Rapping Less And Making GIFs More: The Week In 'Hotline Bling'
Drake is not meme-worthy: He's a living, breathing, dancing meme. Ever since social media got a hold of the album cover for 2011's Take Care, the rapper's every move has been a subject for scrutiny, parody, think pieces, GIFs. After the debut this week of the music video for his latest single, "Hotline Bling," it's safe to say that Drake has become a master at capitalizing on his awkward, boastful, at times slightly petty and emotional persona.
Helmed by Director X, the "Bling" video features Drake dancing — solo, often in wide shot — very much as if no one's watching. Later on, he's joined by choreographer Tanisha Scott, who was asked to craft a routine reminiscent of her work on Sean Paul's "Temperature" video. The whole thing screams, "meme me," and the digital masses responded immediately. Drake's awkward dancing has been mashed up with the Latin classic "Suavemente," the Peanuts theme song, even a ukulele in the spirit of this week's Canadian elections.
Right now, Drake is winning: He's hung onto the spotlight between album cycles and nudged viewers into laughing with him, more than at him. But if it was just the memes you were paying attention to this week, you missed a charged discussion about the song itself.
There are the lyrics, deemed problematic by feminist critics, in which Drake's narrator trolls a woman for not living by his definition of a "good girl." And there is the musical vibe: "Hotline Bling" borrows elements from Virginia singer D.R.A.M.'s hit song, "Cha Cha." When Drake first premiered "Hotline Bling" on his Apple Beats 1 show, it was titled and socialized as a "Cha Cha" remix. As it started to climb the charts, though, that characterization morphed into something less defined.
In an unused excerpt from his recent FADER cover interview, published well after the original story ran, Drake says "Hotline Bling" — which is built upon a sample of Timmy Thomas' 1972 R&B track "Why Can't We Live Together" — is an example of when artists put a twist on a similar rhythm (or "riddim"), a practice popular in music derived from Jamaica. "In Jamaica, you'll have a riddim and it's like, everyone has to do a song on that. Imagine that in rap," he told The FADER. The question remains: is it inspiration or theft? Does it matter either way, if Drake sits on a throne of his own?
While Drake raps about competing for the crown, he wears one that is made to fit only him (though its legitimacy is up for debate). His co-signs and remixes have moved artists, some already on track for success, an inch closer to the mainstream, from D.R.A.M. to Migos to Fetty Wap. This summer he slid past ghostwriting allegations, strategically making Meek Mill, who called him out, look foolish. He used a rap beef originally intended to shut him down to his own benefit, turning a diss song, "Back to Back," into yet another hit. These days, Drake's moves have become as talked about, if not more so, than his music.
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Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
You know what lit up the Internet this week?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) You used to call me on my...
CORNISH: This - a rapper in a chunky turtleneck sweater dancing the way he might if no one was looking. No smooth moves here, but long, awkward steps and bends, fingers snapping. And the reason why people are loving this is that the guy doing the dancing is Drake, one of hip-hop's biggest stars. It's the video for his hit song "Hotline Bling."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) And I know when that hotline bling, that can only mean one thing.
CORNISH: Google it, and you will stumble down a rabbit hole of "Hotline Bling" induced memes - animated clips of Drake dancing with a tennis racket or a light saber. Writer Erika Ramirez of NPR Music says this moment is about more than Internet chatter. Drake is cementing his place in pop.
ERIKA RAMIREZ, BYLINE: The minute Drake dropped the "Hotline Bling" video earlier this week, the memes were everywhere. There was Drake's awkward dancing mashed up with the '90s Latin classic "Suavemente."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUAVEMENTE")
ELVIS CRESPO: (Singing in Spanish).
RAMIREZ: There was a version with the theme song from the cartoon "Peanuts."
(SOUNDBITE OF VINCE GUARALDI SONG, "LINUS AND LUCY")
RAMIREZ: And even a folk version in the spirit of this week's Canadian elections. It was all proof that Drake's awkward dance moves are always on beat.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) Call me on my cell phone late night, when you need my love.
RAMIREZ: But if it was just the online mash-ups you were paying attention to, you missed a charged discussion about the song itself. Virginia singer D.R.A.M. took to Twitter the night the video dropped to say that Drake jacked the beat from his song, "Cha Cha." And then, there are the lyrics, also deemed problematic by critics. "Hotline Bling" has Drake trolling a woman for not living by his definition of a, quote, unquote, "good girl." She started wearing less and going out more, he sings in the first verse.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) Because ever since I left the city, you started wearing less and going out more.
RAMIREZ: But this week, the online chatter was all about Drake's dance moves, not the classic hip-hop debates about ghost-writing and gender politics. And does it even matter whether he ripped the song or offended critics when Drake sits on a throne all of his own? With "Hotline Bling," the rapper with a sensitive heart continues to cement his reign in pop culture with what may be his strongest and weirdest moves to date.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) I know when that hotline bling...
CORNISH: That's writer Erika Ramirez of NPR Music. You can see Drake's "Hotline Bling" for yourself at npr.org or, frankly, anywhere online.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOTLINE BLING")
DRAKE: (Singing) ...That can only mean one thing. Ever since I left the city, you, you, you - you and me, we just don't get along. You make me feel like I did you wrong, going places where you don't belong. Ever since I left the city, you... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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