Rick Ross softens stance on Drake

Rick Ross is backing away from full-time Drake hostility — at least in public. On May 9, while talking through his recent French Montana Verzuz appearance, Ross said he doesn’t want to see Drake lose and added, “my n***a, shine.” That stands out because the mood had looked colder just days earlier. Ross had said he planned to skip or blunt Drake’s presence during the Verzuz set, even on songs they made together. ### What actually changed? The new part is not that Ross and Drake are suddenly friends again. It’s narrower than that. (complex.com) Ross basically shifted from active trolling to something closer to detente — saying he can keep distance without rooting for Drake’s downfall. That is a meaningful tonal change because Ross spent the last two years treating Drake less like an old collaborator and more like a target. (complex.com) ### Why did people notice this so fast? Because Ross said it in the middle of a very visible promo cycle. Drake’s next album, *Iceman*, already has a release date — May 15, 2026 — after that Toronto ice-block stunt where fans uncovered the date from a hidden folder. So any signal from former allies or current rivals now gets read as part of the rollout weather. (complex.com) ### Was Ross already softening before this? Kind of — yes. This did not come out of nowhere. In 2025, Ross said the feud was not especially deep and left the door open to squashing it. Then in April 2026, he was still hedging, saying Drake had issues to address. So the May 9 comment looks less like a U-turn and more like the latest step in a slow de-escalation that keeps stalling and restarting. (billboard.com) ### Why are OVO people clowning him? Because from their side, Ross spent too long throwing shots to pivot cleanly now. HotNewHipHop noted that people around Drake mocked the peace talk almost immediately, framing Ross as someone trying to switch energies once Drake’s album is close. In rap-beef logic, timing is everything — and a peace gesture right before a major release can look strategic even if it is sincere. (hiphopdx.com) ### How bad was this feud, really? Bad enough to wreck what used to be one of rap’s most reliable linkups. Drake and Ross built a long run of collaborations, and by 2024 that history had flipped into diss-track tension during the wider anti-Drake wave around the Kendrick Lamar fight. That is why even a small line like “shine” carries weight — it lands against years of shared records and then a very public split. (hotnewhiphop.com) ### Does this mean they’re making music again? Not from what’s public right now. Ross did not announce a reconciliation, a call, or a new song. He just stopped short of wishing failure on Drake. That is a lower bar than reunion talk, but it still matters because rap feuds often cool in stages — first the jokes stop, then the disses stop, then maybe business resumes. Here, only stage one seems visible. (billboard.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? This is mostly a climate change story. Ross has not buried the feud, but he has softened the posture at the exact moment Drake is heading into an album week. In hip-hop, that kind of timing becomes part of the music before the music even drops. (complex.com)