That's not true. Lots of black kids I knew growing up watched it. We use to discuss the episodes at school.
Drake : I'm Upset video
- Thread starter rage
- Start date
-
- Tags
- music video
Patrice was calling himself a dinosaur back in 2012. I think women would've really came for him. Not that he would've given a fuck, but I do think he would've just not wanted to play this game anymore. Plus they would've played up his rape charge.
Same lol.
that rape charge was fucked up....
at age sixteen patrice and his boy had consensual sex with a girl that was fifteen...
one of his other boys found out and told the girl that if he dont get a blow job, he gonna blow up her spot and tell everybody what she did, she gave him a blow job...
and afterwards felt some kind of way so she said everyone raped herr..
patrice case was proven to be consensual, but he did time over a technicality, because he was sixteen and she was fifteen, he was sentenced for statutory rape...
OH, I know the case well. Dumb ass judge used them as an example. It's really fucked up because the consequences made his homie go insane.
Now with that said, do you think the people who would bring it up would give context or be nuanced? Nope.
Last edited:
Lol I'm upset
if by people you mean the me too movementers, context? nah that would defeat their purpose.
Liberty looking nice too
She a DJ now
Netflix now airing Degrassi Next Class or whatever its called now..
Meh...
Not impressed....
I mean, the nigga wasn't even upset in the video, and that's the name of the song
Well played sir.
Boom
Among black kids, no it wasn't.
I watched it some, but never talked about it with anyone...and it wasn't that big of a deal to me. I watched a lot of dumb shit on tv that meant nothing to me.
A cult following doesn't make something popular. Most black people have never heard of Dr Who or Degrassi.
I watched Degrassi for a while
The video is cool
Song makes no sense really
But also he still holding that l
The video is cool
Song makes no sense really
But also he still holding that l
Drake's "Degrassi" Reunion For "I'm Upset" Came Together In Less Than A Week
By Aron A.
Aron A.
HNHH staff since July 31, 2017
View profile " style="box-sizing: inherit; position: absolute; border-radius: 3px; padding: 5px; visibility: hidden; opacity: 0; z-index: 2; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 5px 10px; border: 4px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; transition: all 0.5s;">
June 14, 2018 20:50
883 Views
24
14
" style="box-sizing: inherit; flex-shrink: 0; width: 740px; height: 530px; position: relative;">
SHARE PICTURE
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
14
Drake apparently shot the video over the weekend.
Drake came out of hiding last night after being on the receiving end of Pusha T's scathing, "The Story Of Adidon" diss track. While many were hoping for a response, it's clear that J. Prince put that to a halt so Drake's simply back to rolling out his forthcoming album, Scorpion. Last night, he released the video for "I'm Upset." While the song itself received luke-warm reviews, Drake stans were excited on the fact that he brought the cast of Degrassi together for a "high school reunion." While some may have thought that this was done months prior to his back-and-forth with Push, it looks like he actually shot the video this last weekend.
TMZ recently spoke to Shane Kippel, who played Spinner, and Ephraim Ellis, who played the role of Rick. The two of them revealed that the video shoot was only planned within a week. In addition, the video was only shot this past weekend.
"We literally shot this video from the 8th to 10th," Kippel said. Ellis added, "Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I'm surprised the video came out this fast."
Both of them revealed they only had a few days notice for the shoot as Drake's team only reached out the week prior.
It's definitely a big moment for any Degrassi fans from back in the day. But it's also a big moment for both actors involved. Ellis admitted that he hadn't seen Drake since they shot the episode where he left Drizzy in a wheelchair. Kippel said that he and Drake talk on social media every once in a while but they haven't seen each other in five years. Drake didn't only confront the same topic that most critics try to hold against with the "I'm Upset" video but he also reunited with several people that watched him grow into the superstar he is today.
By Aron A.
Aron A.
HNHH staff since July 31, 2017
View profile " style="box-sizing: inherit; position: absolute; border-radius: 3px; padding: 5px; visibility: hidden; opacity: 0; z-index: 2; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 5px 10px; border: 4px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; transition: all 0.5s;">
June 14, 2018 20:50
883 Views
24
14
" style="box-sizing: inherit; flex-shrink: 0; width: 740px; height: 530px; position: relative;">
SHARE PICTURE
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
14
Drake apparently shot the video over the weekend.
Drake came out of hiding last night after being on the receiving end of Pusha T's scathing, "The Story Of Adidon" diss track. While many were hoping for a response, it's clear that J. Prince put that to a halt so Drake's simply back to rolling out his forthcoming album, Scorpion. Last night, he released the video for "I'm Upset." While the song itself received luke-warm reviews, Drake stans were excited on the fact that he brought the cast of Degrassi together for a "high school reunion." While some may have thought that this was done months prior to his back-and-forth with Push, it looks like he actually shot the video this last weekend.
TMZ recently spoke to Shane Kippel, who played Spinner, and Ephraim Ellis, who played the role of Rick. The two of them revealed that the video shoot was only planned within a week. In addition, the video was only shot this past weekend.
"We literally shot this video from the 8th to 10th," Kippel said. Ellis added, "Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I'm surprised the video came out this fast."
Both of them revealed they only had a few days notice for the shoot as Drake's team only reached out the week prior.
It's definitely a big moment for any Degrassi fans from back in the day. But it's also a big moment for both actors involved. Ellis admitted that he hadn't seen Drake since they shot the episode where he left Drizzy in a wheelchair. Kippel said that he and Drake talk on social media every once in a while but they haven't seen each other in five years. Drake didn't only confront the same topic that most critics try to hold against with the "I'm Upset" video but he also reunited with several people that watched him grow into the superstar he is today.
