND and Drake have loved for a long time. They find it hard to commit to anyone else because they're still stuck on this one person. "Pool in my eyes/As you beg, I testify that/I hate being alone." PND's opening line is poetic as he admits to seeing other women, just for the sake of not feeling loneliness.

"You said that you think about me every day/Saturday to Saturday/You see that I've been goin' through it/Hopin' everything's okay." Nicki rarely did many interviews talking about the Meek vs. Drake beef during her relationship with Meek, but when she did she expressed how hurt she was by it and prayed that things would get better. Also in 2016, Nicki randomly tweeted about the Canadian basketball team, the Toronto Raptors and then posted a photo of herself in lingerie. Nicki had never talked about the Raptors before, so why now? Mind you, Drake is the global ambassador of the team and has been since 2013. Drake is watching Nicki from afar, wondering if her words are true. He raps: "Everything these days is textual/I just want to get a lil' sexual, with you." There is some texting happening back and forth behind the scenes between both camps to get them closer to each other. But, Drake feels like the process is too slow and just wants to be as close as possible to her (physically speaking). "'Cause I remember way, way back/With the waves under the wave cap/You were someone else's wife in fact/You didn't even look at me like that/Then it all just switched, over time/Step by step and you know what's next." When Drake says that Nicki was "someone else's wife" he's referring to Nicki being with Safaree, back when Drake still had waves. There were rumors that maybe they had gotten engaged, but nothing was really confirmed. In Drake's next verse he can't help but wonder what she's doing since things have slowed down in his life. "What are you on?/Gotta let me know something." Memories of their time together end up weighing heavily on his mind as he tries to find ways to meet her again.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #Since Way Back #loneliness #Missing You

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Come and See Me

Come and See Me

PartyNextDoor ft. Drake (March 20, 2016)

This is a slow r&b collaboration between PartyNextDoor (PND) and Drake about strained relationships and the effect they have on them. PND sets the tone of the song with his first verse. "Doesn't make sense now/Shit just got real, things are gettin' intense now." Nothing about the relationship is making sense. It seems to be stuck in stasis, with both parties being hesitant to reach out.

In Drake's verse he raps as if he's on the phone with a woman who's reluctant to listen to his side of the story and meet him halfway. "Why you gotta start, girl, why you gotta start?/I know we make time for the things that we want/I know you got another nigga tryna play the part/Just 'cause he got a heart don't mean he got heart/Could be standin' in a field, and he still ain't in the field." He's calling Nicki out explaining that if she wanted to get in contact with him she could; she just isn't trying. Drake talks a lot of shit, but Nicki knew that if at any point during 2015 or 2016 she decided to call him, he wouldn't hesitate to answer the call. When Drake says that this guy is "trying to play the part" he is making a connection to acting. For instance, the All Eyes on You music video where Nicki and Meek are shown to be a picture-perfect couple that dote on each other and look in love. Drake argues that just because Meek has feelings and is capable of loving someone, doesn't mean that he could ever love Nicki like he could. Meek could be on the same field (the rap game) as Drake, but they aren't playing on the same level.

In his next few lines Drake once again reminisces back on the unofficial deal he made with Nicki in 2014. "If anything should change then I thought we had a deal/Lately you keep questionin' what you get out the deal." He now feels uncertain about where he falls in the order of importance in Nicki's life. He's scared of fully losing her and wants to know if she still has feelings for him. "I don't even know what things are looking like inside of your place/Or how it's decorated/This thing is gettin' one-sided, I can't even lie to you right now." Drake's heart is now an open wound. He made himself vulnerable and told Nicki the true depth of his feelings over and over again just to be left on the outside. The little details of her life, like the decorations in her house, are now a complete mystery to Drake. He can't pinpoint what she's doing or feeling and now has to resort to scanning tabloids just to keep up with Nicki….like he's some random fan. He feels light worlds away from where they used to be and just wants her to gather the courage to come and see him for once.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #come and see me #I miss you #He can't play the part

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Pop Style

Pop Style

Drake (April 5, 2016)

This is a hype hip-hop banger where Drake boasts about the effects his musical success has had on his life and narrates how Drake deals with guys that try to start trouble with him. Pop Style, is a part of Jamaican slang that basically translates to "being a baller". Having lots of wealth and not being afraid to show it.

