Drake dishes on Nicki Minaj: 'Unfortunately, we haven't spoken'

Have you had a chance to take in the Views?

Drake premiered his long-awaited new album on iTunes and Apple Music early Friday morning, but not before giving a rare interview with Beats 1 radio host Zane Lowe. When he wasn't chatting about the album, the Toronto rapper had plenty to say about some of music's biggest names:

Nicki Minaj

After last year's very public feud with Minaj's boyfriend, rapper Meek Mill, Drake admitted that he and the hip-hop queen haven't been on speaking terms.

"I don't really talk to Nicki. She's another person I have a lot of love for, a lot of respect to her and the past and what we built. I understand what love is and I understand a personal situation. She dealt with me how I would expect her to: with class. I would do the same. There were times I was sitting there, waiting to see, you know, 'How deep is your love?' I have respect for Nicki but unfortunately, we haven't spoken."

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Taylor Swift

Like any good interviewer, Lowe made sure to ask Drake what he thought about Swift singing Jumpman in her hilarious Apple Music commercial. The rapper said that he is not only a fan of the ad, but the pop star as well.

"I love Taylor, man. She's just such a sweetheart. She's so angelic to me." 

Rihanna

The Work diva appears on Views with their stellar fourth collaboration, Too Good. Drake opened up about his former flame, saying it's their undeniable chemistry that makes their songs so strong.

"It wouldn't be a record without Rihanna, would it? ... The music we make and energy between us is genuine." 

Kanye West

The icon co-produced U With Me? off Views and appeared on a previously released version of Pop Style. His appearance on the album may have surprised some fans, after Drake seemingly dissed West (more specifically: his pool) on Summer Sixteen earlier this year. Turns out, the rappers actually live closeby.

"That was really just some friendly neighbor bars. I take pride in being Kanye's neighbor. ... He has a phenomenal pool. His pool has gotta be like half a football field." 

Drake continued to show love for West, even teasing that a full-length collaboration could be on the way.

" 'Ye's one of my favorite people in the world. I love 'Ye. He's a really good guy. He's part of the reason that I'm even here right now. We have one of those friendships that you don't really have in rap. ... We were supposed to do a mixtape together, an album together. Maybe we'll get that done."

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Jay Z

Drizzy has been beefing with Jay for years, which made his brief verse on Pop Style all the more head-scratching. Drake insists that was simply because West invited Jay to hop on the song and that his own relationship with Mr. Carter is strained.

"I was just having conversations with Kanye. That just landed in my lap. I just dealt with it accordingly and it didn’t exactly play how I would have wanted it to as far as business goes. 

"I’ve expressed my admiration and respect for Jay countless times. That will never change. Sometimes we just fall on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the rap world. It’s always just mutual respect, but sometimes it has to be from afar due to other situations that don’t have anything to do with me and him."