Kanye West and Drake are undoubtedly two of the biggest acts in hip-hop history. But their relationship and beef is complicated and confusing, to say the least. The former friends, now frienemies, have seemingly been at odds for the last few years, but there have also been signs that they’ve made amends. It’s become a strange cycle. With Ye recently saying “F**k Drake” in a vitriolic Instagram caption, the question remains: Is this really beef or more along the lines of Impossible Whopper?

In the beginning it was all love. Drake was rapping over several Ye beats on projects early in his career. In 2009, Drake told MTV News that Ye was his biggest musical influence. “Kanye West shaped a lot of what I do, as far as music goes,” young Aubrey revealed. “Before I met him, I had the utmost respect for Kanye West. I’d even go as far as to say he’s the most influential person as far as a musician that I’d ever had in my life.”

They would grow closer in the coming months. Ye directed Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” video that same year, and they both appeared on Jamie Foxx’s “Digital Girl” single that summer. Ye would also appear on Drake’s single “Forever” along with Eminem and Lil Wayne, and coproduced Drake’s 2009 single “Find Your Love,” which appeared on Drizzy’s debut album, Thank Me Later, in 2010.

What Was the First Sign Kanye West and Drake Had Beef?
The first sign there were issues between the two happened in January of 2011, when Drake appeared on British DJ Tim Westwood’s radio show for an interview and seemed to take a jab at Ye and Jay-Z’s then-upcoming joint album, Watch the Throne, while talking about his own potential collab project with Lil Wayne.

“I heard some other guys are coming out with an album, too,” he said. “There’s two other rappers that are coming out with an album together. I don’t know where they got that idea.”

That December, Drake appeared to take another swipe at Kanye on DJ Khaled’s “I’m on One” on which he raps, “I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking/Watch me take it.”

Read More: Jay-Z and Kanye West Drop ‘Watch the Throne’ Album: Today in Hip-Hop
Watch Drake’s Interview With Tim Westwood

Things Between Drake and Ye Looked Good to the Public
However, things appeared to be kosher at least in the public eye. In the summer of 2013, Ye was a surprise guest at Drake’s OVO Festival. During his performance, he gave Drake props for putting pressure on himself and Hov. Drake later talked about the competition respect he has for Ye.

But it wasn’t long before the cycle of praise and shade would rear its head again. In February of 2014, Drake called out Ye for lackluster bars on the Yeezus album during an interview with Rolling Stone. Drizzy concluded by saying he loved “everything about that guy.” Ye didn’t take the negative bait and told the crowd during a concert in New Jersey, “Tonight, it ain’t none of that. We love Drake.”

The following year, Ye teased a joint album with Drake during an interview on The Breakfast Club and again performed at OVO Fest. Besides Drake boasting about having a bigger pool than Ye did on “Summer Sixteen” in 2016, there was no sign of friction. 2018, however, would be a different story.

Watch Kanye West’s Interview on The Breakfast Club

Kanye Tells Pusha T Drake Was Hiding a Son
In May of 2018, Pusha T released his Daytona album that contained the track “Infrared,” which finds Push calling out Drizzy for previous ghostwriting allegations. Drake returned fire on “Duppy Freestyle” before Pusha dropped the bombshell “The Story of Adidon,” on whixh Push revealed Drake was hiding a son. Drake later admitted he believes Ye told Pusha the secret info after confiding in Ye about the news he had a son. The dynamics of Ye and Drake’s relationship would forever change.

From there, the curious cycle of beef and making up would continue in a series of events. Drake took a shot at Ye on French Montana’s “No Stylist” in 2018. Ye denied he leaked the information about Drake having a son to Pusha T and apologized to Drake on Twitter. A few weeks later, the Chicago rapper-producer changed course and started dissing Drake on Instagram after speculation began circulating about if Drake was referencing Ye’s then wife Kim Kardashian as “KiKi” on the hit song “In My Feelings.”

The rumor that Drake slept with Kim Kardashian was growing, and Kanye wasn’t happy about it. “People making rumors or thinking you f**king my wife and you’re not saying nothing… that don’t sit well with my spirit,” Ye wrote on Instagram.

Drake would later go on LeBron James’s YouTube talk show The Shop and admit he felt betrayed by Kanye. In December of 2018, Ye shared a screenshot of a message from an alleged Drake associate asking to clear a Ye sample for “Say What’s Real.”

“This proves s**t faker than wrestling,” Ye captioned the post. He later shared that he had talked to Drake and things appeared to be settled. Not so fast. The following day, Ye announced that if anything happened to him, Drake should be the No. 1 suspect. Like we said, it’s complicated.

Read More: Drake Appears to Diss Pusha-T on New Headie One Song “Only You Freestyle”: Listen
Kanye and Drake Squash Their Beef for Larry Hoover Event
Fast-forward to 2021. J Prince Jr. convinced Drake and Ye to squash their beef to perform together for a Free Larry Hoover Benefit concert in Chicago. The duo agreed to put their differences aside and performed at a sold-out show. Drake was even seen getting emotional while watching Ye perform “Runaway.” So, all good, right? Right?!

Not so fast. The following November, Drake dropped the 21 Savage collab album Her Loss. On the track “Circo Loco,” Drizzy appeared to address how he temporarily mended his beef with Ye to perform at the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert. “Linking with the opps, b***h, I did that s**t for J. Prince/B***h, I did it for the Mob Ties,” Drake raps in reference to the Rap-A-Lot founder.

2023 featured Drake using Kim Kardashian’s voice on his “Search and Rescue” track and also calling Ye’s apologies fake on the For All the Dogs: Scary Hours Edition track “Red Button.”

Ye and Drake’s Beef Continues
Unfortunately, this repetitive revolution continues. Ye recently said “F**k Drake” in an Instagram post that was meant to celebrate Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s song “Carnival” going No. 1. In the writing, Ye dissed Adidas, Hailey Beiber and Drake. Ye blamed Drizzy for strategically taking Lil Durk on tour to allegedly spite Ye’s Vultures 1 rollout. Durk is featured on Ye’s lead single “Vultures.” Drake appeared to respond by using a hilarious 50 Cent viral video to address Ye.

While Drake and Ye’s issues aren’t of the variety that The Notorious B.I.G. spoke of on “What’s Beef,” there has definitely been plenty of static. There’s also been a lot of love, shared associates, apologies, collaborations and general good will along the way. It’s confusing to say the least. Is there beef between the two or not? Don’t count on the zany back-and-forth between Ye and Drake to stop anytime soon.

Watch the Video Drake Used to Respond to Kanye and See Ye’s Drake Diss
Drake seems to respond to Kanye West saying “F**k Drake” on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/B6tHQICftZ

— XXL Magazine (@XXL) March 13, 2024