"Dropped outta school now we dumb rich (Dumb rich)/This sound like some forty-three-oh-one shit (One shit)/All my niggas wanna do is pop style (Pop style)/Turn my birthday into a lifestyle (Lifestyle)." Fun fact, Drake dropped out of school to focus more on his acting career on the Canadian tv show Degrassi. He eventually got his high school diploma in 2012, but he's braggadocious about the wealth he's managed to attain even without going to college and being the CEO, his mom desperately wanted him to be. He took an unconventional route, but he became a CEO his own way. Now that he has new avenues of wealth opening up to him outside of the music industry, all his friends want to do is live life to the fullest in the most extravagant ways possible. Just spending money from Monday to Sunday without a care in the world.

"And I like to finish what you think you started/Man, you boys just got to Hollywood, you boys just started/You don't know what you just started." This is a shot at the Dream Chasers, Meek Mill's crew and his goons. Meek may have started the beef with him, but with diss after diss, it didn't matter what Meek said because Drake had already ended it. This next line has Drake thinking about a woman he hasn't seen in a while. "Yeah, you've been on my mind lately/You've still got my number, girl, you need to call me/I feel like they wanna see me learn the hard way/But you know I always handle that one my way/Girl, let me rock, rock, rock, rock, rock your body/Justin Timberlake and then I hit the highway." This part of the song is about Nicki, referencing Justin Timberlake's song Rock Your Body where he explicitly makes it known that he wants to get freaky. At first I had to do a double take to make sure that I was reading the lyrics right because during Drake's 2016 OVOFest he performed Pop Style live and changed the lyrics from: "I feel like they wanna see me learn the hard way/But you know I always handle that one my way". To: "sorry that your nigga had to learn the hard way/But you know I always handle that one my way." He changes the lyrics because he wants zero confusion on whom which woman, he wants to rock bodies with. Drake also mentioned Nicki by name in 2015 during OVOFest where he danced to one of her songs while more memes of Meek played on the big screen behind him like a slide show.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #Pop Style #Missing You #Rock Your Body

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Keep The Family Close

Keep The Family Close

Drake (April 29, 2016)

I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I heard this song. It's just raw and painful.

Drake spends the entire song venting about his frustrations with someone he isn't close with anymore. If people had trouble figuring out who Drake was talking about in his other songs, he made damn sure to make the target for his message on this song was clear as day: Nicki Minaj. "All of my "let's just be friends" are friends I don't have anymore/How do you not check on me when things go wrong." Drake is taking shots at Nicki, bitterly commenting on how Nicki has put him in the friend zone. She's restricted them to "just" being friends, but in his time of need she isn't even there to support him. In his first verse Drake raps: "Always saw you for what you could've been/Ever since you met me." In one of his previous songs, Madonna, Drake raps "you could be big as Madonna, just get in the car and then let’s touch the road." This is a pattern for how Drake speaks on Nicki; he sees potential in her, massive potential. Not just for herself as an artist, but he sees massive potential in what their bond could be. How many times does he have to say he wants more from her, before he gets more from her? "And even when it's business with you it's personal again/I knew you before you made ends meet." Drake wants and has wanted to leave the friend zone so badly, but Nicki is too scared to give her all to him. But, these romantic feelings won't disappear just because Nicki wants them to. They just get pushed back until they bubble to the surface again when they work together, causing friction. In the bridge Drake sings: "And it's all because you chose a side/You're supposed to put your pride aside and ride for me." In Drake's eyes, Nicki was supposed to stick up for him even if she was dating Meek because he came first — their relationship came first no matter what.

The next verse is harsh. "You're so predictable I hate people like you/Kennedy Road taught me not to trust people like you." He didn't want to think Nicki would leave him out in the cold again, but she did. "How you supposed to figure out what I'm going through/You can't even figure out what's going on with you." Drake takes more emotionally charged shots, becoming upset at the thought that Nicki would know how to help him when she isn't even beside him anymore. She's a Chaser now. She's a party girl now. She's in love with gangsters now. Drake feels like Nicki can't speak to him, because she isn't even being true to herself right now. Next he says, "you judge me 'fore you met me yeah it figures." He is referring to the "brother" image Nicki used to give him. He was younger than her and used to be a child actor, so she saw him as just "goofy Drake". She didn't take his feelings seriously, chalking up all of his feelings to him having a crush on her.

