Drake’s ‘Nokia’ Video Might Just Be A Step In The Right Direction

Emerging from the smoking wreckage of 2024, Drake has been frantically trying to right the ship after picking the wrong fight(s) last year. While his efforts to curtail the spread of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” onslaught through legal means seem like a case of “too little, too late,” Some Sexy Songs 4 U, his recently released joint album with Partynextdoor, seemingly put him back in good standing with his core fans. Meanwhile, the video for that album’s standout track, “Nokia,” might just be another step in the right direction.

Gone are the moody visuals and tough guy posturing of much of his For All The Dogs video output. Instead of pouting his way through a dystopian tableau or posing with Albanian mobsters, Drake puts on a lively show in the “Nokia” — albeit in cinematic grayscale, which honestly, might fit the theme for those of his fans old enough to remember playing Snake under the desk in class on their trusty gray brick phones.

Flanked by fleets of dancers evoking the dot matrix of those phones’ old two-color screens and bopping along like he doesn’t have a care in the world, Drake looks and sounds like he’s actually having fun again — which, lest we all forget, is when he’s usually at his best. Of particular note are the facts that he released the video via his “burner” YouTube, which could signify a reset for him, while the video itself was reportedly shot in IMAX, which is at least a cool tidbit that shows he’s still got grander visions for his career. The video also stars Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, proving Drake still has a few supporters in the league — in this case, an MVP candidate.

Perhaps he can bring this more upbeat vibe into his next project and shake off the funk from having his greatest rival thrash him during the biggest television event of the year.

Watch Drake’s “Nokia” video above.