'DEGRASSI' ACTOR DANIEL CLARKI'M REALLY UPSET!!!I Was Left Out of Drake's Reunion Music Vid
1.1K
82
6/14/2018 2:22 PM PDT
'Degrassi' Star Daniel Clark is 'Upset' Over Drake Music Video Snub
EXCLUSIVE
THANKS FOR THE INVITE, GUYSTMZ.com
Daniel Clark -- best known for playing Sean Cameron on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" -- isn't feeling the love after missing out on a cameo in Drake's new music vid ... and is clueless why he didn't get the invite.
Daniel tells TMZ ... he found out about the surprise 'Degrassi' cast reunion with Drake, aka Jimmy Brooks, in his "I'm Upset" video just like the rest of us did Wednesday night when it was released. He says nobody ever reached out to him.
He says he's shocked because about 20 of his former costars made the cut. For the record, Daniel would definitely have accepted an invitation, and tells us the cast is "like family." Or so he thought.
His positive spin on it is ... everyone looks great in the vid, and he's happy for his former costars and 'Degrassi' fans who get to see their favorite characters again.
It just stings he wasn't one of them ... and now he's still wondering why.
1.1K
82
6/14/2018 2:22 PM PDT
'Degrassi' Star Daniel Clark is 'Upset' Over Drake Music Video Snub
EXCLUSIVE
THANKS FOR THE INVITE, GUYSTMZ.com
Daniel Clark -- best known for playing Sean Cameron on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" -- isn't feeling the love after missing out on a cameo in Drake's new music vid ... and is clueless why he didn't get the invite.
Daniel tells TMZ ... he found out about the surprise 'Degrassi' cast reunion with Drake, aka Jimmy Brooks, in his "I'm Upset" video just like the rest of us did Wednesday night when it was released. He says nobody ever reached out to him.
His positive spin on it is ... everyone looks great in the vid, and he's happy for his former costars and 'Degrassi' fans who get to see their favorite characters again.
It just stings he wasn't one of them ... and now he's still wondering why.
Drake’s ‘I’m Upset’ Video Was ‘The Reunion We’ve Always Wanted,’ Says ‘Degrassi’ Cast
By Karen Bliss
@karen_bliss
Karen Bliss
@karen_blissFOLLOW
Karen's Most Recent Stories
Drake’s former castmates from “Degrassi: The Next Generation” had a blast reuniting for his latest video, “I’m Upset,” shot this past weekend in downtown Toronto from the Air Canada Centre, where the rap star’s beloved Raptors play basketball, in addition to the Degrassi set in north Toronto, where the long-running teen drama still films.
He released the video Wednesday night and it already has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.
From 2001 to 2009, Drake, then known by his birth name Aubrey Graham, played Jimmy Brooks in the series, a rich kid who ends up in a wheelchair after getting shot.
He appeared in over 100 episodes (145 according to IMDB, some credit only), and again in “Degrassi: Minis” (2005-2007). He also released his first mixtape, “Room For Improvement,” in 2007.
For the video, directed by recent Prism Prize winner Karena Evans (“God’s Plan,” “Nice For What”), Drake — inexplicably sleeping on a bed at the Raptors’ centre court at the ACC — gets a calendar reminder on his phone about a high school reunion and sets out in his yellow Ferrari with Shane Kippel (a.k.a. Jimmy’s friend Spinner) as his passenger.
RELATED
Watch Drake Return to ‘Degrassi’ in ‘I’m Upset’ Video
Drake Adds 11 Dates to North American Tour With Migos
Turns out it’s for the class of 2007 at Degrassi Community School. “Welcome Back,” reads the sign, and the party and mayhem ensues.
“There was no acting going on in that video,” Jake Epstein, who played Craig Manning, a photographer turned rocker and one of Jimmy’s best friends, tells Variety. “It was truly a reunion of great friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Drake’s team and Karena did a fantastic job of orchestrating the whole thing.”
“It was the most incredible and layered experience,” adds Kippel. “An homage to the show that shaped all of our careers. … Unforgettable.”
“Degrassi” executive producer Stephen Stohn, who last saw Drake at the Juno Awards in 2010, popped into the set for an hour to see everyone on Sunday. His wife, Linda Schuyler, created the long-running franchise in 1979, and he just released a book titled “Whatever It Takes: Life Lessons from ‘Degrassi’ and Elsewhere in the World of Music and Television.”
“Back in the day, working with all these wonderful talented people was the highlight of my life; and to revisit those times, and meet up on set with them again, has been an awesome dream come true,” Stohn tells Variety.
Besides Kippel, the video pulls together Stacey Farber, Adamo Ruggiero, Andrea Lewis, Lauren Collins, Melissa McIntyre, LinLyn Lue, Epstein, Christina Schmidt, Stefan Brogren, Ephraim Ellis, Jake Goldsbie, Marc Donato, Dalmar Abuzeid, A.J. Saudin, Miriam McDonald, Cassie Steele, Nina Dobrev, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, Paula Brancati, and even Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (cameos as pot dealers Jay and Silent Bob).
“It was the reunion we’ve always wanted, and we were thrilled to do it with our old friend,” Collins, who played the bisexual Paige Michalchuk on “Degrassi: The Next Generation” who once kissed Jimmy, tells Variety. “Truly the best night — thank you Aubrey, and thank you to the unbelievably dedicated fans of our show.”
Says Ruggiero, who played Marco Del Rossi, a gay teen and the best friend of Epstein’s character: “Drake brought us all back together on our home turf. And there is no better way to celebrate a high school reunion.”
“We laughed; we cried; we had the best time,” says McDonald, who was the main protagonist Emma Nelson on the show: “I am so proud of how far each of us came from when we first walked those hallways 17 years ago.”
Adds Nina Dobrev, who played teen mom Mia Jones: “Getting to roam the halls of Degrassi after over a decade was surreal and bittersweet. Couldn’t be more grateful to Aubrey for reuniting us one final time as adults and throwing the party that our teenage selves could only have dreamt of. We’ve come a long way brother… love you.”
Drake’s new album, “Scorpion,” drops June 29.
