Last week, music superstar Drake surprised fans worldwide when he dropped a video for his song “I’m Upset.” It was most widely circulated because it reunited the cast of “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” the hit Canadian television series that gave Drake then known as Aubrey Graham his start.
But does video pay tribute to more than that One scene closely mirrors the work of Donald Glover in his latest critically acclaimed hit, “This Is America.”
On the series Drake’s character was shot by a fellow student, who was white, during a school shooting. In the new video the character, Rick, is seen turning down a corner in a panic. He quickly realizes he made a wrong turn and keeps running, petrified, as he is being chased by a group of Black men down the hall. Like most of the video, the scene takes place in the halls of Degrassi, but none of the men appear to be actors from the show.
The scene visually resembles one of the closing scenes in Glover’s video, when he is being chased by a group of angry people.
It hasn’t been confirmed that this was the intention. But given director Karena Evans’ rsum, it is in the realm of possibility that she’d pay homage to Glover.
The 22-year-old Black woman directed the video for Garden,” a song featuring Glover. And in 2016 she directed a documentary about Black Lives Matter.
This isn’t the first time she’s worked with Drake; the young director also directed the videos for God’s Plan” and Nice For What.”
And the young director is already breaking barriers. Earlier this year she became the first woman to receive The Lipsett Prize, one of Canada’s highest honors for music direction.
Additionally, Nice For What” received glowing reviews as a testament to women particularly Black women. Essence reported:
From ballerina Misty Copeland to the rapper Syd, each new frame of the video brought a delightful surprise of another black woman icon. The video also included Insecure” creator Issa Rae, actress Rashida Jones, model Jourdan Dunn, actress Tracee Ellis Ross, comedian Tiffany Haddish, actress (and Harvard-bound) Yara Shahidi, actress Zoe Saldana, model-twins Elizabeth and Victoria Lejonhjrta, and Black Panther” actress Letitia Wright among others.
Whether the shot is a quiet shout out to Glover and the state of America or simply a revenge scene against the guy who shot Drake during his acting days, one thing is indisputable: Evans’ production exudes Black girl magic.
Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, who reprised her role as Liberty in Drake’s video, honored Evans on her Instagram page after the video dropped:
