Drake and Lil Wayne share one of the strongest bonds in hip-hop, though fans have recently started to question where their relationship currently stands. The topic came up on the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, with a clip captured by ZADCOZZY on Twitter. During the discussion, Budden and his cohosts speculated about Lil Wayne’s $100 million sale of his Young Money masters to Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2020—a deal that reportedly also included the catalogs of Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Of course, all of this is based on speculation, and the hosts acknowledged that much of what they were discussing was built on rumor and interpretation. Still, they agreed that the fact Wayne didn’t sell the masters back to his protégés could potentially have caused some tension, even if they admitted it was just a theory.

Joe Budden, however, took the conversation a step further. He suggested that the reason Lil Wayne might not have sold Drake his masters could be connected to personal issues between the two. For those unfamiliar, one of the resurfaced accusations from Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track claims that Drake slept with Wayne’s girlfriend while the rapper was in jail. Budden hinted that this alleged betrayal might have influenced Wayne’s decision—but again, none of this has been confirmed.

The podcast also floated another theory—that UMG might have required Drake’s masters as part of the broader deal with Wayne, which could have created tension between them. Budden noted that this might have been a strategic business move, possibly to strengthen Wayne’s relationship with UMG for future projects. The irony, he added, lies in Drake’s later defamation lawsuit against the label, which came years after this alleged fallout.

Regarding that lawsuit, Drake is reportedly preparing to appeal the court’s decision to dismiss his case. The lawsuit accused UMG of defamation for promoting and distributing “Not Like Us.” Only time will tell how that legal battle unfolds.

For now, it seems unlikely that Lil Wayne will publicly comment on any of this, as he’s currently focused on other projects. Still, the conversation highlights just how easily speculation can blur the lines between business decisions and personal relationships in the music industry.