In verse three he takes more shots at her: "You sit and you pray hoping that the stars align/My luck is a sure thing cause I'm living right/When I needed you, you couldn't give me any advice/But you always had something to say every other time." Nicki Minaj is a very spiritual person. Drake knows this and mocks her for "wishing for the best"; meanwhile success seems to fall in his lap without much effort because he lives to do right by his family. Nicki is betraying her family (Drake) by not living right (taking his side). He also mocks Nicki's more "preachy" habit, where she likes to Drake privately. Drake doesn't always ask for it, but she gives it anyways. But the one time he needs her by his side more than anything, she has no advice to give him. "Forgiveness for your ways/If I ever loved ya, I'll always love ya; that's how I was raised/Same way I'm right here still feeling the way." Ultimately, Drake wants to be able to forgive Nicki's inaction because he doesn't want to walk around resenting her. He's always loved her, and always will. Nothing will change that, but he's still pissed. He's still hurt.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #dricki #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #heartache #Keep The Family Close #Because you chose a side that wasn’t mine #Guess it wasn't time

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Fire & Desire

Fire & Desire

Drake (April 29, 2016)

This is a slow love song where Drake dedicates his devotion to a woman outside of his reach. When I first listened to Fire & Desire I was a bit taken aback because I didn't expect Drake to want to run back to Nicki so soon, but that's just the way love goes. When you're in love with someone you can't really control the intensity of your feelings. This song surprised me because at the time Views was being made, he had a fling with Serena Williams (2015) and started dating Rihanna (late 2015 - early 2016). Nicki was still on his mind while he was with someone else. Oh, what's that saying? Life is a flower of which love is honey.

"Dedicate, I dedicate the world/Yeah, oh/I dedicate, I dedicate." Brandy sings the intro, setting the mood and acknowledging the message of the song: everlasting dedication. "They throwin' dirt on my old name/Only gets worse when you know things/You don't see the perks of this whole thing/But you get real on a pill and I like it/You just like my sidekick, I just wanna ride, fulfill all your desires/Keep you in the front, never in the back and never on the side." In the beginning of the song Drake really opens up about one of his major fears during the beef with Meek and it's……Nicki. Nicki is scary because she knows a lot about Drake. She knows his biggest fears, his hopes, everything. She also has his heart. So to have her on his enemy's side only made things worse. But, even still Nicki doesn't know the effect she has on Drake nor does she see the perks of a potential arrangement between them in the way he'd like. Nicki was also still taking pills (Percocet) at the time. Through it all, Drake loves the real her. He wants to have her by his side because she's a "real ass woman" and he's tired of fighting himself over his feelings.

"Look, you know I'm a rider, nothin' left to hide/Your other nigga tired/Talk about you like you never leave his side/But I don't really buy it." You can hear the smile in Drake's voice as he raps these lines. He's feeling cocky because it's been solidified for him that his relationship with Nicki is "ride or die". Drake also doesn't believe that Nicki is as attached to Meek as she claims to be, complaining that this Omeeka (Meek + Nicki) business is tired and she needs to find a way back to him. "Me? I'm movin' quiet, all the things we're tryin'/Let's just keep it private (Don't say anything)/Tell me should I cut these other girls right out of my life?/'Cause we never decided, tell me how you feel inside." He let's it be known that he's been trying to get in contact with Nicki, but he's moving quietly to keep from pushing her away. Then Drake vaguely mentions a deal between the two of them that was never made official. I'm thinking…..a deal made in 2014. So because the deal was never official, Drake kept seeing other women. But, now he's willing to cut them off if Nicki will just let him in (which is a crazy thing to say considering he had a girlfriend, but I digress). "Yeah-yeah, I figure out you, you figure out me/We both a different breed/I'm followin' your lead, I ask you what you need/You say, "A guarantee"/I mean, you say that like it's easy." One thing I've learned from dissecting these songs is that they always come full circle. Remember Nicki's song I Lied? "Gotta protect me, you gotta sweat me/You said you thought you was ready and I said "Let's see"." Drake has been trying to convince Nicki, but she's still uneasy about it. "You never believe me/Told you I got Zs for these other girls sleepin' on 'em/Girl, I'm sleepy/Sometimes I'm so indecisive." In this last bar Drake owns up to his indecisiveness but affirms that he couldn't care less about being with these women if Nicki would just give him a chance. If there is one thing he's certain about, it's that Nicki is a real ass woman he's in love with.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #fire & desire #forever love

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Hotline Bling

Hotline Bling

Drake (July 25, 2015)

"You used to call me on my cellphone." The line of 2016.

Hotline Bling is a poppy tune that Drake spends most of his time singing. In the music video, he is wearing a long sleave sweater, jeans, and timberlands dancing in front of an everchanging blank background. It's supposed to be more of a chill, moody song. But even with Drake's most chill songs, they contain a lot of hidden information.

