The Canadian rapper confessed that the 2016 single was inspired by the tennis star while talking to his mother
According to Drake, Serena Williams was the inspiration behind one of his biggest hits.
Since the Toronto-born rapper, 37, released 100 Gigs — a website full of his own archival footage and unreleased songs — over the weekend, fans have been digging through his massive content dump.
In one clip currently being shared via social media, Drake is seen sitting in during a studio session as he talks to his mother Sandi Graham, who is off-camera.
Drake in Los Angeles in June 2019
During their conversation, someone in the Grammy winner’s entourage plays his 2016 collaboration with Rihanna, “Too Good.” The mother and son then discuss the track.
Graham mentions that so far, the Certified Lover Boy’s music has been “very light,” and says he doesn’t get “heavily into things,” to which Drake disagrees.
Drake and Rihanna performing in February 2016
“No, I get heavy on a couple joints, but this is more about me and Serena,” he says. “I gather!” Graham interjects, seemingly unsurprised about her son sharing his feelings in the song.
“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,” the chorus repeats.
The pair begin to talk over one another, and seconds later, “Too Good” begins to play again. They both pause and the studio engineer turns off the music to allow their conversation to continue.
“It’s funny because when I make songs about women, I also make songs for them. So, I know what kind of song to make. If I’m gonna talk about them, I’ll at least do them the justice of making them a song that they’ll like,” Drake says in the video. “I know Serena very well, and I know that she’ll hear it loud and clear, but not hate me for it because it’s lighthearted.”
Graham then poses a very crucial question: “And she is seeing someone else?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” the rapper replies.
Though it’s unclear exactly when the video was recorded, the tennis star, 42, is now married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The couple wed in November 2017, and are parents to daughters, Alexis Olympia, 6, and Adira, who was born in August 2023.
In past years, rumors swirled that the hip-hop star and the former pro athlete were not only dating, but had even gotten engaged at one point.
However, in October 2015, a rep for Williams refuted the claims, telling PEOPLE, “They are simply longtime friends.”
And while Rihanna — who welcomed her first son, RZA, in May 2022, and her second son, Riot, 15 months later with boyfriend A$AP Rocky — may have sang on the track meant for Williams, the Fenty Beauty Mogul, 36, also reportedly dated the rapper during an on-again-off-again relationship for nearly 10 years.
The performers have mentioned each other in several past interviews, and soon after “Too Good” was released, a source told PEOPLE, “Drake has always wanted to make things work with Rihanna. They are still dating. Things get more serious when they’re in the same place.”