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DRAKE DRAWS BLOOD WITH “MOBILE MOVIE”

Drake’s Views has already transformed the modern marketplace with its sheer level of magnitude in streaming power, not to mention raw sales with 1.5m this year and vinyl releases being readied at retail. The superstar’s presence on the radio is equally ubiquitous (he’s currently #1 at Rhythm with “Too Good” featuring Rihanna), and he’s in the midst of a world tour, sponsored by Apple Music, of course.

Now, Views gets visuals.

Up now on Apple Music is the 21½ minute “mobile movie” Please Forgive Me, a companion piece “inspired” by Views, which debuted late 9/25 or early 9/26 (depending on your time zone).

Conceptualized by Drake, directed by Anthony Mandler and produced by Apple Music Head of Content Larry Jackson, Please Forgive Me stars Drake and co-stars Popcaan (employing full patwa dialect) and the gorgeous Fanny Neguesha. It puts the Canadian superstar inside a complicated, violent love story set inside the culturally vibrant and exotic backdrop of Africa, where roots of Drake’s island-centric Views vibes can be traced to, and informs the storyline by weaving sections of the actual songs in and out of the action.

Much like what Beyoncé achieved with Lemonade, this film gives dramatic visual context and compelling backstory to the human drama already fully embedded in Drake’s music. Plus, the film contains two insanely staged dance sequences (“filmed at 4am in Soweto,” Jackson said) that will immediately function as complete music videos for his #1 hits “One Dance” and “Controlla,” along with a third visual for the forthcoming single, "Hype."

Drake and his alliance with Apple Music have consistently reinvented the music space and set new standards for how music is released, consumed and presented—from the pastel-toned boogie dance of the “Hotline Bling” video to the OVO Sound Radio Show on Beats 1 to The Summer Sixteen Tour and now Please Forgive Me, they have all broken new ground. Even the product placement here is subtle, but it’s present—that familiar ding of a text message. Or a crucial plot point where things take a bad turn, communicated over FaceTime.

And it goes without saying that every time Drake releases a visual, it becomes a moment in itself. Think about the endless parade of memes around the cover art from Views—Toronto’s world champion, perched way up on the edge of the CN Tower, with his tiny legs dangling over the side. There were entire websites dedicated to it.

Drake is the biggest star in the world right now and has reached a critical mass that brings with it things like millions of teenage girl fans in a swarm of new audience, but Please Forgive Me is for grown-ups. It’s sexy and violent; it’s Drake With Guns. The pivot is easily handled by the star, who was an actor long before he became a rapper. Its timing is a calculated risk—but that could be key to this piece becoming a “must see” moment. It also means it could drive Apple Music subscriptions and, in the long run, become the type of buzzy content that gives the service unique value.

#PleaseForgiveMe — A Film Inspired by The Album Views. Available now only on @applemusic.

A video posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on

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