Drake confirmed that his 2016 song Too Good was inspired by Serena Williams, putting to rest years of romance speculation between the stars. The Canadian rapper surprised fans by releasing 100 gigabytes of previously unseen footage from his personal archives on Tuesday.
The dump included behind-the-scenes content from recording sessions for some of his most famous tracks. Among the clips was a revealing moment showing that his 2016 Rihanna-assisted hit Too Good was written about the tennis icon.
In the clip, Drake is in a recording studio working on Too Good when his mother Sandi Graham questions him about referencing his past relationships in songs.
‘I get heavy on a couple joints but this is more about me and Serena,’ Drake replies, to which Sandi chimes in, ‘I gathered that!’ The exchange prompted him to elaborate on the songs inspired by his love life.
When I make songs about women, I also make songs for them so I know what kind of song to make,’ he said. ‘If I’m gonna talk about them, I’ll at least do them the justice of making them a song that they like, okay?’
He tried to reassure his mom that the athlete’s feelings would be spared, saying , ‘I know Serena very well, and I know that she’ll hear it loud and clear, but she’ll also not hate me for it because it’s lighthearted.’
Sandi hilariously interrupted to remind her son, ‘she is seeing someone else,’ likely referring to Serena’s now-husband, Alexis Ohanian, who she started dating in 2015.
Drake amusingly replies, ‘I don’t know, mom.’
Drake’s album Views was released in April 2016, and later that year, he and Rihanna scored a hit with Too Good.
Released as a single from the album, the track reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September.
The song features the lyrics, ‘I’m too good to you / I’m way too good to you / You take my love for granted / I just don’t understand it.’
Drake and Serena were rumored to be romantically involved for several years, approximately from 2010 to 2015.
During this time, he was spotted at her tennis matches and even sent a flirtatious tweet in 2011: ‘@SerenaWilliams I cannot wait to put it on you and make you sweat……. during our match this weekend.’
Additionally, the five-time Grammy winner referenced her in his 2013 song Worst Behavior.
The singer was frequently spotted at her tennis matches over the years, and footage of them kissing at a Cincinnati restaurant surfaced online in August 2015.
The newly released BTS video reveals that their relationship had deteriorated before the creation of Too Good, around the same time Drake was rumored to be involved with Rihanna.
The timeline was confirmed when Williams became engaged to Reddit founder Alexis in 2016.
Following the birth of their first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in September 2017, Serena and Alexis married in November of the same year.
In August 2023, the couple celebrated the arrival of their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian.
These days, the relationship between Drake and Serena Williams is anything but amicable.
In 2022, Drake appeared to shade Alexis in his song Middle of the Ocean, calling the entrepreneur a ‘groupie.’
Last month, Serena made a playful dig at Drake while presenting at the 2024 ESPYs, referring to his feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.
‘And if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us—not a single one of us, not even me—should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,’ Serena said on stage. ‘He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re gonna Forrest Gump him Seats taken.’
