Before this got picked up by The Shade Room or any other would-be gossip outlets, Lil’ Kim had to clear the air: she and are not a thing. The two are close friends, getting to know each other through years of common experience in the music industry, and now they’re working together on some new songs.

In a series of pictures uploaded to Lil’ Kim’s Instagram page, the legendary rapstress revealed that in pre-quarantine times, she was in the studio with Tory Lanez where they started working on Queen Bee’s next studio album. To celebrate the occasion, they cuddled up and gave the camera some tongue action, which is why Kim needed to clarify.

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“Anybody who knows me knows that I love this man and that he’s one of my biggest music idols,” wrote Lil’ Kim about Tory Lanez. “And before y’all get started wit ya mess me and my friend @torylanez (and one of the executive producer’s of my next album) and I oop! We just be having so much fun when we be working in the studio!! I guess it’s safe to say I’m a big fan of Toronto!!”

Thankfully, she uploaded the disclaimer because we all know how this would have turned out. Weeks of rumors have been avoided thanks to Lil’ Kim’s due diligence. You can’t deny it though… they look low-key cute together.