For those of you living under a rock, Drake is a very well-known rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and producer based out of Toronto. He first stepped on the scene playing Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian show “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” In 2009, Drake showcased his talent and passion for music with the release of his EP “So Far Gone” and his debut album, “Thank Me Later,” which premiered in 2010. Fast forward to today, when before Drake could even release his latest single, “Toosie Slide,” it had gone viral.
Drake is no stranger when it comes to releasing hit singles. Some way and somehow, he always gets it right. The stars align and whatever single he puts out quickly climbs the charts. When you look at singles he’s done without any features you have hits like:
— “Best I Ever Had” which landed him on everyone’s radar. This single took him from Aubrey Graham to Drake.
— “Over“
— “Find Your Love”
— The song everyone listens to while crying in the shower, “Marvins Room.”
— “Headlines”
— The controversial “Started From the Bottom”
— “The Language”
— “Hotline Bling“
— “Fake Love”
— “God’s Plan“
— “Nice for What“
Now, I mention these singles because when compared to “Toosie Slide,” they’re so much better. I don’t like every Drake song, but I’d prefer to listen to any of those on the list and then some before I listen to “Toosie Slide.” I personally feel like this song showcased how lazy and bored we are while self-isolating due to COVID-19.
There are so many more singles that Drake released such as “Mob Ties,” “Nonstop” and “In My Feelings” that have done so well for standalone tracks yet I can’t seem to wrap my head around how “Toosie Slide” receives the same accolades as the others.
Five days before release of “Toosie Slide,” Atlanta choreographer Toosie, along with dancers Key, Ayo and Teo, uploaded a video of themselves dancing to the unreleased song. In an interview with Genius, Toosie said Drake sent him the song before it was finished and the rapper wanted him to come up with a dance for it. There was a quick turnaround for the dance and while Drake was placing the final touches on the single, the song was already viral.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-VXI50lupi/
Before the song became more associated with the dance Toosie, Key, Ayo and Teo created, the song was about Michael Jackson and his iconic Moonwalk dance. This is a pretty obvious claim with the references made in the track, such as “Black leather glove, no sequins,” “buckles on the jacket” and, of course, “I could dance like Michael Jackson.”
Drake confirmed this in an Instagram Live stream, where he revealed that he originally wrote about Michael Jackson and his viral dance, not Toosie’s; see how the lyrics “right foot up, left foot slide, left foot up, right foot slide” apply just as well to the Moonwalk. However, he applauded Toosie and the rest of the group for creating a new dance and making the single their own.
Again, I do not like this song but I know me not liking the song won’t change the fact that it’s viral. I personally don’t like it because it’s boring. When you compare this track to his other, more successful singles, such as “Nice for What,” there’s no way “Toosie Slide” reigns supreme. The song simply isn’t good.
It seems like everyone is trying to go viral because that’s how you get noticed and open a lot of doors for yourself. For example, Toosie went on tour with Future as a dancer and now he has a song named after him. By Drake. In a way, the need to go viral is what’s wrong with the music industry and other industries today.
I’m not saying Drake doesn’t release good music because the man has an ear. He knows exactly when to release his music, especially when it came to the double-sided tape “Scorpion.” I wasn’t a fan of the entire album, but there were songs on there that I listen to today. Years from now, will I be listening to “Toosie Slide”? No. Absolutely not. It will not be played at my graduation party, cookout or wedding. It’s not good.
When it comes to viral songs, are they really good or do they sound good because a dance became associated with them? Most viral songs are in fact horrible, but because of the way society reacts to them, they climb the Billboard 100.
When you look at songs like “Toosie Slide,” you see that if a dance can be created from them, they will more than likely become viral. Along with Drake’s latest hit, you have songs like “Teach Me How to Dougie” by Cali Swag District, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) by Silento, “Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy, “Cat Daddy” by Rej3ctz, “Teach Me How to Jerk” by Audio Push and “Stanky Legg” by GS Boyz.
When you really analyze all the songs above, they’re trash. Simple. If a dance wasn’t created out of them then they wouldn’t have gotten the recognition they have now. Yes, I don’t like “Toosie Slide” and maybe it’s because the dance is too simple, but it could also be due to the fact that I’m tired of viral dance songs. Where is the real music that you can have a parked car conversation to, fall asleep to, do homework to and so on. It’s always the same song over and over again. Just a new dance.
Was I cranking that soulja boy, jerking, whipping, doing the nae nae, cat-daddying? Yes, I was doing all of that at 10 years old, but I’m 20 now. You will not see me on TikTok doing the next dance craze.
Drake needs to take his left up and right foot slide back into the studio to make better music.
I said what I said.