The intro is the same as the beginning of the chorus: "You used to call me on my cell phone/Late-night when you need my love." Now, while a lot of people take this literally (referring to sex) this line can also be taken another way. I believe that this song is about Nicki because there are a lot of easter eggs surrounding this song that point coincidentally in her direction. Nicki needing Drake's love could simply mean her getting his time, attention, and affection whenever she chooses to seek it. Important thing to remember, Nicki stopped calling Drake her brother in 2014. I don't know explicitly what happened between them, but they grew very close together and the flirtation happened both ways. Before it was mainly Drake reaching out to Nicki, but in 2014 Nicki did some pushing also – flirting with him to her heart's content. Their first sexual experience could have happened in 2014 also (which would also further explain the intensity of Drake's disappointment towards her in 2015 - 2016). Hell, even Drake's own parents jokingly call Nicki their daughter-in-law. Remember, if Nicki was "just" Drake's ex labelmate he wouldn't act the way he does about her. Did you see him losing his mind trying to figure out if Shannell (female rapper from Young Money) was on his side during this time? No.

"Ever since I left the city, you/Got a reputation for yourself now/Everybody knows and I feel left out/Girl, you got me down, you got me stressed out." When Drake "left the city" late 2014 for work, Nicki had the opportunity to grow closer to Meek, growing more reliant on him in Drake's absence. With Meek, Nicki did club appearances like crazy and started smoking a lot when she hardly did before. She would wear revealing outfits, and party with girls that didn't resemble her old friend group. Just partying and getting wasted until the next award show appearance. "Ever since I left the city, you, you, you/You and me, we just don't get along/You make me feel like I did you wrong/Goin' places where you don't belong." Nicki is hanging out with the Dream chasers (Meek's crew) spending a ton of time in Philadelphia, in his hood with his friends, riding motorcycles, etc. At this point, Drake feels like he's looking at a completely different woman. He can't get in touch with her, but she's partying with her phone in her hand which means she sees his texts (if she hasn't blocked his number). After the chorus repeats, Drake pours his emotions into the bridge: "These days, all I do is/Wonder if you're bendin' over backwards for someone else." Drake is allowing his true fears to be shown. He's afraid that Nicki is trying to replace him with Meek by doing all of the things they used to do together. "You don't need nobody else, no/Why you never alone?/Why you always touchin' road?/Used to always stay at home/Be a good girl, you was in the zone." In contrast to Diamonds Dancing, Drake allows his concerns to take over. Her never being alone keeps him from connecting with her the way he wants. He is reminiscing about the old Nicki. The Nicki that cared more about personal connections instead of being a "people pleaser" at her own detriment.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #hotline bling #call me on my cellphone #wearing less #going out more

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Diamonds Dancing

Diamonds Dancing

Drake & Future (September 20, 2015)

Diamonds Dancing is a trap/rap club song produced by Metro Boomin that was released alongside Drake and Future's collaboration mixtape called What a Time to be Alive. In the beginning you have Future talking about how invincible he feels at this stage in his life where he feels like he can "conquer anything and everything". In the pre-chorus Drake and Future narrate their time in the club: "Sippin' on Dom Pérignon for no reason/Poppin' tags, upper echelon for no reason." They are rich men living the good life, willing to let any random hot woman of their choice drive their foreign cars for fun. They are "ballin' in the middle of the club, no jersey" and drinking Ace of Spades (Armand de Brignac) by the cup; just partying the night away with no worries.

"And you know what I need/From you when I get home (Yeah)/You better not be on the phone/Talkin' up a storm like you usually do." These lines are fascinating because once again Drake is fantasizing about being a man with a woman to go home to. Drake is subconsciously walking back his I'm-not-ready-for-marriage talk on Jungle. But why though? These lines can also been seen in a figurative sense. I 100% believe that this song is about Nicki (due to Drake's emotional outro), without a doubt in my mind. Saying that.....when Drake talks about going "home" he talking about going back to their roots. And Nicki better not be on the phone "talking up a storm" (arguing with him) like she usually does (or in this case "did" since they weren't talking at this time). His verse slides into the next chorus where Drake and Future repeat the same thing. After the chorus Future raps his verse, we get the chorus again, and then Drake's outro.

