On Drake’s 2013 track “Tuscan Leather,” he revealed that there was tension in his relationship with Nicki Minaj. “Not even talkin’ to Nicki, communication is breakin,'” he rapped, via Genius. Minaj said she was disappointed that Drake didn’t include her or any Young Money alumni on his new album. “I’m Young Money ’til the death of me,” she said in a 2013 interview with DJ Whoo Kid, via BET. “I’m always going to want my team to be a part of my project, no matter what, in some way.” They eventually got back together, but they hit another roadblock when Drake started feuding with Minaj’s ex-boyfriend Meek.
Meek Mill began the beef, tweeting that Drake didn’t write his own raps. In a follow-up, he claimed that had he known Drake didn’t write his verse on their collab track “R.I.C.O.,” Meek Mill would have taken it off the album. Drake responded by releasing two diss tracks, “Charged Up” and “Back to Back.” In “Charged Up,” Drake implies he hooked up with Minaj, while in “Back to Back,” he claimed Meek Mill’s relationship with Minaj wouldn’t last. “Make sure you hit him with the prenup,” he rapped, “then tell that man to ease up.”
Minaj tried to stay out of the drama, telling The New York Times, “You don’t ever want to choose sides between people you love. It’s ridiculous. I just want it to be over.”