Nelly speaks on the Nelly vs. Drake Twitter debate

What dilemma? Nelly has just settled the debate that’s ripped through Twitter this week comparing his star power with that of rap star Drake.

“It’s not me against him. Drake is a dope artist and a cool dude. Drake has shown me a lot of love,” said Nelly by phone on Thursday.

To Nelly, who’s currently promoting his Night of Symphonic Hip Hop tour, comparison is just human nature. “People compare, that’s what we do,” the 42-year-old Grammy winner said, “To me, there’s room for everybody and everybody takes piece of everybody [musically]. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

That type of comparison was bestowed on Nelly himself early in his career, too. “It happened to me, when I brought in new melodies and things of that nature, even Smokey Robinson said I reminded him of James Brown.”

In case you missed the heated debate, fans were comparing Nelly, the St. Louis native who topped the charts in the early 2000s, to Drake, who’s currently dominating airwaves, streaming sites, music festivals and more.

The dispute was sparked when some users suggested Nelly laid the groundwork for an artist like Drake, popular for his sing-songy style of rap, but quickly morphed into positing which eponymous rapper is the more successful artist in general.

“I’m just happy my fans are still loving Nelly,” he said of the thousands of tweets in his favor. So there you have the debate settled from the “Hot in Herre” and “Country Grammar” singer himself.

Nelly’s next show will be at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Jan. 27, where his hits will be backed by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are on sale now.