"You doing me dirty/You know (Yeah, dirty, dirty)/How we let it get like this, I don't know (Yeah)/But that nigga can't save your soul (Nah)." This part functions as the comedown after a night high on life. Drake is exiting his fantasies and coming back to reality, and the reality is.....Nicki isn't speaking to him because she's with Meek and wants desperately to be seen as the neutral party in the midst of Meek and Drake's escalating beef. They aren't fighting over her.....but they're "fighting over her". Who does Nicki love more? Who does Nicki trust more? Drake feels betrayed by Nicki's silence. "Haven't even heard from you (Yeah)/How can you live with yourself?" He's disgusted that she'd cut him off again, allowing their relationship to fall in limbo once again. "Ungrateful (Hmm)/Your mom'd be ashamed of you/I haven't even heard from you, not a single word from you." Drake feels like he's given her so much of his time and energy only to be shafted by some rapper she "fell in love with" four months ago.

They are back at square one because of Nicki, and now he can't even enjoy his night partying because he's thinking of Nicki. "I'm too good for you, too good for you (Yeah)/You should go back to him, perfect match for you, unstable (Hah)/Doing me dirty (Dirty, dirty)." He taunts Nicki here, daring her to go back to Safaree. The "too good" part is Drake theorizing, "of course she doesn't want to be with me, she only likes shitty guys." It's like he wants to say "fuck you" so badly, but can't bring himself to say it. "You're making me nervous/I haven't even heard from you/You look drained, you look exhausted." Then just as quickly as that anger comes out, it gets replaced with anxiousness. His love for her makes him nervous but...he doesn't want to look too concerned. "Girl, them late nights ain't good for you/Really starting to show on you/Don't hit me up when it's good for you/Ungrateful." When Nicki was with Meek she partied a lot. But even during her strongest moments, her relationship was wearing on her physically and mentally. Drake tells her not to "hit him up". Not because he won't answer, but because he knows that she won't call him anyway.

It's a you-showed-your-true-colors moment and he wants her to hurt as bad as he's hurting in that moment. But what Drake didn't know (at that time) is that Meek was a lot more controlling in their relationship, and everything wasn't as it seemed. I bet Nicki wanted to reach out, but Meek was getting clowned by the entire world after Drake's diss song Back to Back. Memes were flying everywhere talking about how Nicki "wore the pants" and how Nicki gave him an allowance every month. Remember "is that a world tour or your girl's tour?" With an ego as big and fragile as Meek's, communication between Drake and Nicki could have put Nicki in a dangerous position.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #diamonds dancing #ungrateful #party all night #the come down #heartbreak

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Right Hand

Right Hand

Drake (July 27,2015)

On July 21, 2015 Meek Mill claimed in a tweet that Drake didn't write his own raps, sending shockwaves throughout the hip-hop community. This tweet not only launched the biggest rap beef of the 2010's but made a huge fracture in Drake and Nicki's relationship. Nicki Minaj at the time, was dating Meek Mill. Right Hand was released six days after that tweet.

While some people may have different thoughts on who Drake's "right hand" is I like it is obviously about Nicki. This song lines up a little bit too perfectly with everything that was going on during that time. "You my right hand, you my go to/Told me everything about you, that's a bold move/I know that you're out here/And there's things you gotta go through/Just know that these streets just don't love you like I do/Yeah, and they never will." This line is about a woman who has been there for him for a long time and a woman he views as his "right hand man". But he makes it clear: the streets will never love her like he does. I believe that this line could refer to multiple things, but in this case I think that Drake is talking about rougher "street" dudes. Men that abide by street code; essentially bad boys. I think that he's trying to tell Nicki that chasing after bad boys won't bring anything but hurt because they'll never appreciate her like he does.

"But I swear you gotta chill/You wanna grip a Benz wheel." Refers to Nicki constantly being on the move, riding in her Mercedes, just working. "You got a lot on your plate/That's why you're always working out/Taking pictures of yourself." Nicki worked out a lot in 2014 and took a lot of photos of herself for Instagram. Nicki took so many selfies in fact, that she was considered one of the first IG baddies. "You don't see anybody else/And you're like, "Oh well"/You're like, "Fuck it, oh well"/My past behind me like a ponytail." The "past" could reference everything Nicki felt like was holding her back. She's looking in the rearview mirror without a fuck to give saying "thank God that's over" (i.e. her ex).

"You and all your girlfriends/The ones you never bring around me/'Cause you don't trust me like your last man." Drake here is teasing Nicki, mentioning the friends she seems to hide from him (as if she doesn't trust him). "Did he open doors for ya?/Buy the things you can't afford for ya?." Drake here puts himself on a pedestal, daring Nicki to tell him if any man has ever catered to her like he has. But he's being sarcastic because he already knows the answer to that question. "You told me 'bout the picture, now you have to send it/I would never put you on blast when I get it." This line refers to the pictures Nicki sends Drake through text. In 2014, Drake posted a few...suggestive photos of Nicki on his IG (the ones I put for the Recognize analysis).

