London, Aug 31 - Rap star Drake has laughed off reports of a romance with singer Rihanna insisting their collaboration is strictly professional.

The chart-topping singers prompted rumours of a relationship after they were spotted out and about in New York together, in the aftermath of Rihanna's split from Chris Brown, reports contactmusic.com

But Drake, real name Aubrey Graham, insists they've been spending time together while he tries to convince her to record a duet for his next album.

'We're just really good friends. We have great conversations about music and we're trying to figure out the perfect song we can collaborate on for my album. I've only worked with one other female before (Mary J Blige). I hope that Rihanna is onboard, and I'm also looking to work with Sade,' Dreake told New York Post in an interview.