Rick Ross backpedals on Drake feud

Rick Ross changed the temperature on his Drake feud this weekend. Not all the way — but enough to make people notice. After spending months taking shots at Drake, and just days after publicly muting him during a Verzuz set with French Montana, Ross suddenly looked into the camera and said he didn’t want to see Drake lose. ### What actually happened? On the May 8 episode of Apple Music’s *Rap Life Review*, Ross sent Drake a pretty direct message: shine, keep winning, and don’t mistake rap beef for wanting somebody’s downfall. He also said real people in the culture should want to see other real people win together. That is a very different tone from the version of Ross fans have been getting lately. (vice.com) ### Why did it feel like a backpedal? Because on May 7, during the Rick Ross vs. French Montana Verzuz on Apple Music, Ross made a show of cutting Drake out of “Aston Martin Music.” He told the crowd he wanted to do the song without Drake’s vocals, then let the audience fill in the missing part. That wasn’t subtle. It turned an old collab into a live little stunt. (vice.com) ### So is the feud over? Probably not. Ross’s new line was supportive, but it was also carefully limited. He didn’t say they had spoken. He didn’t say the relationship was fixed. He basically said, I can still respect your success without pretending we’re good. That’s softer than a diss, but it’s not reconciliation. (vice.com) ### Why are people reading this as mixed signals? Because Ross has been doing exactly that for weeks. In mid-April, on GRM Daily’s *Thoughts In A Culli*, he said Drake had “a lot of issues” to address and suggested any real repair depended on Drake changing something first. He also said he would still play the music they made together because he wasn’t going to rewrite his own catalog. So the pattern is pretty clear — keep the records, keep the tension, leave the door cracked. (vice.com) ### What’s this about *Iceman*? That’s the other revealing part. Ross said he was open to hearing Drake’s upcoming project *Iceman*, which he referenced as arriving May 15, and even joked that Drake could DM him if it was fire. That matters because it frames Ross less like a guy trying to bury Drake and more like a rival who still wants a front-row seat. In rap, that’s a real distinction. (news.iheart.com) ### Why does the Verzuz moment matter so much? Because live performance choices tell you what an artist wants the crowd to feel right now. Ross could have just played the hit and moved on. Instead, he turned Drake’s absence into part of the performance. Then, almost immediately, he switched to a bigger-picture “I don’t want to see you lose” message. That contrast is why this story landed. (vice.com) ### What’s really going on here? Basically, Ross seems to be reframing the feud. Less personal destruction, more competitive distance. He can clown Drake, cut his vocals, and still say he doesn’t want the guy’s career to collapse. That’s a safer public posture too — especially after the 2024 Drake pile-on made every anti-Drake comment feel like part of a much larger campaign. (vice.com) ### Bottom line? Ross didn’t exactly wave a white flag. He just stepped back from sounding like a hater. That may be the whole move — keep the edge, drop the bitterness, and leave everyone guessing what happens next. (vice.com) (cassiuslife.com)