By Karen Bliss
@karen_bliss
Karen Bliss
@karen_blissFOLLOW
Karen's Most Recent Stories
- Drake’s ‘I’m Upset’ Video Was ‘The Reunion We’ve Always Wanted,’ Says ‘Degrassi’ Cast
- Canadian Music Week: Toronto Producers and Beat-Makers to Know
- CMW: Nine Canadian Arena Acts That Aren’t Drake
Drake’s former castmates from “Degrassi: The Next Generation” had a blast reuniting for his latest video, “I’m Upset,” shot this past weekend in downtown Toronto from the Air Canada Centre, where the rap star’s beloved Raptors play basketball, in addition to the Degrassi set in north Toronto, where the long-running teen drama still films.
He released the video Wednesday night and it already has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.
From 2001 to 2009, Drake, then known by his birth name Aubrey Graham, played Jimmy Brooks in the series, a rich kid who ends up in a wheelchair after getting shot.
He appeared in over 100 episodes (145 according to IMDB, some credit only), and again in “Degrassi: Minis” (2005-2007). He also released his first mixtape, “Room For Improvement,” in 2007.
For the video, directed by recent Prism Prize winner Karena Evans (“God’s Plan,” “Nice For What”), Drake — inexplicably sleeping on a bed at the Raptors’ centre court at the ACC — gets a calendar reminder on his phone about a high school reunion and sets out in his yellow Ferrari with Shane Kippel (a.k.a. Jimmy’s friend Spinner) as his passenger.
RELATED
Watch Drake Return to ‘Degrassi’ in ‘I’m Upset’ Video
Drake Adds 11 Dates to North American Tour With Migos
Turns out it’s for the class of 2007 at Degrassi Community School. “Welcome Back,” reads the sign, and the party and mayhem ensues.
“There was no acting going on in that video,” Jake Epstein, who played Craig Manning, a photographer turned rocker and one of Jimmy’s best friends, tells Variety. “It was truly a reunion of great friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Drake’s team and Karena did a fantastic job of orchestrating the whole thing.”
“It was the most incredible and layered experience,” adds Kippel. “An homage to the show that shaped all of our careers. … Unforgettable.”
“Degrassi” executive producer Stephen Stohn, who last saw Drake at the Juno Awards in 2010, popped into the set for an hour to see everyone on Sunday. His wife, Linda Schuyler, created the long-running franchise in 1979, and he just released a book titled “Whatever It Takes: Life Lessons from ‘Degrassi’ and Elsewhere in the World of Music and Television.”
“Back in the day, working with all these wonderful talented people was the highlight of my life; and to revisit those times, and meet up on set with them again, has been an awesome dream come true,” Stohn tells Variety.
Besides Kippel, the video pulls together Stacey Farber, Adamo Ruggiero, Andrea Lewis, Lauren Collins, Melissa McIntyre, LinLyn Lue, Epstein, Christina Schmidt, Stefan Brogren, Ephraim Ellis, Jake Goldsbie, Marc Donato, Dalmar Abuzeid, A.J. Saudin, Miriam McDonald, Cassie Steele, Nina Dobrev, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, Paula Brancati, and even Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (cameos as pot dealers Jay and Silent Bob).
“It was the reunion we’ve always wanted, and we were thrilled to do it with our old friend,” Collins, who played the bisexual Paige Michalchuk on “Degrassi: The Next Generation” who once kissed Jimmy, tells Variety. “Truly the best night — thank you Aubrey, and thank you to the unbelievably dedicated fans of our show.”
Says Ruggiero, who played Marco Del Rossi, a gay teen and the best friend of Epstein’s character: “Drake brought us all back together on our home turf. And there is no better way to celebrate a high school reunion.”
“We laughed; we cried; we had the best time,” says McDonald, who was the main protagonist Emma Nelson on the show: “I am so proud of how far each of us came from when we first walked those hallways 17 years ago.”
Adds Nina Dobrev, who played teen mom Mia Jones: “Getting to roam the halls of Degrassi after over a decade was surreal and bittersweet. Couldn’t be more grateful to Aubrey for reuniting us one final time as adults and throwing the party that our teenage selves could only have dreamt of. We’ve come a long way brother… love you.”
Drake’s new album, “Scorpion,” drops June 29.
Drake Pulls The Nostalgia Card: Two 'Degrassi' Fans Dissect The Video For 'I'm Upset'
June 14, 20182:32 PM ET
STEFANIE FERNÁNDEZ
Twitter
SIDNEY MADDEN
YouTube
Late Wednesday night, Drake — being Drake — released the video for "I'm Upset," a song that was really just OKuntil he dressed it up with a long-awaited reunion of the original cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, the much-beloved Canadian teen drama on which the rapper played Jimmy Brooks from 2001 to 2007, a basketball star whose life changed after being shot and paralyzed (more on this later). This perfectly timed reunion video arrived in tandem with the 6ix God's announcement that Scorpion, his fifth studio album, will be released June 29.
In the video, Drake — or is he Jimmy? — wakes up next to a sleeping woman in the middle of the Toronto Raptors home court, clearly late to something. While choosing a suit to wear, we see none other than Jimmy's best friend Gavin "Spinner" Mason (Shane Kippel) join him, before they drive off in a Ferrari to a Degrassi Community School reunion, filmed on location in Toronto.
We also see the return of cheerleader Paige (Lauren Collins), goth girl Ellie (Stacey Farber), lovable Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), empowered-yet-insecure Manny (Cassie Steele), troubled musician Craig (Jake Epstein), teen mom and model Mia (Nina Dobrev), Jimmy's ex-girlfriends Hazel (Andrea Lewis) and Ashley (Melissa McIntyre), and even Rick (Ephram Ellis), who shot Jimmy. In one of the most hilarious scenes of the visual, Rick is chased down the halls by Drake's OVO crew. School principal Mr. Simpson — a.k.a. Snake, for those who watched the original Degrassi in the late '80s — buys a strain of marijuana called "The Cr***** Jimmy" from Jay and Silent Bob, the Kevin Smith characters that inexplicably had a story line on season four of The Next Generation, in which they were filming the fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? None of them have aged a day.
absent from social media for about a week after a beef with Pusha T, Drake dropped this video out of nowhere late last night, reuniting nearly the entire cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Let's start with our initial reactions to the video. My initial reaction was, 'Damn, this cast has aged really well!'