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #right hand #my go to #these streets will never love you like I do

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Drama

Drama

Roy Woods ft. Drake (July 11, 2015)

Premiered on the first episode of Drake's OVO Sound Radio, Drama is a r&b hip-hop song that talks about lost girls from the perspective of Roy Woods and Drake. Roy Woods begins with the chorus singing: "No need to pretend, she got a little bit of drama with her friends/She got a little bit of drama with her friends." This is about a woman who seemingly can't sit still and always has something "going on" in her life which leads her to have drama with her friends. In the first verse Roy talks about a young girl who uses the party life to distract from her everyday responsibilities. Insinuating that she's getting drunk in clubs, when she should be worried about her relationship with her parents and studying. "House party ting turn up with your mans/Arguments all day with your 'rents/Just to go out, gotta fight for this shit."

After the chorus and refrain Drake starts his verse rapping: "Every lost girl I know is over 26/Every lost girl I know is just too afraid to admit it." 26 is such a specific age for Drake to pick. Maybe Drake just picked this number because it would rhyme with his next line, but coincidentally he also met Nicki when she was 26 (in 2008). "You give your body to me, I'll body that like a savage/Give and take, you give it to 'em/They take that shit for granted, yeah." In the following lines it's a bit clearer, but in this part of his verse Drake is referring to Nicki's relationship with Safaree and how he took Nicki for granted. "Different than it was before/People 'round you want it more/BFF, oh yeah, for sure." Drake is talking about all of the "new" people around Nicki and not being able to recognize anyone she usually hangs out with; insinuating that the people around her aren't really her friends.

"Take your last relationship/Look how good you treated him/You could birth like four of him/Girl, you never needed him." One big theme that seems to stick with Nicki throughout multiple relationships is that she has a penchant for doing "the most", for the men she dates who least deserve it. Safaree being one of those men. They dated for around 12 years and didn't end on good terms. He got exposed for cheating on Nicki, using her black card for strippers, letting other women drive his Ferrari (the one Nicki bought him), claimed he wrote her rhymes, there was emotional & physical abuse, etc. Their relationship was highly toxic.....to say the least.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #drama #safaree samuels #toxicity #lost girl #roy woods

[seeabout-afterdark09]

My Side

My Side

Drake (April 21, 2015)

In this slow rap song Drake reminisces on easier times with the woman he wants to get in contact with the most. The intro of the song details Drake talking about how there's just "too much". Too much time, too much work, too many responsibilities, etc. But even with "too much" on his plate, he wants to take this woman "down there." Drake is speaking to Nicki at the beginning of the first chorus where he raps: "Why you never come to where I stay?/Always hiding out in your New York condo." At this period in time Nicki would bounce around a lot between her estate in California and her place in New York (she moved back to NY sometime in 2014). In this line, Drake is speaking literally and metaphorically. Nicki is always in NY, and never visits him in Canada. But Drake is also the one doing a lot of the "pushing" while Nicki seems to be "pulling" away from him and he doesn't know why.

"Why are we wasting our relationship on a relationship?" This is the biggest jaw dropping line from this song. Let's clear up one thing first: Drake values Nicki's friendship. But even though he values it very much, you can start to hear tiny hints of agitation from Drake during this part of the song because he feels like Nicki uses their friendship as a wall to keep them from connecting even further. He feels like they are wasting their time being "just friends" when they could be more."

"Why are we focused on things/That don't even mean nothing, girl?/Why can we not find the time/And sit down and discuss it, girl/Let me at least tell you my side of things, man." Drake raps in pain, frustrated that him and Nicki seem to keep falling into the cycle of arguing about things that don't matter, when they could be talking about the state of their relationship. Drake wants to spend time with Nicki without worrying if she'll "blow up" on him, which inevitably leads to them fighting and Drake not being able to tell her how he feels. Then he raps: "Me and you are playing house/Start thinking that I'm losing touch/Got a tight grip on you now/Maybe I should loosen up." The playing house part refers directly to a time when Nicki and Drake would candidly talk about what their kids would look like if they were married. Also, Nicki got fake married to Drake in the Moment 4 Life music video. Drake's "tight grip" is about how he tries to keep Nicki as close to himself as possible, but he worries that by being too close to her, he might also be running her away. "If I'm working then I know you working/Keep in touch with other women/'Cause you make me nervous." Drake hooks up with other women to distract himself from Nicki because he's a little scared of Nicki's independence. She works just as hard as he does, and one of Drake's favorite ways to de-stress is with sex. So when Nicki is working, he can't help but wonder, "who are you sleeping with?" Then he comes home and "gets lost in the 6 (his hometown)".

