“The need for validation is crippling” - Internet reacts as Melyssa Ford added Drake’s GIMME A HUG to Instagram Profile

The song GIMME A HUG from Drake's new album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U has generated a lot of hype. The song mentions media personality Melyssa Ford, who updated her Instagram profile with the audio. This led to a heated online debate, with one user commenting, “The need for validation is crippling."

Melyssa Ford, a media personality and former vixen, is given a noteworthy shoutout in the song. The phrase "Legend from the 6" is a direct reference to Drake's lyric, which was added to Ford's Instagram personality. Ford is presently the host of Hot n Bothered and a co-host on The Joe Budden Podcast.

In the song, Melyssa Ford is mentioned by Drake in a way that honors her legacy while also taking a jab at Joe Budden, her podcast co-host. In a direct jab at Budden, he raps,

"Melyssa Ford, you a legend from the 6ix, hate to see you with a d**k-s*cker, "

The two have been at odds for a long time, with Budden often criticizing Drake's work and musical choices.

Ford appeared to recognize the song shortly after the album's release by adding the audio clip to her Instagram profile. During an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Ford and Budden discussed the lyrics, and their responses were notably different. Ford acknowledged that she was still processing the unexpected shoutout and appeared genuinely astonished.

She implied that she wasn't quite certain of Drake's intentions when she said,

“I don't know what he is trying to do, I am not in that man's mind, I do not know. I will let you guys opine on that.”

Budden, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned by Drake's remarks and even found the situation amusing. He said simply, dismissing the slur with a nonchalant tone.

“I was happy.”

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The internet reacts to Melyssa Ford adding Drake’s Gimme A Hug to Instagram profile

The internet took note when Melyssa Ford included "Legend From The 6" in her Instagram profile, seemingly acknowledging Drake's GIMME A HUG lyric. Social media erupted with speculation, with users debating her intentions and the potential fallout. One user commented,

"The need for validation is crippling"

Following this, other users joined in, a user commented,

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you *sigh*"

Another user criticized her, referencing past podcast drama,

"I don't care what stupid excuse she might have for this, but it speaks loudly... especially when she has issues taking responsibility for all her wrong takes on the pod and Joe going beyond to stand by her....I.E the Camron situation it's unexcusable"

while some users believed that Ford was just thrilled to be acknowledged,

"She just glad he said she was a legend lol, she don't care what he said about nobody else lmao"

While another user predicted she might be needing a job soon because of her actions,

"Mel gonna need a job soon...Is Rory and Mal hiring?"

A user saw through Drake's move as a calculated one, suggesting he knew it would create controversy and Joe wouldn't like it.

"Ha! Chess not checkers Joe ain't gon like this"

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Drake and Budden's ongoing feud

Budden and Drake have been at odds for years; it began when Budden was still an active rapper and regularly criticized Drake's work.

Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, which Budden said was detrimental to hip-hop culture, led him to more recently call Drake a "Karen."

In a prior episode of the JBP, Budden stated,

"That's my other beef with the 'Karen' move 'cause if you a 'Karen,' be a 'Karen,' but you code-switching. You at the game running around with this n***a that has been threatening Kendrick saying, 'I'm a k*ll you, I'm a do X, Y, Z,' I'm not naming no names, but you know who you running around with, and you know what you doing, and you know what you threatening, so if you that then be that. But don't be that and also 'Karen' out [...] I don't like it. It's nasty and disgusting."

In recent months, Budden has already spoken to Drake. A few days before, Drake appeared to irritate Budden by sharing a slow-motion video of him getting out of a car on his first account (@plottttwistttttt). In response, Budden criticized Drake on his show for attempting to rekindle their feud.

Budden said,

“Hey, Drake, don’t sh**t at me mad that you ice cold. I’m not doing a back-and-forth with a corpse. I wanted to do it when it was fun.”

He continued to make fun of Drake, adding,

“Don’t go get shot all through the year and then pop up like Bernie at Weekend at Bernie’s wanting to sh**t at me now. No, n***a. Go spin. Spin the f****** block. … Are you crazy?”

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The history between Drake and Melyssa Ford

Although Budden has received a lot of attention, it's important to remember that Drake and Melyssa Ford have a shared past. Drake and Ford, one of the most recognizable video vixens of the 2000s, had a love story together. Although there has never been any significant scandal about their connection, it gives the lyrics an additional level of mystery.

Intriguingly, actress and model Toccara Jones disclosed last summer that she and Ford were unwittingly seeing the same man at the same time. They subsequently discovered this and shared a chuckle about it. Fans conjectured that the individual in question was Drake, even though she didn't state it clearly.

It's unclear if Drake intended for his song to be an authentic compliment to Ford or only a chance to poke fun at Budden.