Drake Mocked After Dissing Serena Williams' Husband on 'Middle of the Ocean'

By Michael Hein

Rapper Drake took a shot at Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian in his new song "Middle of the Ocean," but the punchline has clearly backfired. Many fans on social media are mocking Drake for the machismo in this particular lyric – along with the rest of his new album. Meanwhile, Ohanian himself seemed to take the mention in stride.

Drake's new album is full of references to real-life people, but the dig aimed at Williams and Ohanian may be the most overt. He raps: "Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don't got a problem, but / No, boo, it is like you coming for sushi / We might pop up on him at will like Suzuki." The mention of sushi may be a reference to the meal Drake and Williams shared in 2015 when they were rumored to have a romance together, long before Ohanian was on the scene.

Even if it is, it doesn't seem to bother Williams or Ohanian. The two got together in 2016 and married in 2017. They had a daughter in 2017. Ohanian was one of the founders of Reddit, and these days works as an investor while reserving lots of time to spend with his daughter and watch his wife play tennis.

After Drake's song came out, Ohanian posted a photo of himself and his daughter in the stands watching Serena on the tennis court. He wrote: "The reason I stay winning is because I'm relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do – including being the best groupie for my wife and daughter." Williams responded with three smiling heart emojis.

Fans were already angry at Drake, but once Ohanian's post went up, the exchange went viral. Here's a look at how the conversation has played out this weekend.

Hypocrisy

Fans scoffed at the idea that Ohanian is a "groupie" when Drake himself has gone out of his way to spend time with athletes he admires.

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Bitter

Many listeners felt that Drake came across as bitter about the divergent paths his and Williams' lives have taken.

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Ignorant

Some felt that Drake was missing the point of an insult like "groupie" entirely. They felt that Ohanian is actually a great example of a supportive spouse, without any of the social climbing hints they felt Drake has exhibited.

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Cheerleader

As fans were quick to point out, Drake spent plenty of time in the stands at tennis matches when he was allegedly dating Williams.

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Connections

Based on the connections of the people Drake poked fun at on his new album, many fans predicted that his career would suffer in the years to come.

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Petty

Listeners wondered why Drake dedicated so much of his new album to call-outs for other public figures.

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Underage Scandals

Finally, with Drake back in the headlines, many people brought up the recent stories about him developing friendships with underage performers, including Millie Bobby Brown and Billie Eilish. Some remain suspicious of these correspondences.

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