The on and off again relationship between Kanye West and Drake is perhaps the most important relationship in modern hip hop. It is certainly at least one of the most essential relationships in hip hop history. Beyond just supplying the world to a cavalcade of memorable songs between the two, their relationship has catered to a number of groundbreaking and unforgettable moments in music history. Both men are integral to each other's careers to the point that it is hard to imagine one without the other, or rather how one would be as successful without the other's existence.
The two have been professional partners and confiding friends for as long as they have been enemies. Their link to each other has given birth to a competitive rivalry of sorts that, more often than not, got a little personal and went too far. Here are some ups, downs, highs, and lows from their relationship as documented in photos.
15 High: First Meeting
Before his own debut studio album released, Drake met his long time idol Kanye West on one fateful evening in Hawaii in 2009, so the rapper told MTV News. Drake often admits to being influenced by West and his music, so this was a dream come true. Although they met briefly, they pontificated their desires to make music together, so they produced "Digital Girl" and "Forever" together later that year.
Related: 10 Celebs Kanye West Actually Likes (And 10 He Could Do Without)
14 High: When Ye Directed Drake's Music Video
Their series of collaborations did not begin or end with stepping in the booth together. Their first true blue collab did not even have Kanye on the vocals. Instead, Kanye directed a music video for "Best I Ever Had," a smash hit from Drake's mixtape, So Far Gone, which helped put him on the map.
13 High: Ye Producing Drake's First Mega Hit
Kanye West's efforts to make Drake a new star continued - albeit unintentionally - as West wrote and produced Drake's biggest hit song to date at the time: "Find Your Love." West originally made the beat for Rihanna, but Drake used his connections with his mentor, No I.D., to convince West to give him the song instead. It worked out.
12 Low: Kanye Cuts Drake From His Own Song
For everything Kanye did for Drake behind the scenes, it's almost surprising to think their next collab - "All of the Lights," which also featured Kid Cudi and Rihanna - did not quite work out. After the track leaked prior to its November 2010 release, West re-released the song with Drake's verse removed from the official version. We don't think Drake ever got over it.
11 Low: Drake Shades Kanye And Jay-Z
Months before Kanye West and Jay-Z released their much anticipated collab album, Watch the Throne, Drake threw some shade in an interview with Tim Westwood where he said, “I heard two other guys are coming out with an album, too…I don’t know where they got that idea from.” He continued to throw shade on the song "I'm On One," where he alluded to "taking" a throne.
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10 High: They Squash Beef At OVO Fest ... For Now
The Tim Westwood interview alluded to beef between Kanye West and Drake and as it turns out, there was, albeit minor beef. Drake later admitted in an interview with Billboard in 2013 that him and Ye hadn't spoken in close to two years, but were able to repair their relationship with Drake let Ye be a surprise performer at OVO Fest 2013.
9 Low: Beef Picks Up When Drake Drops "Summer Sixteen"
Though the beef itself simmered, there was still a petty competitive rivalry. In 2016, Drake dropped "Summer Sixteen," where he bragged about having a bigger pool than Kanye. "And look, man, Ye's pool is nice, mine is just bigger is what I'm saying," he elaborated. To which Ye himself retorted "I have two pools" in an interview with Big Boy's Neighborhood radio show.
8 High: Drake Writes Songs For Kanye's Life Of Pablo
Seems this rivalry didn't escalate any further than petty jabs and thankfully, no feelings were hurt enough to sever their professional relationship. Hence why Drake managed to chip in behind the scenes for Kanye (the tables turning from years prior) to write three songs on Ye's Life of Pablo album.
7 Low: Kanye Disses Drake Onstage
In one of the most bizarre moments from Kanye West's career, he stopped his November 19th, 2016 Sacramento show mid-concert to rant about DJ Khaled and Drake orchestrating to get their "For Free" record played over and over on the radio. He also begged Jay-Z and Mark Zuckerberg to call him in the same vain.
6 High: They Drop "Glow," First Duo Song
While the Sacramento incident may have put a strain in the Drake/Kanye relationship, it was not a permanent one as a year later, they released "Glow" for Drake's More Life album. This marked the first and - so far at least - the only time that Drake and Kanye performed as a duo together on a song with no one else on the record.
Related: Drake's Love Life: 15 Rumors He Wishes Would Quietly Disappear
5 High: Drake Helps Kanye Write Ye Album
Their relationship remained friendly bleeding into the year 2018 when Drake was one of many artists who flew all the way down to Kanye's studio in Wyoming to record his then-latest somewhat self-titled album: Ye. Not only did he write the song "Yikes" for the album, but recorded a verse that never made the final cut.
4 Low: Kanye Helps Pusha T Diss Drake
When Drake left Wyoming, Pusha T flew in so Kanye could produce in the same studio his Daytona album, where Pusha T dissed Drake on the record "Infrared." While Drake and Pusha T's back and forth disses have become the stuff of legends, Drake makes it clear in these songs he feels more betrayed that his friend, Kanye, produced diss records directed at him.
3 High: Kanye Extends Olive Branch
As Drake and Pusha T continued their beef, hip hop mogul J. Prince revealed to Ebro in the Morning that Kanye called him personally to squash the beef between them. Kanye then tweeted on June 3rd that “I’ve never been about beef. I’m about love. [L]ines were crossed and it’s not good for anyone so this is dead now.” This was his way to mend fences.
2 Low: Kanye Hears "Sicko Mode," Reneges Olive Branch
Well, Drake didn't get the peace memo. Regardless of what Kanye West said, Drake later released "Sicko Mode," with Travis Scott where he sent several verbal jabs at Kanye West. When West finally heard the song, he was not happy about what he heard and let it be known in a now-infamous tweet rant.
1 High: Kanye Publicly Forgives Drake
While the rant was enough to make it look like the Drake/Kanye relationship was dead as a doorknob, but Ye has since apologized to Drake publicly. In fact, he was compelled to do so because of his religion. “You cannot be in service to God and be mad at your brother next door,” he told Zane Lowe in a late 2019 interview. While Drake has yet to publicly accept the apology, Kanye left his phone number on Drake's porch in case he ever wanted to call.
Next: 15 Sweet Facts About Kanye West's Relationship With His Late Mom, Donda
