Drake is hinting that one of the most beloved songs in his catalog could be gone from his setlists for good. The track in question is “Take Care,” the Rihanna duet that gave his 2011 album its title and became one of the defining moments of that era.
This wouldn’t be the first time he’s quietly closed the door on their shared music. During a February 2024 stop in Tampa, Florida, on his It’s All a Blur Tour, Drake told the crowd he no longer performs “Work,” the 2016 smash the pair made together.
That song wasn’t a minor deep cut either. “Work” came from Rihanna’s album Anti and sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, which makes dropping it from a stadium show a pretty deliberate choice.
“Take Care” carries its own weight. Produced by Jamie xx and built around his reworking of Gil Scott Heron’s “I’ll Take Care of U,” the song reached No. 7 on the Hot 100, and the album it anchored went on to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album.
The history between the two artists runs deep, both on record and off it. They first connected musically on Rihanna’s 2010 single “What’s My Name?” and later teamed up again on “Too Good” from Drake’s 2016 album Views.
Their personal relationship played out in public too. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Drake presented Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award and told the audience he’d been in love with her since he was 22.
Things look a lot cooler now. On “Fear of Heights” from his 2023 album For All the Dogs, Drake rapped lines that many listeners read as a pointed dismissal of their past, including a claim that the sex was better with his exes. That track set the tone for how a lot of fans now interpret any move he makes involving her music.
From one angle, retiring “Take Care” looks like the natural next step in that distancing. If he’s already shelved “Work,” keeping their most tender collaboration in rotation would feel a little strange.
From another angle, nothing is locked in yet. Drake hasn’t officially confirmed that “Take Care” is permanently off the table, and artists change their minds about setlists all the time, especially with songs fans still scream for.
There’s also the question of what the song means to his own story. “Take Care” isn’t just a Rihanna feature, it’s the title track of the album many people consider his creative peak, so cutting it means cutting a piece of his own legacy from the live show.
For now, fans heading to future Drake shows are left guessing. The next time he steps on stage, the absence or surprise return of that Jamie xx intro will say more than any statement could.