Stefanie: Paige and Marco look the same!
Sidney: I want Marco's skin regimen. And Liberty's glow up?! It was funny to see which characters were still friends — Jimmy and Spinner, Emma and Manny.
Stefanie: I always loved Emma's and Manny's friendship, and I agree about Liberty — I'm glad they didn't keep her as just the teen mom.
The lyrics of the song play off of their old relationships in the show; I noticed that when Drake says, "Getting pictures from my ex," it flashes to a shot of Hazel. (She and Jimmy dated for almost three seasons.) And, "Wanna waste half a million / be my guest"? He just did that with this reunion. I'm not upset.
Sidney: They kept lots of little character moments like that. I appreciate how Connorgot a nice slow-mo moment while walking into the reunion. Yet another impeccable glow up.
Stefanie: I did not recognize Connor! Talk about getting hot in college.
Let's address Jay and Silent Bob's cameo — my favorite cameo of the video. It was always incredibly cool that Degrassi had a Jay and Silent Bob storyline in season four. Everyone made fun of Degrassi, but they managed to include Jay and Silent Bob's '90s Clerks clout.
Dealing to Mr. Simpson, a.k.a. Snake, was a great way to bring them back. "Noice noice noice noice."
Sidney: But I think the best cameo of the video goes to Rick. Drake's OVO boys chasing Rick down the hall, looking for revenge for what he did to Jimmy, is genius.
Stefanie: I loved that moment, but aside from the hilariousness of it, it felt incredibly bold to bring up a school shooting in a Drake video; at the end of the video when we hear a loud bang, I thought that was were it was headed, instead of a fire.
Sidney: Degrassi always took it there: Shootings. Teen pregnancy. Adderall addiction. Eating disorders. Abusive parents. Cyber-bullying. There was a lot going on at that school.
Stefanie: Yes, and for a show often stereotyped as part of the after school-special genre, Degrassi did a great job of allowing characters to inhabit other spaces outside of their type. Manny was never just the slutty one, Emma was never just the girl with an eating disorder, Liberty was never just the teen mom, Ellie was never just the girl who self-harmed and Marco was never just the tragic gay character.
Sidney: Ahead of its time.
Stefanie: Lastly, I was rooting for Craig, and happy to see him stepping out of that car. He went through so much — an abusive parent, a bipolar diagnosis. Craig left the show when he got a record deal and moved to California. I hope he made it.
Sidney: But there were some things off about this video, in terms of continuity. First, Rick's cameo was great but, um, Rick died in the struggle for the gun with Sean! You can't go to the reunion if you're dead.
Stefanie: Yep, so the "J.T. is dead therefore he can't be here" argument is moot. Drake did say on Instagram that the actor who played J.T. didn't come because he "thought it was a scam."
Sidney: That leads us to the biggest discrepancy of the video: Drake's character, Jimmy Brooks, is paralyzed, so how come he didn't roll up in a wheelchair — literally? Does this mean Jimmy learned to walk again?
Stefanie: A lot of characters mention the name Jimmy in the video: Jay naming the strain of weed, Snake's "You only live once that's the motto, Jimmy, YOLO." Is Drake supposed to be Jimmy?
ALL SONGS CONSIDERED
Drake Sprinkles Good Deeds Across Miami In Video For 'God's Plan'
Sidney: I think we should assume he is Jimmy 'cause every other person there is their character, not the actor. So maybe Jimmy really had the best glow up... He learned to walk again and made it as a rap star.
Sidney: Let's move on to how we think this will help or hurt Drake's album rollout. This might be the wildest way I've ever seen anyone swerve a rap beef.
Stefanie: Nostalgia is a powerful thing — I know I'm playing into it and I don't care.
Sidney: I know. A week ago, I was thinking: "There's no way he's coming back from this Pusha beef." And here we are. This other videos this year, "God's Plan" and "Nice For What," have all been A-1, thanks to director Karena Evans. Plus, this reminds people of his early days of being on Degrassi, which is what he used to get clownedabout as a young rapper. Dare I say — is Drake meme-ing himself? This positions him as the underdog in a strange way, which I think will work in his favor for when the album drops.
Stefanie: There's a third character here we're forgetting: Aubrey Graham. Back in the Degrassi days, pre-Drake, he was trying to make it as a mixed-race actor in Canada, to not-really-huge success. And though I loved Jimmy, his character wasn't the most complex on the show. But the Drake/Aubrey character is much more complex.
MUSIC
Drake Bounces, Looking To Uplift Single Women As They Drop It Low
Sidney: He kind of played the popular kid in a very linear sense. The shooting is what shook up his character. How do you think this bodes for Scorpion's rollout and the album drop on June 29?
Stefanie: Well, nostalgia is a big tool in the arsenal of The Washed. It's a sign that what it's dressing is not as interesting; he just did it so well on this video. But I don't think a lot of people would have cared as much if it was a regular video.
Sidney: For sure! In terms of songs, it's not his hottest this year. The video makes the song.
Stefanie: I'll say this: Most of all, I loved how happy they all were in the video. They all went through so much. I think that was always the central message of Degrassi on high school and life after it: That it always gets better.
Sidney: "Whatever it takes... I know I can make it through!"
