If you tuned into MTV's Video Music Awards on Sunday night, you probably heard Drake profess his love for Rihanna.
"She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old," he said.
So they're together, right? Unclear! The relationship status
between the two pop powerhouses has remained a bit of a mystery for
years. They have appeared on each other's albums, they have crazy
intense chemistry on-screen, and they've remained coy about the nature
of their love. Perhaps Drake and Rihanna's relationship defies any kind
of label, but it's enigmatic enough to keep the public guessing for a
long time.
Here's a rundown:
When they met
"The first time I met Robyn
Fenty, it was 2005. She was shooting a music video at a Restaurant
called Avocado in Toronto. The song was 'Pon de Replay' and the director
of the video was Little X," Drake said at the VMAs on Sunday night, as
he presented an award to the Barbados superstar. "I was introduced to
her as a kid who played background music at the restaurant as people ate
their dinner. It's hard to believe that 11 years later all three of us
would come together to create the visual for a song called 'Work.'"
Little
X, now known as Director X, told Complex that Drake wasn't in "Pon de
Replay" but that the rapper "grew up in Toronto and knew all those kids"
who appeared as dancers in the video.
When did they first really meet
In 2009, Chris Brown
was charged for assaulting Rihanna, his then-girlfriend. Media
attention on the singer's love life and her relationship status
intensified, and it was about this time that Rihanna was reportedly
spotted at Lucky Strike in Manhattan with Drake.
Here's an excerpt
from the Page Six item that first fueled speculation about a budding
romance between Drake and Rihanna: "'She was drinking whiskey and apple
juice and making out with him all night,' says a spy. 'They were really
cute together.' Rihanna, who's also been spending time in town with Katy Perry, peeled off with Drake at about midnight."
Drake's "Fireworks"
The
Toronto rapper's debut album dropped in June 2010, but a couple of
songs had leaked on the Internet weeks before. "Fireworks" was among
them, and the song addresses his rendezvous with Rihanna and rumors that
she felt he had used her for publicity.
Drake says he was a pawn … and then not?
In
2009, Rihanna asked Drake to write her a song, which was never
released, but the two began seeing each other regularly, according to
the New York Times.
"I was a pawn," Drake told the Times in 2010
upon his debut album release. "You know what she was doing to me? She
was doing exactly what I've done to so many women throughout my life,
which is show them quality time, then disappear. ... I was like, wow,
this feels terrible."
Weeks later, Drake tried to clarify what he had said, telling MTV News that "in no way was it negative."
"She's
just such an overwhelming and incredible person," Drake said of
Rihanna. "And such a talented person and someone that I was like, 'I
can't believe I'm here talking to this individual,' that she just gave
me that feeling like when I was 17 years old trying to take Nikki Ramos,
this girl from Toronto, out on a date and she never wanted to go with
me. She never would go; she would have a million excuses why she
couldn't talk to me. That's how (Rihanna) made me feel, she made me feel
small; she made me feel nervous."
They continued working with each other
Rihanna
and Drake collaborated on many projects over the years, and many of
those songs played at the possibility or love or something between them.
That includes Rihanna's 2010 "What's My Name."
Of the second
portion of the video for "Work," Swedish director Tim Erem told
Entertainment Weekly that Drake and Rihanna "are just two friends that
are really close to each other. Just put them in front of the camera and
that's what they do. You start recording and the whole chemistry just
changed. Everyone's asking, are they together or they this or are they
that? No, they're friends. They're just amazing performers and they're
really close to each other. So everything was natural."
This year, Rihanna is very single and very busy
During
a February appearance on the "The Ellen Degeneres Show," Rihanna was
asked about her love life and Drake's involvement with it.
"I'm
single right now," the singer told Degeneres, "and it's not that I'm
like, 'Oh, pro-single, yes, I hate men!' I just think I have so much on
my plate that I can't even find the time to entertain a steady
relationship or anything serious. Or even a text."
Drake takes out a billboard for Rihanna
Days
before Rihanna would receive the Video Vanguard award Sunday, she
posted a photo to her Instagram, showing a billboard that Drake had
apparently bought out for her.
"Congratulations to Rihanna, from Drake and Everyone at Ovo," it read.
Rihanna's caption: "When he extra!!" with a trophy and heart emoji.
So
buying out billboard space: Is that friend-zone behavior? Relationship
behavior? Unreciprocated crush behavior? Let the intrigue continue.
The VMAs
Drake
presented Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award on Sunday, showing up
in a tuxedo after he was absent to receive his own award. Here is some
of what he said:
"Captivating from Day 1, the iconic being that is
Rihanna was already at a place where most artists only dream of going.
For them, that's often the peak, but for her, that was the starting
point, and she has kept ascending to an untouchable level ever since.
When it comes to music, she relentlessly takes over the charts with
every release. When it comes to performance, they swarm in masses just
to be in her presence … obviously …
"… This woman has surpassed
all competition while still being the same girl from Barbados,
surrounded by the same friends, speaking with the same accent, and never
missing a Crop Over unless it's to come perform at the OVO fest.
"We love the music, which can change styles from out in the album.
We love the videos, which change their artistic vision from year to
year, but most of all, we love the woman who hasn't changed since day
one.
"… She's one of my best friends in the world. All my adult
life I've looked up to her even though she's younger than me. She's a
living, breathing legend in our industry."
Then, Drake handed Rihanna her award and went in for a kiss. It
looked like she leaned back, and he planted his lips right on her cheek.
It was awkward.
It wasn't until the end of her acceptance speech that Rihanna remarked, "Thank you, Drake, for that amazing speech."
The
VMAs had ended, the after parties had begun, and in the early morning
hours, Drake posted a very couple-looking photo on his Instagram. Let
the speculation continue.
