Honestly, if you blinked during the winter of 2016, you probably missed one of the weirdest, most fascinating blips in pop culture history. It was the era of "Dralo." Before the Bennifer 2.0 reboot and long before Drake was embroiled in high-stakes rap feuds, the 6 God and Jenny from the Block were the couple nobody saw coming.
It started with a selfie. Then a "prom." Then a $100,000 necklace.
But was it ever actually real? Or was it just the most expensive music promo in history? Even now, years later, the details of Drake and Jennifer Lopez still feel like a fever dream that happened right in front of us.
The Night the Internet Broke
On December 28, 2016, Drake and J.Lo posted the exact same photo to their Instagram accounts at the exact same time. No caption. Just a picture of Lopez curled up on a sofa, eyes closed, with Drake cradling her in a massive bear hug.
The internet went nuclear.
At the time, Drake was 30 and J.Lo was 47. The 17-year age gap didn't bother anyone as much as the sheer randomness of the pairing. Drake had been pining over Rihanna publicly at the VMAs just months prior, and J.Lo was freshly single.
They weren't just "hanging out." They were "Hanging Out" with a capital H. Drake was spotted at not one, but two of her "All I Have" residency shows in Las Vegas. He wasn't just in the VIP section; he was backstage, holding her diamond-encrusted hats and looking like the world's most famous roadie.
That Bizarre Winter Wonderland Prom
If the Instagram photo was the spark, the "Winter Wonderland Prom" was the gasoline.
In late December, videos surfaced of the two attending a private, prom-themed party in Los Angeles. It looked like a scene out of a high school movie, if the high school was populated by multi-millionaires. They were literally crowned Prom King and Queen.
There’s footage of them dancing together, grinding, and even sharing a few kisses while a song played in the background. That song? It was a remix of Black Coffee’s "Superman," featuring both of their vocals.
"You need me to get that s*** together," Drake crooned over the speakers.
This is where the skeptics started getting loud. When celebrities "date" right as they happen to be recording a duet, the "showmance" alarms start ringing. People wondered if the whole relationship was just a creative way to market a single.
The $100,000 Receipt
Drake doesn't do "low key" when he's pursuing someone. For New Year’s Eve 2017, he reportedly dropped $100,000 on a Tiffany Victoria necklace for Lopez. It was a 17-inch platinum string of round, pear, and marquise diamonds.
She wore it to his New Year’s Eve show at Hakkasan. If you’re trying to convince the world you’re just "making music," a six-figure diamond necklace usually complicates that narrative.
Why "Get It Together" Changed Everything
By February 2017, the fire had already started to dim.
Drake went on his "Boy Meets World" tour in Europe. J.Lo stayed in LA to film Shades of Blue and take care of her twins, Max and Emme. Sources told People and ET that the relationship simply "fizzled out" because of the distance.
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But the real kicker came when Drake released his project More Life in March 2017.
Remember that song they played at the prom? The one where they were King and Queen? When the album dropped, the track was titled "Get It Together," but J.Lo’s vocals were gone. She had been replaced by a then-rising British singer named Jorja Smith.
Drake basically ghosted her on his own album.
He didn't scrub her entirely from the project, though. On the track "Free Smoke," he threw in a line that felt almost too honest:
“I drunk text J.Lo / Old number, so it bounce back.”
He also sampled her 1999 hit "If You Had My Love" on the song "Teenage Fever." It was a weirdly sentimental move for someone who had just cut her from the lead single. It felt less like a PR stunt and more like a guy who had a genuine crush and blew it.
The Aftermath: "2017, I Lost a J.Lo"
Jennifer Lopez eventually addressed the rumors on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She played it cool, saying, "Let me clear this up. I am not with Drake." She even laughed about the "booty call" rumors during one of her concerts later on, jokingly calling him a "contact" while "Hotline Bling" played.
Drake, being Drake, got the last word in his lyrics. On the 2018 track "Diplomatic Immunity," he famously rapped:
“2010 was when I lost my halo / 2017, I lost a J.Lo.”
It was an admission of defeat. He didn't say they "worked together." He said he lost her. To most fans, this confirmed that while the music might have brought them together, the feelings—at least on his end—were real. Shortly after they split, J.Lo went public with Alex Rodriguez, and the Dralo era was officially buried.
What Most People Get Wrong About Them
A lot of people think this was a 100% fake PR stunt. I don't buy that entirely.
Celebrity PR stunts usually have a clear payoff—a movie release, a joint tour, or a single that actually features both artists. The fact that Drake removed her from "Get It Together" and then admitted to drunk texting her a year later suggests it was messy. Real life is messy.
PR stunts are clean. Dralo was anything but.
Even in 2025 and early 2026, as J.Lo navigates her high-profile split from Ben Affleck, rumors have cropped up again. Some insiders claim Drake has been "waiting for a second chance." Whether that's true or just tabloid fodder, it shows that the Drake and Jennifer Lopez connection still has a grip on the public imagination.
How to Spot a "Showmance" vs. The Real Deal
If you're trying to figure out if your favorite celeb couple is faking it for the cameras, look for these three markers that were present in the Dralo saga:
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- The Timing: Does the "romance" coincide with a project launch? (They were recording "Get It Together").
- The Visuals: Is the PDA happening in private settings or perfectly lit Instagram posts? (That couch photo was professional-grade).
- The Exit: Do they stop being seen together the second the project is out? (The "fizzle" happened right as the album was finishing).
Your Next Moves for Following This Story
If you want to dig deeper into the "Dralo" lore, here’s how to do it without falling for fake news:
- Listen to "Teenage Fever" by Drake: This is the most authentic "tribute" to that time. The sample of J.Lo's first hit is a masterclass in nostalgia.
- Check the "Free Smoke" Lyrics: It’s the definitive proof that things ended on a "bounced back" text note.
- Watch the "Prom" Footage on YouTube: It’s still out there. It’s cringey, it’s sweet, and it’s the only time you’ll see those two in the same frame for more than five seconds.
The Dralo era was short, but it proved that even the biggest stars in the world aren't immune to a classic "right person, wrong time" (or "right PR, wrong execution") situation.