June 14, 20182:32 PM ET
STEFANIE FERNÁNDEZ
SIDNEY MADDEN
YouTube
Late Wednesday night, Drake — being Drake — released the video for "I'm Upset," a song that was really just OKuntil he dressed it up with a long-awaited reunion of the original cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, the much-beloved Canadian teen drama on which the rapper played Jimmy Brooks from 2001 to 2007, a basketball star whose life changed after being shot and paralyzed (more on this later). This perfectly timed reunion video arrived in tandem with the 6ix God's announcement that Scorpion, his fifth studio album, will be released June 29.
In the video, Drake — or is he Jimmy? — wakes up next to a sleeping woman in the middle of the Toronto Raptors home court, clearly late to something. While choosing a suit to wear, we see none other than Jimmy's best friend Gavin "Spinner" Mason (Shane Kippel) join him, before they drive off in a Ferrari to a Degrassi Community School reunion, filmed on location in Toronto.
We also see the return of cheerleader Paige (Lauren Collins), goth girl Ellie (Stacey Farber), lovable Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), empowered-yet-insecure Manny (Cassie Steele), troubled musician Craig (Jake Epstein), teen mom and model Mia (Nina Dobrev), Jimmy's ex-girlfriends Hazel (Andrea Lewis) and Ashley (Melissa McIntyre), and even Rick (Ephram Ellis), who shot Jimmy. In one of the most hilarious scenes of the visual, Rick is chased down the halls by Drake's OVO crew. School principal Mr. Simpson — a.k.a. Snake, for those who watched the original Degrassi in the late '80s — buys a strain of marijuana called "The Cr***** Jimmy" from Jay and Silent Bob, the Kevin Smith characters that inexplicably had a story line on season four of The Next Generation, in which they were filming the fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? None of them have aged a day.
absent from social media for about a week after a beef with Pusha T, Drake dropped this video out of nowhere late last night, reuniting nearly the entire cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Let's start with our initial reactions to the video. My initial reaction was, 'Damn, this cast has aged really well!'
Stefanie: Paige and Marco look the same!
Sidney: I want Marco's skin regimen. And Liberty's glow up?! It was funny to see which characters were still friends — Jimmy and Spinner, Emma and Manny.
Stefanie: I always loved Emma's and Manny's friendship, and I agree about Liberty — I'm glad they didn't keep her as just the teen mom.
The lyrics of the song play off of their old relationships in the show; I noticed that when Drake says, "Getting pictures from my ex," it flashes to a shot of Hazel. (She and Jimmy dated for almost three seasons.) And, "Wanna waste half a million / be my guest"? He just did that with this reunion. I'm not upset.
Sidney: They kept lots of little character moments like that. I appreciate how Connorgot a nice slow-mo moment while walking into the reunion. Yet another impeccable glow up.
Stefanie: I did not recognize Connor! Talk about getting hot in college.
Let's address Jay and Silent Bob's cameo — my favorite cameo of the video. It was always incredibly cool that Degrassi had a Jay and Silent Bob storyline in season four. Everyone made fun of Degrassi, but they managed to include Jay and Silent Bob's '90s Clerks clout.
Dealing to Mr. Simpson, a.k.a. Snake, was a great way to bring them back. "Noice noice noice noice."
Sidney: But I think the best cameo of the video goes to Rick. Drake's OVO boys chasing Rick down the hall, looking for revenge for what he did to Jimmy, is genius.
Stefanie: I loved that moment, but aside from the hilariousness of it, it felt incredibly bold to bring up a school shooting in a Drake video; at the end of the video when we hear a loud bang, I thought that was were it was headed, instead of a fire.
Sidney: Degrassi always took it there: Shootings. Teen pregnancy. Adderall addiction. Eating disorders. Abusive parents. Cyber-bullying. There was a lot going on at that school.
Stefanie: Yes, and for a show often stereotyped as part of the after school-special genre, Degrassi did a great job of allowing characters to inhabit other spaces outside of their type. Manny was never just the slutty one, Emma was never just the girl with an eating disorder, Liberty was never just the teen mom, Ellie was never just the girl who self-harmed and Marco was never just the tragic gay character.
Sidney: Ahead of its time.
Stefanie: Lastly, I was rooting for Craig, and happy to see him stepping out of that car. He went through so much — an abusive parent, a bipolar diagnosis. Craig left the show when he got a record deal and moved to California. I hope he made it.
Sidney: But there were some things off about this video, in terms of continuity. First, Rick's cameo was great but, um, Rick died in the struggle for the gun with Sean! You can't go to the reunion if you're dead.
Stefanie: Yep, so the "J.T. is dead therefore he can't be here" argument is moot. Drake did say on Instagram that the actor who played J.T. didn't come because he "thought it was a scam."
Sidney: That leads us to the biggest discrepancy of the video: Drake's character, Jimmy Brooks, is paralyzed, so how come he didn't roll up in a wheelchair — literally? Does this mean Jimmy learned to walk again?
Stefanie: A lot of characters mention the name Jimmy in the video: Jay naming the strain of weed, Snake's "You only live once that's the motto, Jimmy, YOLO." Is Drake supposed to be Jimmy?
ALL SONGS CONSIDERED
Drake Sprinkles Good Deeds Across Miami In Video For 'God's Plan'
Sidney: I think we should assume he is Jimmy 'cause every other person there is their character, not the actor. So maybe Jimmy really had the best glow up... He learned to walk again and made it as a rap star.
Sidney: Let's move on to how we think this will help or hurt Drake's album rollout. This might be the wildest way I've ever seen anyone swerve a rap beef.
Stefanie: Nostalgia is a powerful thing — I know I'm playing into it and I don't care.
Sidney: I know. A week ago, I was thinking: "There's no way he's coming back from this Pusha beef." And here we are. This other videos this year, "God's Plan" and "Nice For What," have all been A-1, thanks to director Karena Evans. Plus, this reminds people of his early days of being on Degrassi, which is what he used to get clownedabout as a young rapper. Dare I say — is Drake meme-ing himself? This positions him as the underdog in a strange way, which I think will work in his favor for when the album drops.