At the end of the second chorus Drake tries to appeal to Nicki's nostalgic side singing: "You go up higher than me some days/You know what I think we could be some day." By this point, Nicki had already started experimenting with pills (Percocet), and smoking weed (marihuana). Drake is worried about this because he doesn't want her to lose herself trying to forget her ex. Even still, he wants her to remember that he still has faith in their future.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #my side #bonus track #why are we wasting our relationship on a relationship #love #find time

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Jungle

Jungle

Drake (February 13, 2015)

"I'm just like a baby drooling over you".

I guess we know why Drake calls Nicki mami/mama. Lol.

Jungle is a slow hip-hop song that details Drake's internal turmoil as he contemplates his place in a certain woman's life. Despite growing older, he desires to be held by this woman and comforted by her. Gabriel Garzón Montano sings the chorus. "These days, I'm lettin' God handle all things above me/The things I can't change are the reason you love me/Listen, you can hear them callin' my name/I'm all over the place, I can't sit in one place." Nicki has always loved Drake for who he is, flaws and all. It seems as if Nicki has tried to lecture Drake about being too mobile, and Drake refutes that "he's all over the place." Literally, because he's a musician that tours a lot, and because he has a hard time staying in committed relationships. "Still findin' myself, let alone a soulmate, I'm just sayin'/Feel like we one and the same, our relationship changed/That, or it never existed." Drake is trying to explain himself, saying that he's not ready to settle down yet. But the contradictions are clear. He wants her but isn't completely ready to commit; for Nicki this is confusing and frustrating. "But fuck what they talkin' about on your timeline/That's cuttin' all into my time with you." Drake is referring to Nicki's habit for using on social media, while simultaneously not giving him the same undivided attention. He wants her attention and focus, but Nicki feels like she's being pulled in a bunch of different directions by him. He isn't ready to settle down, but he wants to be with a woman who wants to settle down; that invites a lot of friction.

"She said, "You're my everything"/"I love you through everything". This level of unyielding love is on brand for Nicki. "She forgave me for everything/This a "forever" thing/Hate that I treat it like it's a "whatever" thing/Trust me, girl, this shit is everything to me." Drake is talking about the fights he's had with Nicki over the years. But their relationship means everything to him. But even if Nicki and him don't see eye to eye, giving up on their relationship isn't an option. In the words of Drake, Dricki is a "forever thing." When Drake says "she's from the jungle", the jungle symbolizes a tough place. As in, this woman (Nicki) is hard because she was brought up in a rough area (the jungle).

"This shit is everything to me/This shit is everything/Don't know where we stand/I used to hit you 'bout everything." Drake and Nicki were tied to the hip when they were apart of Young Money, but since becoming solidified individuals they've taken their own paths to success in the industry. Drake feels hurt because he feels like Nicki isn't listening to him like she used to. "Are we still good? Are we still good?" Drake asks during the bridge. "If I need to talk, are you around?/Are you down for the cause?/Are you down?." If it isn't already obvious – "the cause" refers to their relationship.

In verse three Drakes talks about his experiences with other women and relates his indecisiveness to college students switching majors. "Call your number and it's out of service/Who can I call for your information?/What am I supposed to do after we done everything that we done?/Who is your replacement?." Drake is asking caustically, demanding Nicki to tell him how he's supposed to move on from her if he can't move on from her. In 2015, Drake and Nicki had known each other for seven years. Both Drake and Nicki place a massive amount of value on....time. Their history is more valuable than any random hookup Drake has, and more durable than any random Joe Nicki thinks is good enough to hold her bags. Drake wrote jungle to let Nicki know that they were in too deep to try and undo anything that had happened before. They're bonded to each other for life because replacements for the other simply don't exist.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #onika tanya maraj #nicki minaj #dricki #Jungle #Who is your replacement?

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Madonna

Madonna

Drake (February 2, 2015)

This melodic hip-hop track has Drake talking in circles, seemingly either drunk or high (maybe both) trying to convince a certain woman to try and talk to him. Despite heating up all 2014, Drake and Nicki's relationship fractured once again by the time 2015 rolled around. Can you guess why? Around the end of 2014 (December) there were rumors of Nicki Minaj hooking up with rapper Meek Mill. Sometime in January 2015, Nicki confirmed that they were dating. This means that Nicki and Drake's relationship was effectively put on ice. Because even though Meek respected Drake as a friend, he really did not like the rumors that had been swirling around Nicki and Drake's relationship.

