No more hotline bling? Drake shared a cryptic Instagram post on Tuesday, October 11, the same day Us Weekly confirmed his split from Rihanna.
“Too mix up in drama to free my mind but I’m praying for you even in your darkest times,” the rapper, 29, captioned a black-and-white photo of himself.
Drake and the “Love on the Brain” singer, 28, have been dating on and off for seven years. According to a source, however, Rihanna just “doesn’t want to be held down” and that they were never officially back together.
A second insider adds: “They will always be close. If they end up together, it could happen, but not now.”
The longtime friends met in 2005 and have collaborated on such hits as “Work,” “What’s My Name?” and “Too Good.” In August, Drake confessed his love for Rihanna while presenting her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards.
“What’s most impressive isn’t the endless list of stats, awards and accomplishments. What’s most impressive is the person. Some artists need to play a character to achieve success. Some need to downplay their own natural instincts to blend in. She succeeds by doing something that no one in this music industry does, which is being herself,” he said at NYC’s Madison Square Garden at the time. “She’s someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old. 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.”
Days later, Rihanna joined Drake on stage during his Summer Sixteen tour stop in Miami. Drake recently had to cancel the rest of his dates because of an ankle injury.
“Drake suffered a severe ankle injury during the tour which he did his best to power through. By doing this, he made his injury worse. Under doctors orders and to ensure Drake only ever gives fans the performances they deserve, he will be postponing the remaining 3 dates of his Summer Sixteen tour to allow him time to recuperate his ankle injury,” his rep told Us. “Drake’s fans mean the world to him. Seeing their faces and performing his music for them is what he loves to do the most and he can’t wait to get back on stage.”
