A Break Down Of Hidden Messages

Shot In IMAX

One of the things Kendrick Lamar and pgLang co-founder Dave Free have been praised for is their creativity when it comes to music videos. They were rewarded for it at this past Grammys, one of the five awards that the smash hit diss song “Not Like Us” took home. Drake, on the other hand, has gotten mixed reviews for his visuals throughout his career.

“Nokia” opening with the signature IMAX logo was as much of a flex as staking his claim that he, too, could put together a visual that required more than one watch and in-depth thought. Even if he has made elaborate videos in the past, they’ve leaned more toward fun, humor, or surface-level storytelling than methodical symbolism. That is not a knock on him either; his videos, much like his music, have been successful due to being palatable and entertaining.

So again, while the IMAX logo was an indicator that he put forth a lot of money to bring the “Nokia” visual to life, it was also to show that he can do the same things that his counterparts have been lauded for. This will make even more sense when reading the rest of this list.

Six Owls On Top Of Phone Line

At this point, no one should have to explain the significance of the number 6 in Drake‘s life, but we will. He has popularly referred to his hometown of Toronto as “The 6” for over a decade, and it has caught on in pop culture. And then, of course, the owl is the logo for OVO (October’s Very Own) branding — as well as a sign of good luck.

Kendrick Lamar decided to use this against Drizzy in the July 2024 “Not Like Us” music video, showing an owl in a cage to show that he had tamed the animal flying freely throughout the music industry for all of these years. Over eight months later, his foe responded by showing six owls sitting freely atop a phone tower, which carries multiple meanings. One, he can neither be tamed nor caged.

Two, it calls back to his line on “The Heart Pt. 6” when he rapped, “I got your f**king lines tapped, I swear that I’m dialed in.” In that track, he claimed that he fed K. Dot’s camp false information about his secret daughter, the ozempic he used, and more, though a lot of people in the Hip-Hop community did not believe it. Nonetheless, even after being declared the loser, this also shows that he still believes that he is steps ahead of the Compton rapper, whether that be knowing his next move or just in terms of their stature.

Lastly, and possibly the biggest reach, is the concept of mortality that he touched on a few times in $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Drake experienced several people turning on him, and believes that they all wanted to see him “die.” What they do not know is, he’s got multiple lives. Typically, people say they have nine lives, playing on the folklore of cats. For Drizzy, this is him leaning into his Toronto culture by showing six owls. But could there be three missing because of the “losses” he has taken in his career?

He beat Meek Mill in 2015, but people learned via that battle that he’s worked with other writers before, which has cast a dark shadow over his status as a rapper to this day. He was pronounced the loser in his battles with Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar, but he is still standing. So, could the intentionally missing three owls be a nod to the idea that he has six lives left? Maybe, maybe not.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Cameo

Sometimes, when someone loses a friend, they want to show they are more than okay by flaunting a new one that either they or the world believes is better. One of Drake’s tertiary beefs over the last year was with DeMar DeRozan, a man he was once close with. He took the Toronto Raptors to their first conference finals, made multiple All-Star Games, and spent nine years with the franchise. Drizzy rapped about him multiple times and even invited him to his home to unload his feelings when the Raptors traded him to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018.

However, in the summer of 2024, DeRozan attended Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert, appeared in the “Not Like Us” music video, and became more public about their long-time friendship than ever before. Fast forward a few months, he and Drizzy were exchanging verbal jabs at a basketball game. So, who better for Drake to parade around than someone he also has a relationship with, but who also has authentic ties to Toronto? It may sound childish, but Drake has branded himself as “the petty king,” so what do you expect?

Let’s be honest: right now, you’d rather have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on your team than DeMar DeRozan. Some may go as far as to say you would rather be SGA than “Deebo.” The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar looks poised to win his first MVP award and possibly make the NBA Finals, while the Compton hooper is fighting to ensure the Sacramento Kings can make the play-in tournament. So, if there is any hooper to include in a music video right now, it is “Mr. Aura” himself.

