--- title: Billboard Awards Drake Gave Speech About Nicki Minaj VIDEO description: After a falling out, Drake made a public profession of his love for fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj at the Billboard Music Awards. canonical: https://time.com/4788170/billboard-awards-2017-drake-on-nicki-minaj/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-22T15:35:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:43:51.258Z og:title: Drake Professed His Love For Nicki Minaj at Billboard Awards og:description: "I'm so glad we found our way back because I love you" og:url: https://time.com/4788170/billboard-awards-2017-drake-on-nicki-minaj/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d5a832cecb0123/6988ce3d2dce014f769ed95d/drake-nicki-minaj-billboard-music-awards-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: 2017 Billboard Music Awards - Backstage and Audience og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Drake Professed His Love For Nicki Minaj at Billboard Awards twitter:description: "I'm so glad we found our way back because I love you" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d5a832cecb0123/6988ce3d2dce014f769ed95d/drake-nicki-minaj-billboard-music-awards-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Drake Professes His Love for Nicki Minaj During Billboard Awards Speech > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f03ae405-c061-4161-be00-f9d81a2c435d&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang May 22, 2017 3:35 PM UTC  LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 21: Recording artists Nicki Minaj and Drake attend the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by John Shearer/BBMA2017/Getty Images for dcp) LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 21: Recording artists Nicki Minaj and Drake attend the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by John Shearer/BBMA2017/Getty Images for dcp) John Shearer/BBMA2017—Getty Images for dcp  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang May 22, 2017 3:35 PM UTC Drake just declared his love for another pop star at an awards show. [Drake and Nicki Minaj’s longtime relationship](http://time.com/4746706/nicki-minaj-drake-lil-wayne-no-frauds-video/) in the public eye had its ebbs and flows; from being just friends as two of the most talented rappers in the Young Money crew to [telling followers that they were married on Twitter](https://twitter.com/drake/status/22298984053?lang=en), Drake and Nicki’s friendship has always been buzzworthy, something that their multiple collaborations together have amplified. However, things changed thanks to [a public beef with Minaj’s now ex-boyfriend, Meek Mill](http://time.com/3967466/meek-mill-drake/), a feud that put Nicki and Drake at odds with one another. Now, however, it looks like the pair have buried the hatchet, with Drizzy going so far as to declare his love for Nicki publicly during his acceptance speech for Top Billboard 200 Album at [the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night](http://time.com/4787730/billboard-music-awards-best-worst-moments/). When the Canadian rapper started his speech, he complimented the night’s co-host, Vanessa Hudgens, telling her “you look incredible tonight.” That prompted Nicki to respond with a hilarious rejoinder. > [](https://twitter.com/IfUSeekDrew/status/866462588988772357) Not to worry, however, Drake had plenty of nice things to say about Nicki as well. “Nicki Minaj, I’m so glad we found our way back because I love you,” he said. “And I could never ever ever see it any other way.” Nicki, for her part, graciously reciprocated Drake’s public declaration of love. “Thank you, I love you,” she said. Minaj also took to her Instagram to share a selfie with Drake and rapper Lil Wayne. 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