It probably also didn't help that Drake went on the Drake vs. Lil Wayne tour in August and changed his lyric in the song Versace (for one of the shows) from wanting to get Halle Berry pregnant.....to wanting to get Nicki pregnant.

"What if I pick you up from your house?/We should get out, we haven't talked in a while/We should roll to see where it goes." Drake is speaking to Nicki, wondering what it will take for her to communicate with him steadily. He raps: "I saw potential in you from the go, you know that I did/I don't know if you know, but I know who you are." This is clearly drunk Drake talking but he's frustrated and wants her to know that he's always wanted more from her. When he says "I know who you are", he's talking literally and figuratively as if to say "I know you inside and out". Even when Nicki is hiding from him, she can't hide from him. "Pull up, I'm pullin' up on you in ten/Already on ten/Big as Madonna, I'll say it again (Six-six-six!)/Soon as you get in." During this part of the song the listener can already figure out Drake's true intentions; he's doing that thing where someone will call their ex at odds hours in the morning, venting, and mumbling incoherently. He's frustrated, confused, and horny. He doesn't care how, but he feels like he needs Nicki in his car (even if it's just to drive around).

"Plan this shit out on my own, the way it should go/Wrote it in code then wrote it in stone/So they'll never know/But I might tell you one day you never know." He's playfully admitting that he's planning for ways to be with Nicki, leaving her little breadcrumbs (easter eggs) in his music (the things he writes in code). He might tell her which songs are about her, or he may not. "We'll see how I feel/We'll see if you hold up your end of the deal/For now let me handle the wheel." Drake is now trying to test Nicki. If they've made commitments to see each other, be there for each other, will she hold up her end of the deal? But then he says "let me handle the wheel", essentially telling Nicki not to stress and just relax while he steers their relationship in the way he wants it to go.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #madonna #drunk singing #high off love #let me steer

[seeabout-afterdark09]

Recognize

Recognize

PARTYNEXTDOOR ft. Drake (July 7, 2014)

This trap soul record is a vibey collaboration between PartyNextDoor (PnD) and Drake where they sing about wanting a woman, even if she has another man. In the chorus PnD sings: "I want you, I want you/To turn up on me every night when I see you/Better recognize when I see you." He doesn't care if the girl is with her man or with another man. If he sees her, he wants her to acknowledge him and move his way no matter what. "I ain’t trippin' off of any of your niggas/Cause I don't care about your nigga, four niggas/Five niggas, six niggas, I ain’t give a shit about shit, nigga/Girl I see you." He repeats this a few times, and then Drake's verse starts from Top Cat's interlude as PnD sings the pre-chorus again.

Drake starts off his verse shouting out PnD and then begins rapping about a woman he's desperate to see again. Though this song was released in July of 2014, it was actually recorded a few months prior to its release. Notably, a month before the release of this song Nicki Minaj and Drake performed with each other for the first time in a while at Hot 97's Summer Jam, where things went from professional to flirty almost instantly. He picks her up onstage in front of everyone (unplanned) and Nicki jokingly calls him her "baby father". The most scandalous thing about that night however was that Drake was actually in a bit of an on and off relationship/situationship with Rihanna at the time......and she just so happened to be backstage watching it as it happened (yikes). But let's be real, Drake has never been one to let another woman (or a relationship) keep him from Nicki – which is the premise of this song. Drake continues to rap: "I owe you time/Let's plan somethin' out when I come back from Europe/Swear I'm withholdin' my urges/'Til you get this one-on-one shit like your name Katie Couric/I gotta get you those snow tires for your Mercedes/I'm glad you reminded me, baby." Drake is telling Nicki that he misses her and eventhough he's busy doing work in Europe, he plans to make plans to be around her as soon as he lands back in the U.S. and then he mentions her Mercedes. Anyone that knows Nicki knows that her favorite car brand is Mercedes, and Drake buying tires for her car sounds pretty on brand for their relationship.

Something to note; Drake loves buying Nicki stuff.

"Yeah, I guess a nigga just believe in you and that's proof for you/Could name a lot of things any other man won't do for you/I'll do it for you, that's real." Relationship aside, Drake just loves Nicki and he wants to see the best in her. Nicki can try to deny it, but Drake knows just as much as she knows that there isn't a man in the world that would go the distance Drake has for her. Drake just loves her unconditionally.

#aubrey drake graham #drake #nicki minaj #onika tanya maraj #dricki #recognize #partynextdoor #pnd #summer jam #2014 #he picked her up #recognize me #love