Melyssa Ford recently voiced her concern over Drake’s decision to sell merchandise featuring her image without obtaining her permission. The situation arose following the release of new items on his official website, DrakeRelated.com, coinciding with the debut of the music video for his track “Nokia”on March 31, 2025.
Details of the Controversial Merchandise
The controversial goods included a “Hot Vixen Moms” hoodie emblazoned with Ford’s image on the front and a link to videovixens.ca on the back. This announcement came shortly after Drake praised Ford in his song “Gimme a Hug”from his collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, titled $ome $exy $ongs $ U.
Melyssa Ford’s Reaction and Statements
On April 7, during an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast on Patreon, Joe Budden revealed Ford’s reaction to the merchandise. In her statement, she articulated her discontent regarding the unauthorized use of her image for what she described as “financial gain,”although she did not explicitly name Drake.
“While I appreciate the renewed interest in my past modeling career and contribution to Hip-Hop, the decision to use my image for financial gain should have included my consent. This situation speaks to a broader issue – in business, women are too frequently marginalised, whether they’re artists or labeled as ‘video vixens.’ Changing this is something I will remain vocal about on my platforms,”she wrote.
Ford also expressed gratitude toward Joe Budden and his podcast for acquiring the videovixens.ca domain and first redirecting it to Budden’s Patreon, before later linking it to the YouTube page of her podcast, Hot and Bothered with Melyssa Ford.
The Online Response and Community Reaction
Social media responses to Ford’s statement have varied widely. One user suggested that Drake’s actions were successfully sowing discord among the members of The Joe Budden Podcast.
“Drake’s plan is working lol.”
Meanwhile, several commenters speculated about how Budden felt about the incident, particularly in light of his history with Drake.
“My personal opinion is, there is nothing wrong with this statement. But I can understand why Joe felt a way about her mentioning him in it because he wasn’t part of them buying the domain and this suggests he had a part in it,” one user pointed out.
“Joe doesn’t want to be a pawn in Drake’s games; Mel has no problem being a pawn… that’s why Joe was mad,”another speculated.
Conversely, some social media users found Ford’s statement unnecessary, noting her enthusiasm for promoting Drake’s song when it initially launched.
“She didn’t want to listen when she was promoting the song on her IG, but now it’s a woman issue lmao,”remarked one critic.
“Nothing wrong with the statement but it was SO unnecessary. You don’t own the image. This is such a non-issue. And exactly what Drake wanted which is why they told her not to play into this in the first place,”another added.
“Where’s My Check?”— Melyssa Ford on Drake’s Merchandise Use
In the song “Gimme a Hug,”Drake mentions Melyssa Ford, who is celebrated as a notable figure from Toronto. The lyrics are speculated to include a dig at Joe Budden:
“Melyssa Ford, you a legend from the 6, hate to see you with a d**ksucker.”
Although Budden’s name is not directly mentioned, the implications have not been lost on listeners. Following the song’s release, Ford publicly thanked Drake and updated her social media bio to declare “Legend From The 6.”However, she was taken aback by the merch drop featuring her likeness.
During an April 2 episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Ford revealed she was unaware of the hoodie until its release and expressed her frustration, demanding to be compensated for the use of her image.
“There is a jacket with my image on it. And underneath it, it says ‘videovixens.ca.’ So, dot c-a is dot com in Canada. You click on that link and it takes you to Joe’s Patreon. What the f**k is going on? Where’s my check? Where’s my f**king check? That’s what the f**k I want to know,” Melyssa Ford exclaimed.
Ford suggested that she might retain ownership of the image and mentioned she reached out to Drake via direct message to clarify the situation.
In related news, after its release on March 31, Drake’s music video for “Nokia”has accumulated over 7.6 million views, illustrating his widespread influence and continued presence in the music industry.