Drake released his new video for his hit “Hotline Bling” last Monday and viewers aren’t really sure what to think. In case you didn’t see the music video or the countless memes all over the web, the video opens with women working at a phone sex hotline, but quickly moves onto the main show: Drake.
Champagne Papi is seen “dancing” in a minimalistic room without any décor other than the walls changing neon lights. Yeah, that about sums up the five-minute track. Drake says he got his inspiration from James Turrell when he visited his exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art last year.
The Internet spoofs have taken over social media platforms like Vine, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and I wouldn’t be surprised if those few hundred Myspace users are also in on the jokes. It’s as if Drake was not only expecting memes, but also welcoming them with open arms when he made this video.
Michael Wolf is a student here at Florida State University and thought the video was very “Drake.” He said he expected nothing less than for Drake to dance around by himself in ”weirdly lit cubicles.” He thinks Drake made the video weird to create hype and get peoples attention, and surely it did.
Junior Chantal Pinilla saw the video and thought it was “funny but didn’t have that strong of an opinion on it.” She admitted that she liked watching the memes more than the actual video. “Drake was just doing his thing” and he is probably one of the few people on the planet who can pull it off. When asked who else could pull something like this off, she instantly replied with “Kanye, duh.”
Brandy Shea is a big fan of Drake’s new video, saying it inspires her to be more daring. She advises Drake “to keep doing you” even if he receives backlash. She told me her life motto is “if you aren’t making anyone mad, you aren’t doing it right.”
Dance Marathon Morale Captain Mitchell Geezil used the video as a promo to get people to donate to his DM account. He made a Facebook post saying that if he met his donation goal for the night, he would post a Dance Marathon version of Drake’s music video! After that kind of a promise, the money flew in fast. He posted his spoof video later that night and received so much attention for it. Reaching almost 500 likes, the video features Mitchell imitating Drake’s dance moves and of course witty DM lyrics.
Undoubtedly, one of the best things about this music video is the mash-up possibilities. Chantal Pinilla tapped into her Spanish roots and couldn’t help but laugh after watching this merengue mash-up. “It’s definitely one of the best I have seen so far.”
Whether you’re into Spongebob, tennis, Star Wars or basketball, there are plenty of Drake memes for you!