Stefanie: There's a third character here we're forgetting: Aubrey Graham. Back in the Degrassi days, pre-Drake, he was trying to make it as a mixed-race actor in Canada, to not-really-huge success. And though I loved Jimmy, his character wasn't the most complex on the show. But the Drake/Aubrey character is much more complex.
MUSIC
Drake Bounces, Looking To Uplift Single Women As They Drop It Low
Sidney: He kind of played the popular kid in a very linear sense. The shooting is what shook up his character. How do you think this bodes for Scorpion's rollout and the album drop on June 29?
Stefanie: Well, nostalgia is a big tool in the arsenal of The Washed. It's a sign that what it's dressing is not as interesting; he just did it so well on this video. But I don't think a lot of people would have cared as much if it was a regular video.
Sidney: For sure! In terms of songs, it's not his hottest this year. The video makes the song.
Stefanie: I'll say this: Most of all, I loved how happy they all were in the video. They all went through so much. I think that was always the central message of Degrassi on high school and life after it: That it always gets better.
Sidney: "Whatever it takes... I know I can make it through!"
Drake's 'I'm Upset': How One Video Can Change Everything For the Rapper's 2018 Narrative
6/14/2018 by Andrew Unterberger
6/14/2018 by Andrew Unterberger
- EMAIL ME
- "The Story of Adidon," the viciously personal Pusha T dis that many deemed a trump card in the ongoing beef between the two rappers. Rather than try in vain to turn that loss into a victory, Drake decided to play a different game altogether, unleashing the "I'm Upset" clip. The visual made no attempt to comment on or further the Pusha feud, and instead provided a truly irresistible bit of fan service -- reuniting the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, the '00s Canadian teen drama where Drake first found fame as an actor, for an imaginary high-school reunion.
The timing may not have been entirely purposeful -- with "Adidon" only dropping two weeks earlier, it seems unlikely that the entire high-production clip was devised, commissioned, filmed and readied for release in the period since -- but with Drake, nothing is ever totally accidental, either. Released as essentially his first transmission following the "Adidon" mess, the video could not come at a much more opportune moment for the star MC. Not only is it a fantastically fun, instantly viral visual -- around the Billboard offices this morning, memories of Degrassi were pretty much the only topic of conversation -- but it takes Drake's career all the way back to the days where he was just Aubrey Graham, a winning teen actor ages away from any rap beef, baby drama and/or cancelation concerns. It reminds us all that at the end of the day, this is still Wheelchair Jimmy we're talking about. And how can you stay hating on that guy?
It's not the first time Drake has smartly pivoted away from a feud with a music video. After essentially winning his 2015 spat with Meek Mill in a second-round KO, he gracefully exited the ring and continued to add insult to injury with his post-fight celebration: first with the rush-ordered What a Time to Be Alive Future collab LP, and then with the "Hotline Bling" video, a similarly shareable and memeable visual that cemented what was then Drake's biggest solo hit to date, and made the petty drama with Meek seem well in the rearview. By the end of 2015, a year that seemed like it might mark the beginning of the end for the world's biggest rapper instead merely served as yet another coronation. It would be little surprise if 2018 closed in similar fashion.
And really, it shouldn't come as a shock. The drama of high-profile rap beef is so sweeping that we trick ourselves into believing careers are really at stake, but that's rarely, if ever the reality. JAY-Z and Nas had one of the nastiest split-decision beefsin genre history in the early '00s; the former just got nominated for album of the year at the Grammys and the latter is dropping one of the most-anticipated rap albums of the year on Friday. Eazy-E put Dr. Dre on blast in his video with a pic of his former N.W.A bandmate wearing a sequined dress from his World Class Wrecking Cru days (the homophobic '90s equivalent of exposing Drake's history with blackface), but Dre seems to have since recovered OK. And it's not like Meek Mill, three years after taking the L from Drake himself, isn't a more celebratedrapper and public figure now than ever before. Even in the rare example where a rapper's career is irreversibly affected -- Ja Rule after punching above his weight against 50 Cent, perhaps -- it's not like the loser's career dissolves upon impact; even Ja's first lead single following the 50 beef went top five on the Billboard Hot 100.
That's not to say that Drake's career isn't susceptible to down-trending, though, or that a blow like the one "Adidon" handed him doesn't have meaning. But to assume that the defeat was career-ending was to wildly underestimate Drake's place in the overall culture: Not only has he consistently been at the center of hip-hop and pop's mainstream since breaking out with "Best I Ever Had" in 2009, but he's bigger in 2018 than ever -- hell, he's been No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 17 out of 25 possible weeks this year so far. Stars of his size don't go away overnight because of one bad PR fiasco; their impact can only really be seen after years of steady decrescendoing. The people who declared Drake over following "Adidon" are probably the same people who respond to every bad Warriors loss by saying they need to trade Kevin Durant.
It is worth pointing out, though, that his recent feuding isn't the only recent failure that Drake needed to do damage control on. Though it was overshadowed by the Pusha back-and-forth, "I'm Upset" was, in its own right, previously a loss of some degree for the rapper as a song. After two consecutive Hot 100 debuts at No. 1 with previous singles "God's Plan" and "Nice for What," "Upset" bowed at a relatively unremarkable No. 19 last week, falling to No. 32 this week. What's more, the song drew notices that were mixed at best from fans and critics; it seemed lukewarm, minor and somewhat mean-spirited, far from the triumph of Drake's previous 2018 smashes. But now with its beloved video attached to it, the song seems far more substantial, and far less petty -- and it wouldn't be surprising to see the song make a big jump on the Hot 100 in the weeks to come.
