Keith Sweat Praises Drake's R&B Contributions, Says Critics Hated Him Same Way

Keith Sweat was singing female fans outta their bras before Drake was even born, but the R&B legend thinks Mr. OVO is now wearing the R&B crown!!!

We caught up with Mr. Make It Last Forever at LAX this week and he gave props where they were due, anointing Drizzy ... who infamously called himself the "light-skinned Keith Sweat" back in 2013!!!

Drake just delivered his new 23-track "For All The Dogs" album with a wide assortment of R&B tracks and singing ... as heard on his #1 hit "Slime You Out" with SZA.

Keith says Drake is doing his thing on the singing front, and he should ignore critics of his vocal range. He says he got the same limited-range diss during his heyday.

Keith admits he was no Stevie Wonder or anything -- but he and his signature twang sold millions of records by dropping rug cutters in an era when singers simply sang and rappers just rapped. As far as he's concerned, Drake's earned his stripes in both genres and deserves all his flowers.