Grammy-award winning rappers, Drake and 21 Savage, released the music video for “Spin Bout U” from their joint album “Her Loss” on Feb. 24. Since airing, the video has received over 10 million views on YouTube, coupled with countless mixed reviews across all platforms. 

Precious Lee, one of the few curve models to work with a large fashion house,  is the leading woman and antagonist of the video, successfully deceiving the rappers into letting her board their yacht. Posing as a “damsel in distress,” Lee schemes an entourage of women onto the vessel to ambush Drake and 21 Savage, where weapons are stolen, helicopters are thrusted into the sea and explosions are set off. The rappers end up in the water, leaving Lee’s crew the victors and the musical stars, helpless. 

The music video garnered a rollercoaster of reactions from its viewers, raising questions about its creative vision and content relevance. 

“I’m not sure why there was a whole montage sexualizing Precious when they saved her,” freshman Kameron Mentis commented. “I think the video might have been catered to female empowerment in the end but it fell short. But male gaze, I guess.” 

In 2021, Drake launched an album trilogy, with “Certified Lover Boy” and “Honestly, Nevermind” the following year. 

“Drake is still trying to balance fame, intimacy, ambition, and insecurity and he’s still learning who to trust,” said Pitchfork” writer Matthew Strauss in an album review. With knowledge on the passionate way he approaches music, some fans can piece together how “Spin Bout U” reflects Drake’s view when it comes to love. 

“I read one comment under the video that said something along the lines of ‘men always pouring their hearts out to women, and they are left with nothing but emptiness and are not willing to be in another relationship’,” freshman Eriyan Davis said. “That point of view could be valid, but I feel like if that is something Drake really wanted to focus on in the video he could’ve taken a different approach with the narrative.”

Drake’s most recent album have reminded fans of his previous sound from projects like “Nothing Was the Same” and “More Life”, allowing them to revel in the nostalgia of the “Spin Bout U” track. The video, though, contradicts the single’s romantic lyrical flow of the actual song. Multiple scenes, including when a jarring, black heart is tattooed on 21 Savage’s forehead, exhibit the antithesis between love and lust present within the song and its accompanying video. 

Fortunately for Drake and 21 Savage, the conflicting motifs work in their favor, because oftentimes according to the music industry, sex sells, love does not.