The "I'm Upset" video wasn't the only big reveal of Drake's Wednesday night, either: He also finally announced the release date for his Scorpion album, to be dropped on June 29. The last time Drake released an official LP -- one that he didn't hedge as a "playlist" -- it spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart, and that album only had one Hot 100-besting smash to precede it. By July, we'll still remember "The Story of Adidon" better than we remember Meek's "Wanna Know" from three years earlier, but they'll ultimately hold the same place in Drake's timeline: just another footnote in the story of the ultimate too-big-to-fail pop star of the 2010s.
Late Wednesday night, Drake emerged from the abyss to release the video for “I’m Upset,” directed by Karena Evans and starring most of the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation. The video is Drake’s first real output since the rapper Pusha-T dissed him, his family, and his parenting skills on the song “The Story of Adidon,” and as such, it is a loaded text, full of highs and lows. Without further ado, here are the video’s winners and losers.
Winner: The Cast of Degrassi
Did you know that when Drake was just a little Aubrey, he starred in an iconic, Canadian high school drama called Degrassi? Of course you did. You probably also know that Drake’s character Jimmy was paralyzed after he got shot, though that will not stop me from embedding the video:
Or from embedding this photo:
CTV
Anyway, the premise of the “I’m Upset” video is that it’s a Degrassi High School reunion. Everyone (but Sean and J.T.) is there—Spinner (Shane Kippel), Mia (Nina Dobrev), Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), Paige (Lauren Collins), Ellie (Stacey Farber), Craig (Jake Epstein), Hazel (Andrea Lewis), Connor (A.J. Saudin), Archie Simpson (Stefan Brogren), and so, so many more—and honestly, everyone looks great. High school reunions are always very competitive, with everyone trying to out-glow-up each other, but they’re all winners here. You barely think about it being a Drake video, which is the best compliment I can give to the cast of Degrassi.
Also, Degrassi somehow isn’t streaming anywhere right now, but after this video I bet Hulu is making calls.
Loser: Anyone Who’s Never Seen Degrassi
LOL, yeeeah, this video’s not gonna mean a lot for you.
Winner: Karena Evans
“God’s Plan” into “Nice for What” into “I’m Upset” is a run for director Karena Evans. This trilogy of videos has been visually unique—between “Nice for What” and “I’m Upset,” I’m convinced there’s no one out there doing night shoots better than Evans—and has cast Drake in a friendlier light than many of his past videos, in which he’s either been gratingly center frame or, as Pusha-T would say, “angry and full of lies.”
Evans, instead, has successfully made Drake—one of music’s biggest stars—feel like less of a gravity pit. He’s approachable and generous in “God’s Plan,” he cedes the floor to Tiffany Haddish, Olivia Wilde, Rashida Jones, and Issa Rae in “Nice for What,” and now in “I’m Upset” he reconnects with his humble, extremely Canadian beginnings—while still driving a yellow Lambo. Save for one gigantic exception—which we’ll get to, don’t worry—it’s been much easier to like Drake in 2018, and Karena Evans is a big reason.
Loser: The One Who Shot Jimmy
The OVO crew’s gonna beat Rick’s ass, man. Finally, justice for Jimmy.
Winner: Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassimakes less sense than washing down Reese’s with a big glass of bong water. It is, nonetheless, a real thing that happened, and so of course Jay and Silent Bob are all over the “I’m Upset” video. One could argue they’re in it too much, and that it’s kind of weird that they’re one of the only sources of comedic relief in a video full of comedic opportunity, but you know what? “I’m Upset” is all about pretending problems don’t exist, so let’s just say shout-out to Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Mallrats was dope.
Winner: Nina Dobrev
This is a very good look for Nina Dobrev, whose last good look was in 2015 when she left The Vampire Diaries.
Loser: The Toronto Raptors
I would just like to point out that likely the only reason Drake was able to film at the Air Canada Centre is because LeBron James and the Cavs swept the Toronto Raptors. And you know Raps fans know this.
Winner: Drake
Desus Nice
✔@desusnice
https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1007114622401482754
j prince: drake has a song that will end pusha's career
pusha: release it
drake: YALL REMEMBER DEGRASSI?
12:16 AM - Jun 14, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
A great man—well, I guess he was pretty deplorable in hindsight—once said, “Move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.” That seems to be the general strategy Drake is now taking in regard to his beef with Pusha-T. Obliterated by Push to a degree that Drake clearly never thought he would be, Drake has decided to move forward and dip into his album rollout as if “The Story of Adidon” never happened. (Apparently, that reported $100,000 bounty for dirt on Pusha-T didn’t turn up much.)
Honestly, this is the best course of action for Drake. He was never going to win playing Push’s game (which is why “Duppy Freestyle” and the ensuing invoice was such an egregious mistake in the first place). With the “I’m Upset” video, Drake gets impartial bystanders to fawn over nostalgia and briefly forget about “Adidon.” Drake stans, meanwhile, were just waiting for anything new they could tout online. The video allows Drake—and everyone who loves Drake—to move forward as if it never happened.
Loser: Drake
[In Pusha-T’s most concerned voice] You are still hiding a child.
Winner: Pusha-T
At the end of “The Story of Adidon,” Pusha-T says, “You talkin’ about you upset,” before letting loose one of the most disdainful, unimpressed chuckles ever recorded. “Well, I wanna see what it’s like when you get angry, OK?” This … is … it, I guess?
The release of this video—which again, exploits nostalgia for a Canadian series in which Drake played “Wheelchair Jimmy”—feels like confirmation that the only response Drake is going to submit to Push’s evisceration is a statement posted on Instagram Stories explaining the blackface photo that covered “The Story of Adidon.”
There’s still a chance that Drake is saving a response for his album Scorpion—which is officially out on June 29—but the “I’m Upset” video makes it seem like Drake doesn’t want the smoke.
