The Advice Serena Williams Gave Drake About His Beef With Meek Mill
In the mid-2010s, rumors began swirling that superstar rapper Drake was romantically involved with tennis legend Serena Williams. The two never confirmed their relationship, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t spoken about each other in the past. In fact, Williams gave Drake a sound piece of advice in the middle of the Toronto-bred emcee’s beef with fellow rapper Meek Mill.
Drake was embroiled in a feud with Meek Mill in 2015
It all started in July 2015. Drake appeared as a featured guest on “R.I.C.O.” from Meek Mill’s album Dreams Worth More Than Money. Mill called out Drake — as well as fellow Maybach Music Group labelmate Wale — for not promoting the album. Mill then fired off accusations in since-deleted tweets that Drake uses a ghostwriter to write his raps.
Drake responded with not one, but two diss tracks: “Charged Up” and the fan-favorite “Back to Back.” Meek Mill responded with a diss track of his own. The beef eventually fizzled out, and the two seemingly squashed it in 2018 after performing on stage together.
Serena Williams gave Drake advice during the beef
At the time of the beef, Drake was close to Serena Williams, though in what exact capacity remains unknown. In a 2019 interview for Rap Radar, Drake reflected on the advice that Williams gave him at the time.
“We had been talking a lot about her and [Maria] Sharapova going back and forth over the years and she had made this comment to me,” Drake said. “‘If you’re gonna go again… you gotta finish it.’ And you know she’s a top competitor. So, she was like, ‘You gotta finish it. I’m talking about done. Over. It’s gotta be something that everyone that he’s with and him have to hear…'”
“She kind of put this battery in my back,” he added. (Coincidentally, the cover art for “Charged Up” featured a charged battery.)
Drake has mentioned her in his music
Drake has referenced Williams herself in his music before: on his 2013 single “Worst Behavior” from his album Nothing Was the Same, for example, he shouted out the iconic tennis player.
“I’m with my whole set, tennis matches at the crib / I swear I could beat Serena when she playin’ with her left,” he rapped.
Williams, for her part, considered Drake a good friend. “We’ve been friends for, like, so many years” she said at a press conference in July 2015, according to Entertainment Tonight. “Just like family.”
Drake has beefed with other rappers since then
In the years since the Meek Mill feud, Drake has feuded with other rappers in the industry. Drake has had bad blood with Kanye West for years, for instance.
Over the years, Drake has also gotten into tiffs with artists including Pusha T, Chris Brown, Common, Tyga, Tory Lanez, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Diddy.
