Now that Rihanna is newly single, the dating rumors have started up again, linking her once more to Drake. But despite his admiration for the pop superstar, the Young Money rapper maintains the two are not an item.

Drizzy denies he is dating RiRi, who split from boyfriend Matt Kemp late last year. “Me and Rihanna have a great connection, but no, we’re not together,” he told BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Tim Westwood during his U.K. tour.

While he shared a brief romance with his “What’s My Name?” collaborator in 2009, their relationship remains platonic. “I care for her very much. She’s a great person,” he said.

The 24-year-old bachelor is in no rush to get into a relationship. “We’re young, young kids. Just living life. That’s it. I want to have some stories to tell the kids,” he joked.

Always the gentleman, Drake showered praise on RiRi, who helped him score his first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I think she sets a certain precedent as far as fashion, as far as all the things women care about—hair, the way you carry yourself, and obviously the music. I think it’s important.”