Razor

Jaylen Razor
Professor James Dunham
English 1201
13 February, 2022
Hotline Bling

Hotline Bling was created by worldwide hip hop/r&b icon Drake released in 2015.
Drake originally from Canada has become well known in the United States where he resides.
Hotline Bling was the lead single from his 4th album “Views”. Hotline Bling reached number 2
on the US Billboard Hot 100 while also reaching number 3 in Canada and the United Kingdom.
This song was awarded favorite rap/hip hop song in 2015. Hotline Bling also won Best Rap Song
and Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2017 Grammys. This song is basically Drake talking
about his feelings and the situation he is in with a certain female. The difference between Drake’s
version and the remix by William Singe, is that William’s delivery was much more emotional
and connected deeper with listeners while Drake had a very vibrant and somewhat unemotional
delivery.
Drake’s Hotline Bling gave viewers and critics somewhat mixed perceptions. While the
lyrics give off the feeling of neglect and hurt pertaining to his feelings towards his ex, the music
video can give off a different vibe. Critics say the video emphasizes the physical traits of other
women Drake can have and the way he talks can be taken as far as him slut shaming his ex. This
critic continued to say that this concept can make you forget that his feelings got hurt. Others
view this hit as a perfect mix of melody and rhythm that makes you feel good about the music
while also allowing us to feel the real emotions behind the lyrics and allowing us to compare it to
our own relationships. Drake sampled the instrumental from Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t we
live together”. Although Drake hasn’t played into this theory or anything regarding this song
some believe that this song is referring back to an older relationship he had with a female in
Toronto, Canada. Zineb Samir, informally known as Nebby, had an on and off relationship with
Drake a few times. Proven by her Instagram page, she is never home and is always traveling to
exotic places while almost wearing nothing. Some say it is as if he made the song as he was
scrolling on her Instagram page. Whatever the case may be and whatever the critics have to say
this song will go down as one of the better ones to be created in this generation as Drake is
already perceived as an all time musical legend.
William Singe’s version of the song twists the view almost completely. Singe at the time
of the recording of the remix was already known well on Youtube for his song covers for artists
such as Ginuwine and Fetty Wap to name a few. Singe started off as an underground artist using
his instruments from his own personal studio and obviously his great singing talent. Most of the
music he covers are more upbeat hip hop music with a deeper emotional point of view but is
merely a shadow to the presentation/delivery of the song itself. He has expanded the music he
makes since blowing up from songs such as Hotline Bling. There isn’t much that he has said
about why he decided to cover Hotline Bling but he is a guy with deep emotions and has always
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loved music and loved interacting with it. Therefore we can form the perception that he saw an
opportunity and in my eyes made a hit even better.
The songs do not fall in the same musical style as Drake’s version falls into the pop
category and Singe’s version falls into the soulful section. The original is definitely upbeat while
the remix completely changes the beat and slows it down while adding softer sounding
instruments. More emotions are expressed in the remix as the delivery of the message is quite
clear that it is trying to connect with whoever is listening on a deeper emotional level while with
the original you are unsure of where that emotional connection is trying to be made or if it is
trying to be made at all. Both versions demonstrate one’s reflection on the past and basically the
song is supposed to be an example of how the artist feels about the situation with the way he
sounds, his emotions and his tone.
The audience for both versions does not differ, They hold the same perspective of
someone who is reminiscing about a past experience and they are vocalizing their emotions. The
audience can range from a lot of different minded individuals especially with the first version.
The second version slim’s down the amount of people who could be impacted but only by a
small margin. Both versions hold the same rhetorical appeals. Hotline Bling in both instances
uses pathos. From lyrics to delivery the Artist wants the audience to receive a message out of
emotion. The emotion is all in the lyrics as the video’s don’t necessarily drive that message
home. In fact Drake’s original video strays away from the message the lyrics are trying to get
across.
This song is a fan favorite and is a great example of two completely different ways of
getting a certain message across. Both Artists’ held their own point of view of the story being
told and how they wanted to deliver that message. With them not really commenting on real
inspirations as to why the songs are the way they are other than sampling, it keeps the audience
pondering one one simple question. What was the inspiration?
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Works Cited
William SInge. “Hotline Bling” Youtube, uploaded by William Singe Sep 24, 2015
https://youtu.be/EorwRJEHoIQ

Drake. “Hotline Bling'' Youtube, uploaded by Drake Oct 26, 2016

https://youtu.be/uxpDa-c-4Mc

Drake, “Hotline Bling” Genius, June, 2015

https://genius.com/Drake-hotline-bling-lyrics

William Singe, “Hotline Bling” Genius, September 29, 2015

https://genius.com/William-singe-hotline-bling-lyrics