Winner: The Cast of Degrassi
Did you know that when Drake was just a little Aubrey, he starred in an iconic, Canadian high school drama called Degrassi? Of course you did. You probably also know that Drake’s character Jimmy was paralyzed after he got shot, though that will not stop me from embedding the video:
Or from embedding this photo:
Anyway, the premise of the “I’m Upset” video is that it’s a Degrassi High School reunion. Everyone (but Sean and J.T.) is there—Spinner (Shane Kippel), Mia (Nina Dobrev), Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), Paige (Lauren Collins), Ellie (Stacey Farber), Craig (Jake Epstein), Hazel (Andrea Lewis), Connor (A.J. Saudin), Archie Simpson (Stefan Brogren), and so, so many more—and honestly, everyone looks great. High school reunions are always very competitive, with everyone trying to out-glow-up each other, but they’re all winners here. You barely think about it being a Drake video, which is the best compliment I can give to the cast of Degrassi.
Also, Degrassi somehow isn’t streaming anywhere right now, but after this video I bet Hulu is making calls.
Loser: Anyone Who’s Never Seen Degrassi
LOL, yeeeah, this video’s not gonna mean a lot for you.
Winner: Karena Evans
“God’s Plan” into “Nice for What” into “I’m Upset” is a run for director Karena Evans. This trilogy of videos has been visually unique—between “Nice for What” and “I’m Upset,” I’m convinced there’s no one out there doing night shoots better than Evans—and has cast Drake in a friendlier light than many of his past videos, in which he’s either been gratingly center frame or, as Pusha-T would say, “angry and full of lies.”
Evans, instead, has successfully made Drake—one of music’s biggest stars—feel like less of a gravity pit. He’s approachable and generous in “God’s Plan,” he cedes the floor to Tiffany Haddish, Olivia Wilde, Rashida Jones, and Issa Rae in “Nice for What,” and now in “I’m Upset” he reconnects with his humble, extremely Canadian beginnings—while still driving a yellow Lambo. Save for one gigantic exception—which we’ll get to, don’t worry—it’s been much easier to like Drake in 2018, and Karena Evans is a big reason.
Loser: The One Who Shot Jimmy
The OVO crew’s gonna beat Rick’s ass, man. Finally, justice for Jimmy.
Winner: Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassimakes less sense than washing down Reese’s with a big glass of bong water. It is, nonetheless, a real thing that happened, and so of course Jay and Silent Bob are all over the “I’m Upset” video. One could argue they’re in it too much, and that it’s kind of weird that they’re one of the only sources of comedic relief in a video full of comedic opportunity, but you know what? “I’m Upset” is all about pretending problems don’t exist, so let’s just say shout-out to Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Mallrats was dope.
Winner: Nina Dobrev
This is a very good look for Nina Dobrev, whose last good look was in 2015 when she left The Vampire Diaries.
Loser: The Toronto Raptors
I would just like to point out that likely the only reason Drake was able to film at the Air Canada Centre is because LeBron James and the Cavs swept the Toronto Raptors. And you know Raps fans know this.
Winner: Drake
Desus Nice
✔@desusnice
https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1007114622401482754
j prince: drake has a song that will end pusha's career
pusha: release it
drake: YALL REMEMBER DEGRASSI?
12:16 AM - Jun 14, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
A great man—well, I guess he was pretty deplorable in hindsight—once said, “Move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.” That seems to be the general strategy Drake is now taking in regard to his beef with Pusha-T. Obliterated by Push to a degree that Drake clearly never thought he would be, Drake has decided to move forward and dip into his album rollout as if “The Story of Adidon” never happened. (Apparently, that reported $100,000 bounty for dirt on Pusha-T didn’t turn up much.)
Honestly, this is the best course of action for Drake. He was never going to win playing Push’s game (which is why “Duppy Freestyle” and the ensuing invoice was such an egregious mistake in the first place). With the “I’m Upset” video, Drake gets impartial bystanders to fawn over nostalgia and briefly forget about “Adidon.” Drake stans, meanwhile, were just waiting for anything new they could tout online. The video allows Drake—and everyone who loves Drake—to move forward as if it never happened.
Loser: Drake
[In Pusha-T’s most concerned voice] You are still hiding a child.
Winner: Pusha-T
At the end of “The Story of Adidon,” Pusha-T says, “You talkin’ about you upset,” before letting loose one of the most disdainful, unimpressed chuckles ever recorded. “Well, I wanna see what it’s like when you get angry, OK?” This … is … it, I guess?
The release of this video—which again, exploits nostalgia for a Canadian series in which Drake played “Wheelchair Jimmy”—feels like confirmation that the only response Drake is going to submit to Push’s evisceration is a statement posted on Instagram Stories explaining the blackface photo that covered “The Story of Adidon.”
There’s still a chance that Drake is saving a response for his album Scorpion—which is officially out on June 29—but the “I’m Upset” video makes it seem like Drake doesn’t want the smoke.
but yet aain
much like the ghostwriting...
apparently no one who EFFECTS his bottom line?
Gives one single solitary f*ck
which I think is problematic for the hip hop culture overall.
c'mon Complex
you can't do hat...
you or me don't know ALL or even MOST Black people
and just go online RIGHT NOW
and you will be proven wrong on Degrassi
see I hate to expand this but this is how people like Trump get elected and people stay ignorant.
Its like having a personalized Facebook page or social media presence
if you ONLY follow shit YOU like..
you cutting yourself off.
I know a bunch of Black hockey fans, rock fans, golf fans, lacrosse fans, trading spaces fans, cooking show fans and sadly even Trump supporters.
Again I completely understand YOU personally in YOUR circle may not rock with something...
but that is why they have these sitcoms on the air for like 10 years that I SWEAR I NEVER EVER heard about, but got like 100 episodes in syndication.
and especially Doctor Who...man I can't disagree more.
@melonpecan talk to my brother.
but that is NOW..
for the longest he wasn't and it aint THAT easy to erase.
to the "public" he is a rapper MC and one of the best.
is |THAT OK?
I remember watching this and I actually might this fine girl in college off that song...