Not to mention, SGA showed off his first signature shoe, the Converse SHAI 001, in the visual; Converse is notably a subsidiary of Nike, to whom Drake is signed. If DeRozan has a signature shoe, it has flown under the radar and not gained the popularity of other athletes’ footwear. This portion could’ve been a shot at Kendrick Lamar as well, who wore Converses in the “Not Like Us” music video. Kind of a “You just wear Converses; my bro and I have actual shoe lines within the companies.” It’s all up to interpretation, but showcasing the 26-year-old hooper and his shoes felt a bit deeper than just a regular celebrity cameo with a hometown spin.

Nokia ‘Snake’ Mobile Game

One common theme through Drake‘s career has been him rapping, or talking, about how you can’t trust anyone in the industry. He has had his fair share of enemies, but for the most part, it seemed like he had a mostly positive rapport due to the way he elevated Hip-Hop commercially and contributed to so many rappers’ careers. Yet, in 2024, the narrative completely flipped, and some of his greatest collaborators went at him. “Snakes in the grass,” as the common phrase goes.

One signature element of Nokia phones was the classic Snake mobile game. The premise is that the user controls a snake and maneuvers it around the screen to eat items that make it grow; the more the snake grows, the more careful the user has to be in moving it without either hitting a wall or itself. If either happens, the user loses and has to start over. Snake was all the rage before phones had the capabilities to carry Fortnite, Call Of Duty, and NBA 2k.

In one scene in the music video, Drizzy dances through a hallway while the Snake video game is played on the walls surrounding him. This is meant to signify that he has had, and still has, people around him who can’t be trusted. Kendrick Lamar said as much on “6:16 In LA,” but it wasn’t a new concept because the Toronto rapper had been saying that for years.

It is especially funny that he is dancing in the scene, rather than being consumed by the snakes surrounding him. The message is a bit conflicting because he has talked about them so often and can’t seem to fully move on from the events of 2024, but he is more focused on having fun and not showing any wounds from his multiple battles. Yes, this isn’t a “hidden message” that requires too much thought, but if you weren’t looking for anything deeper than him leaning into characteristics of the classic mobile phone, then you still might have missed it.

His Super Bowl

So, to update the timeline: Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. The following year, Drake and J. Cole said that their “First Person Shooter” collaboration was as big as the Super Bowl. K. Dot went on to defeat the Toronto superstar in their rap battle several months later, catapulting his career to an unforeseen level, to the point where he was given a solo set at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. And, during his performance, he dissed his foe once again. Oh, also, we learned throughout all of the discourse that Drizzy may have been offered a Super Bowl halftime set in the past, but turned it down. Did we get everything?

This particular scene in the “Nokia” video does draw some parallels to Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show set. The white floor, being surrounded by women, dancing in the middle of the formation. Is it Drake saying his career and life are equivalent to the coveted Super Bowl slot? Is it him saying he can recreate the moment on his own and do it better? Is it a shot to say that the Compton rapper only got that recognition because of him, so while people were looking at Lamar, they were thinking of Drake? That’s what it seems like, and that last point isn’t completely off-base.

The Handshake

In the “Not Like Us” music video, Kendrick Lamar daps up DeMar DeRozan and Dave Free. The DeRozan dap was familial but quick; Free’s dap was a bit longer and more intimate. The camera is zoomed out to show all of their torsos and a lot of what is in the background.

In the “Nokia” music video, Drake fully zooms in on his hand and whomever he is exchanging a handshake with. Their dap feels more emphatic and tighter, with the camera locking in on the final phase where they lock fingers. Throughout the beef, while Lamar tried to suggest that Drizzy had moles in his camp, Drake said the same about him, specifically Free possibly being the real father of one of his children.

This handshake feels symbolic of him reasserting that his ties with the people in his circle are stronger than people think they are. As cocky as he has been throughout his career, he has always expressed undying love for his brothers and so by not showing any of their faces or outfits in the camera, it very well could be conveying a message that his love is not selfish and no ego or outside forces can break the bonds between them.

