"I don't know how people expected me to react" — Joe Budden's cohost Melyssa Ford responds to Drake mentioning her name on Gimme A Hug

Melyssa Ford, a cohost on The Joe Budden Podcast, recently responded to Drake's mention of her in his latest track, Gimme A Hug. The song is the tenth track from his Valentine's Day album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.

During an X Spaces community chat on February 15, Melyssa Ford said it was "fantastic" and "humbling" to have Drake name-drop her in one of his songs. She also explained her muted reaction when she first heard the song on The Joe Budden Podcast after the album's release, wondering what people expected her to do at that moment.

"It's really fantastic and humbling and stuff like that. And what's strange is like, I don't really know how people expected me to react at that very moment," Melyssa Ford said.

"What was I supposed to do, like, some people were like, 'What the f**k is with this muted reactions?' And I'm like, what would you want me to do, jump up and down like, 'Oh my god, he mentioned my name? I'm like, "No, when have I ever been that person?'" Ford said.

In Gimme A Hug, Drake seemingly addressed his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar, rapping about being over the battle and wanting to "get the party lit." He also mentioned Melyssa Ford by name, calling her a legend.

He added that it was a shame she was with a "d**k-sucker," which many assumed was a dig at Joe Budden, as the former rapper turned podcaster had his fair share of feuds with Drake in the past. Ford and Drake also share a history, having been rumored to have dated for a while.

"Melyssa Ford, you a legend from the 6ix, hate to see you with a d**k-sucker," Drake rapped in Gimme A Hug.

---

"Leave me the f**k alone" — Melyssa Ford to criticisms about her adding Drake's lyric to her Instagram

Melyssa Ford was at The Joe Budden Podcast on the day the show chose to review Drake and PartyNextDoor's new album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which was released on February 15, 2025. As the track Gimme A Hug played, the Canadian actress and podcaster appeared surprised when Drake name-dropped her. She said:

"I'm still processing. I'm just still processing. [...] I mean, it's great. It's awesome. I mean, it's not the first time, though. It's not even the second, it's not even the third. But thank you. 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."

Following this, Melyssa Ford, who earned the nickname "video vixen" in the early 2000s, appeared to embrace the shoutout, even adding the line, "Legend from The 6" to her Instagram bio.

During her X Spaces conversation on February 15, she addressed the criticism she received after being called out for including the lyric in her Instagram bio. She condemned people for seemingly holding her to a different standard, urging them to let her have fun.

"If one of the biggest global artists ever put your name in a f**king song, what are you going to do, be bashful and not put it on your Instagram, come on!" Ford said.

"Shut up, stop the madness, stop acting like I have to adhere to a whole different set of f**king rules out here, stop acting like I can't have fun and lean into something that puts me on a pedestal for a second. Stop it, leave me the f**k alone."

Melyssa Ford also said it was a relief to have someone speak highly of her, adding she had been caught in the crossfire simply for being close with a rapper's rivals. She also pointed out that this wasn't the first instance of a rapper name-dropping her, as both Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West had done so before.

---

In other news, Melyssa Ford's new Lifetime movie, Trapped in the Spotlight, premiered on the channel on February 15, 2025. According to IMDb, the film, which also stars Monique Colman, features the two actresses portraying a former R&B duo who are kidnapped by a superfan and forced to work on their unreleased album while in captivity.