The music video for Drake's single 'Hotline Bling' was released on October 19, 2015 and while the song was a hit, the music video was panned by critics for a lack of substance and creativity. But are the critics wrong? Has Drake cleverly constructed an ironic performance music video to represent wider issues in the industry, or is it really just bad, plain and simple?
I believe this video is not a showcase of Drake's lack of effort, but instead a comment on how repetitive, mundane and lifeless the music industry has become. The video opens with a shot of a water cooler, immediately giving us connotations of an office-esque environment which is a quick shortcut to meaning as we can instantly associate such settings with dreariness and boredom. After this, we get several shots that pan quickly across rows of women dressed identically. This visual code shows a lack of diversity and represents the lack of individuality and freedom in the industry, as all these women are dressed the same and are working the same job, and in a work environment like this creativity cannot thrive. After this, we get our first shot of the artist himself as we see a wide shot of him in the middle of the screen. Enclosed in a frame within a frame, we can see this as symbolism of how Drake feels trapped and that this is a visualisation of the metaphorical box he's been put in, by others or perhaps through his own doing. Maybe the representation he has constructed over the years has become tired and Drake wishes to challenge or change that representation, a staple of performance music videos.
The name 'DRAKE' flashes across the screen and is swiftly followed by the name of the song 'HOTLINEBLING'. The way the name is repeated reinforces this idea of repetitiveness in the industry and the words too are trapped within this box that has been created through the use of lighting, unable to escape, or become anything more than what people have come to expect. This music video was directed by a man called Director X, and this video draws specific attention to this fact for a reason, whereas in another Drake song such as 'God's Plan' the director is not mentioned in the video. Director X is an incredibly accomplished director, not only of music videos for incredibly successful artists but (i kno when dat hotline bling) also feature films as well. Having directed over 100 music videos, it is clear that this is a man who knows the industry inside and out, and he has been referred to by name here for this reason. His involvement in this video suggests that its more about the industry itself than it is about the song, and the fact he is credited within the video reinforces this.
The camera slowly backs away from Drake in his frame as the lighting changes, cycling through colours as he dances with very little energy. This scene can be read as Drake being exhausted by performing in so many similar videos, having no energy left and being very restricted in his movement as well as his creative freedom. In the next sequence, we pan across the silhouettes of women dancing and the fact that they are silhouettes is incredibly interesting. Again, there is an idea of uniformity and lack of individuality here but perhaps more than that they represent the (to be continued..)