Even if Drake and Kanye West aren't best friends, Drizzy still counts the Chicago rapper/producer as one of his musical idols.

[article id="1653910"]Drake dropped into Shade 45's morning show[/article] Thursday (December 9) and chatted it up with host Elliott Wilson on a variety of topics, including being removed from the final version of [article id="1651506"]Yeezy's "All of the Lights."[/article]

An early version of the song, whose crowded guest list includes Elton John, La Roux's Elly Jackson, Charlie Wilson and Ryan Leslie, had previously leaked that included Drake, but the Toronto rapper is nowhere to be found on the version that appears on West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

"Kanye's creative process is ever-changing," Drake said, adding that he doesn't know why he was removed. "We make music differently. I make what comes to me and I hate changing it, whereas 'Ye will change something 30 or 40 times to get it perfect. To each their own, and the change was to put all those people on it, and I wasn't one of them. That's completely OK."

Since Drake came to national prominence with the release of his So Far Gone mixtape, the MC has been compared to West -- not just for his introspective lyrics, but for his overall sound as well. Back in August, Drake's main producer, Noah "40" Shebib, relayed a story about Kanye West cursing him out for using his production style. Add to that mix the fact that Drake and Kanye have appeared on relatively few songs together -- including "Forever," with Lil Wayne and Eminem -- and conspiracy theorists feel there must be tension between the two.

"I can never sit here and tell you that's not one of my idols, that's not one of my favorite rappers," Drake said of Kanye during the Shade 45 interview. "Whatever energy I've ever felt is irrelevant. When you ask me, 'What do I think of Kanye West,' I'mma always have something positive to say."

The host then interjected by asking, "But sometimes the energy is not always where you want it to be?"

"I feel like we can co-exist," Drake answered. "I feel like hip-hop is broad enough that we can both exist and give great music without feeling like it's one or the other. I might be the only one that feels that way, though."

Drake stressed his reverence for Kanye West. At only 24 years old, the Canadian MC said he missed the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac era, and Yeezy is a personal favorite artist whose career he can personally trace since its inception.

What do you think about Drake's thoughts on Kanye? Let us know in the comments.