Edward Russell
How do you deal with Pusha T unleashing an unmerciful attack on you in an already-infamous diss track? Apparently, according to hip-hop superstar Drake, the solution is to remind everyone that you were on a successful Canadian teen drama series in the 2000’s. Not that anyone ever really forgot – but, outside of a few lyrics referencing the show here and there, this is the first time Drake has acknowledged the show in such a prominent way since he left it.
The show in question is, of course, ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’, which Drake (or Aubrey Graham, as he was best known back then) starred in 7 seasons of, portraying the famously-wheelchair-bound character Jimmy. His latest music video, which is directed by Canadian filmmaker Karena Evans and is for his latest single ‘I’m Upset’, sees the rapper return to the high school that shares its name with the series, along with some fellow cast members from his era of the show. A particular gag involves a group of men chasing after Ephraim Ellis, whose character on the show, Rick, shot Jimmy in one of the series’ most widely-acknowledged scenes. Actor Jason Mewes and director Kevin Smith, who acted in several Degrassi episodes, make an appearance as well, reprising their characters ‘Jay’ and ‘Silent Bob’ (respectively), who were featured in numerous of Smith’s movies.
For a (slightly embarrassed) Degrassi fan such as myself, it’s hard not to enjoy the concept of the video alone, even if it’s a pretty obvious marketing ploy to hype up a new album. Drake recently announced a June 29th release date for said album – ‘Scorpion’ – on his Instagram, and shared an album cover along with it.
