Drake buys billboard to congratulate Rihanna on MTV honour

Drake has stunned his rumoured girlfriend Rihanna by buying a Los Angeles billboard to congratulate the singer on her MTV Video Music Awards honour.

The Umbrella hitmaker is slated to open the ceremony on Sunday (28Aug16), and will also receive the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and Drake wanted to let everyone know how proud he was of her achievement by having the billboard unveiled on Friday (26Aug16).

"Congratulations to Rihanna from Drake and Everyone at OVO (his record label)," it read.

Rihanna proudly shared a photo of Drake's over-the-top gift on Instagram on Friday, with the caption, "When he extra", alongside a heart and trophy emoji.

The Hotline Bling hitmaker's grand gesture has further fuelled rumours the pair is secretly dating. The couple was romantically linked for a brief period in 2010, but the stars have been spending more time together over the last few months, and have shared several steamy sessions on stage together as they performed their collaboration Work during Rihanna's ANTI World Tour. The singer even bared her breasts for the risque video shoot for the track, in which she danced seductively against Drake wearing a sheer mesh top, leaving little to the imagination.

Meanwhile, Drake, who is continuing his Summer Sixteen tour with fellow rapper Future, is reportedly looking to cash in on the success of musicians releasing short films to accompany their albums, following in the footsteps of Beyonce and Frank Ocean.

A project called Please Forgive Me will feature music from his recent album Views, as well as an original soundtrack by his longtime producer Noah Shebib, reports PageSix.com.