Canadian megastar Aubrey “Drake” Graham and American rapper Jermaine “J. Cole” Cole continue their bromance in the game with montage-style visuals of their hit single “First Person Shooter”. With the song being of historic Billboard significance in both of their careers (Cole’s first number one and Drake’s song to tie with Michael Jackson on the chart’s history), the music video pays homage to the doyens of various industries while still poking fun at classic online moments and memes.
Directed by Gibson Hazard, the music video takes on the shape of a slide show with a touch of magical realism, with the ultimate theme being the ongoing battle for the spot of who the true GOAT is in the game. The most notable aspect of the short film is the slick way meme culture is enveloped in the song’s lyrical references.
The Office’s Kevin (also played by Brian Baumgartner in the music video) makes a cameo in the beginning but as interim manager. His office is peppered with markers synonymous with Drake’s career, such as a calendar signalling that the date is the 6th of October, conjuring up OVO’s head honcho’s stance as the 6 God. On the other side of the workplace, the rappers are engaged in a heated ping-pong game, with the quickfire rally going on until the office walls fall away and become a stadium packed with spectators.
The second major transition sees the Toronto and North Carolina stars recreate online classics on top of Cole’s scintillating verse. The first vignette is the Messi-Ronald picture of them deadlocked in a chess game, keeping in step with the song being a clash between two of the most influential artists of their generation, much like how Ronaldo and Messi have been the best players in the football world since their dominance in 2008.
The Spider-Man meme of the character pointing at another Spider-Man also makes an appearance, with the pair partially wearing the costumes (“The Spider-Man meme is me looking at Drake”). The music video touching on the meme picks up the baton from the Messi-Ronaldo recreation, and also calls the viewer to ponder J. Cole’s lyrics in “Middle Child”, where he spoke about his rapport with Drake, citing that “they act like two legends cannot co-exist.”
The late king of pop, MJ, is slotted into the visuals, with Drizzy reimagining the “Billie Jean” music video. As if that were not obvious enough, he dons a bejewelled white glove (believed to be Michael’s), thus not breaking character. From mimicking his spinning dance move to unveiling a skyscraper statue of himself, the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker uses every chance in the visuals before the song ends to stunt on his naysayers.
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