People started baselessly accusing Drake of statutory rape on social media on Friday after he revealed that he dated SZA a dozen years ago.
On “Mr. Right Now,” a new track from 21 Savage x Metro Boomin, Drake raps: “Yeah, more concerned with blowing up than growing up / Yeah, said she wanna f**k to some SZA, wait / 'cause I used to date SZA back in ’08 / If you cool with it, baby, she can still play.”
Within minutes of the song’s release, Twitter lit up with comments about the age difference at the time and whether any laws were broken (assuming their relationship was more than platonic).
Tweets included: “IF DRAKE DATED SZA IN 2008.... HE A PEDO? AYOOOOOO,” “So yall cancelling Drake for messing with SZA when she was 17 or nah?!?” and “Did drake just admit to dating Sza while she was under aged????”
Of course, facts matter.
It’s not known when in 2008 the two dated but we know Drake turned 22 on Oct. 24, 2008 and SZA turned 18 on Nov. 8, 2008 so they were either 22 and 18 or 21 and 17 at the time. Either way, no law was broken.
SZA, whose real name is Solána Rowe, graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey in June of that year. The age of consent in that state is 16 and across the river in New York it’s 17.
In Drake’s native Canada, the age of consent was 14 up until May 1, 2008, when it was raised to 16.
SZA claim Drake got the year wrong. "So It was actually 2009 lol.. in this case a year of poetic rap license mattered lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait," she tweeted. "Anybody who really knows me and was around during this time can confirm.. it’s all love all peace ... I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening . Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago ."
This article has been updated since it was first published.