Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) is an anomaly in the hip-hop world. He has more Billboard hits than The Beatles, but he is really not an exceptional rapper or live performer. His beats are infectious, but not life changing. Drake’s boyish good looks appeal to the ladies, but most hardcore rap fans think he is as soft as the other side of the pillow. People complain that he is everywhere, but his YouTube videos have hundreds of millions of hits, usually within days of their release, proving that they cannot get enough of him. So why is Drake so hot right now?
The answer to this pressing question can be found in the video for Hotline Bling, an ode to a former lover who now refuses to give Drake the time of day, even though he is a superstar. In the video, Drake wears outfits no one in hip-hop should be caught dead in: sweatpants, a turtleneck and Timberland boots. His lyrics, “Hotline bling, that can only mean one thing,” are actually quite ambiguous and can have various meanings. Drake shimmies, bops, two-steps, prances, shuffles and even takes a quick nap on a woman’s derriere as she twerks on the floor. It’s definitely not Jean-Luc Godard, but Drake’s idiosyncrasies make me want to watch the video over and over again.
MEMES AWAY!
Photo courtesy of Danny Chu
Though I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, I have jumped on the Hotline Bling runaway train. I love the song and the video and it wasn’t until a few days ago that I could figure out why. In this day and age, when something is popular, memes start getting made and posted online.
Within hours of the video’s release, Hotline Bling memes started popping up everywhere. There were ones where Drake was shooting pizza off his legs, ones where he was playing ping pong and even one where his dancing was synced up salsa music.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that Drake and Hotline Bling are popular because they have a high degree of memeability. Drake doesn’t need to be that good, but he does have to have a good sense of humor and throw great lob passes to the Internet so everyone can make funny memes with him or his music while he laughs all the way to the bank.
Hotline Bling takes over Kaohsiung as the Brickyard Loves Hip-Hop party celebrates its two-year anniversary. At midnight, there will be a Hotline Bling dance off, where winners will step into the circle on the dance floor and do their best Drake imitations to win some free drinks.
■ Brickyard Loves Hip-Hop Two-Year Anniversary Party with Famous, Pro Res, Max and Can, tomorrow night from 10pm to 4am at Brickyard, B1, 507 Jhongshan 2nd Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市中山二路507號B1). Admission is NT$300 for men and NT$150 for women, which includes a drink.
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