The rapper behind ‘God’s Plan’, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, is one of the top musicians globally, holding more Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits than any other rapper and winning five Grammy Awards.
Even though his music career has been incredibly successful, it hasn’t been without controversy.
One of the issues that has raised eyebrows is his friendship with Stranger Things actress Brown, due to the significant age difference and he recently addressed the criticism.
Brown, who is now 20 years old, reportedly first met Drake, now 37, when he invited her to attend his Brisbane concert in 2017. Both of them shared pictures from their meeting on social media.
At the time, she was 14 years old, while Drake was 32.
In an interview with W Magazine, the Enola Holmes actress opened up about her unexpected friendship with the ‘One Dance’ artist.
She mentioned, “We text all the time now. He helps me with everything, just life lessons. He’s amazing. He’s a great human being.”
During his teenage years, Drake was part of the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, so it makes sense that he might have useful advice for Brown, who also entered the entertainment world at a young age.
In another interview with Access Hollywood, Brown provided more insight into her friendship with Drake, revealing that they had been texting about how much they missed each other.
The actress said (as reported by BuzzFeed), “We just texted each other the other day and he was like, ‘I miss you so much.’ I was like, ‘I miss you more!'”
When asked what other things they discuss, Brown responded: “About boys, he helps me! He’s great, he’s wonderful, I love him.”
When pushed for more details on their conversations, she added: “Y’know, that stays in the text messages.”
Later on, Brown appeared to address the criticism surrounding their friendship through statements she posted on her Instagram story, according to screenshots shared by Cosmopolitan.
She reportedly posted: “Why u gotta make a lovely friendship ur headline? U guys are weird… For real. I’m lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom and guidance.”
“I’m very blessed to have amazing people in my life. U don’t get to choose that for me. It’s nice to have people understand what I do. Now get back to talking about real problems in this world other than my friendships… jeez.”
Once news broke about their unlikely friendship, many people reacted online. One person commented: “A grown man having a text a teen mentorship program is odd no matter how you slice it.”
In contrast, someone else defended the relationship, saying: “I don’t see anything wrong here. Could be friendship, a mentor, even some siblings have that age difference.”
Another added, “Y’all make it sound creepy and weird. Nothing wrong with teenagers being friends with adults.”
In his 2023 track ‘Another Late Night,’ Drake addresses the criticism surrounding his friendship with Millie Bobby Brown.
In the song, he raps: “Weirdos in my comments talkin’ ’bout some Millie Bobby, look/Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin’.
“Or send a finger to your mama in some FedEx boxes/Open up that s***, it’s jaw droppin’, really shockin’.”
Discussions about Drake’s friendship with Brown resurfaced during his ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar.
Drake and Lamar were reportedly on good terms in 2011, but things have been tense between them since 2013, according to The Independent.
Things between the two rappers escalated even further in May 2024 when they released diss tracks within minutes of each other.
In Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Not Like Us,’ he takes several shots at Drake, making references to the rapper’s rumored interactions with younger women.
He raps: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young. You better not ever go to cell block one.”
Lamar also advises women interested in Drake to “just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him.”
While Lamar didn’t mention Millie Bobby Brown by name, Drake responded directly in his diss track ‘The Heart Part 6,’ referencing the Netflix star.
Responding to Lamar’s accusations, Drake raps: “I never been with no one underage but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with.”
Later in the song, he adds: “Only f***in’ with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns. I’d never look twice at no teenager.”
It remains unclear if Drake and Millie Bobby Brown are still friends today.