Talking On Phone

Throughout the rap beef, Drake pointed out multiple times how other people call the shots in Kendrick Lamar’s career: Dave Free, Anthony Saleh, Kojo, Taylor Swift, and more. There’s a scene in the “Not Like Us” music video where Free is talking on a cell phone, and it seems like the 6 God wanted to respond to that in the “Nokia” music video.

As the beat switches, he is surrounded by women dancing and puts a large phone to his ear. This could perhaps be a symbol of him calling the shots in his career and having no handler. It also could be him reminding Lamar and his foes that he has been focused on, and excels at, activating the women. When he says the first of many “Babygirl” chants throughout the song, a woman looks at him out of the corner of her eye while smiling and waiting to hear what he has to say.

His relationships with women have been critiqued a lot over the last year, but through it all, many have remained loyal to him and the reason why “Nokia” and $ome $exy $ongs 4 U have achieved the success that they have.

Women/Choreography

This isn’t exactly a hidden message because women are front and center throughout the project, but again, it was more intentional than just giving viewers eye candy. Drake‘s culture has been questioned throughout his career, hailing from Toronto but dominating within the United States. The conversation, unfortunately, reveals a lot of ignorance because a simple trip or Google search reveals how cultured Toronto is.

In one scene, women don the signature outfits worn at Caribana every year to display one aspect of Toronto’s heavy Carribean presence. In another scene, a woman walks through a miniature figurine of the city like Godzilla which is two-fold: it shows his reverence for women, which was also called into question last year, and is a reminder that he has been able to run Toronto and music as a whole because of his strong female fanbase.

There are also primarily Black women in the music video, which isn’t new for him if you look back at “In My Feelings” or “Nice For What,” but the timing of this following Lamar saying he hates the women Drake has sex with could not be a coincidence. Lastly, this is probably the most choreographed visual he has ever put out, and it is the women at the helm of that. Perhaps another jab at the Super Bowl performance and Lamar’s visuals in showing that Drake can do what Lamar does and, in his mind, make it better and more fun.

Grayscale/Black & White Color Scheme

There is a short but notable scene in the “Not Like Us” music video where Kendrick Lamar stands next to a dancer while a man in a ski mask tries to approach him from behind before being sent away with the wind; the scene is also shot in grayscale. Many believe this was a reference to Drake‘s Dark Lane Demo Tapes album cover but also a shot at him not being the tough guy he presents himself as.

The Toronto superstar seemingly tried his version of “You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song” and made the entire “Nokia” music video be in grayscale, or Black and white if you prefer that. These colors are often used to represent simplicity but are doubly used in older films and in modern media that is attempting to be “artsy.”

This could very well be Drake trolling both that scene in the “Not Like Us” music video and Lamar’s overall artistic label that he has been given and lauded for. He essentially put a cinematic feel on a music video that did not “require” it, showing he can do the fun stuff mixed with tasteful content for the eye when need be.

Valley Football/HotMoms.Com

This one is a bit deeper than rap. Last year, Kendrick Lamar made his first public appearance following the beef by making a speech at Compton College’s commencement ceremony. And who does their rival college happen to be in football? Los Angeles Valley College.

Drake sported one of their hoodies in the “Nokia” video, signaling that he still views Lamar as his opponent in a deeper way than just saying it out loud. Some may critique doing so in the music video for a track catered to the women, but the father of one has constantly included subtle jabs at his foes in all types of records, so this is par for the course. The fact that it was a football hoodie may also lend more credence to him downplaying Kendrick’s presence within the NFL over the last few years.

The sweatshirt also has a link to HotMoms.com under the Valley Football text. When accessing the website, it simply reads “Cumming Soon.” We’ll update you on what that ends up being. However, it also could be a counter to the claims that he was a pedophile last year.

Drizzy denied the allegations on “The Heart Pt. 6,” and a large part of his defamation case against Universal Music Group is denying the defamatory comments against him under oath. With both of those in mind, the link could simply be him reiterating that he prefers MILFs and does not engage with underaged women in a silly way knowing that his previous attempts at serious denials via the music were not well received.