Remember when you were reading literature in high school, and the teacher assured you of all the symbolism that, according to a Paris Review survey of famous authors, was never truly intended? That’s what I do with things like whiskey ads featuring Drake. Only this time, I think I’ve gone too far.
The video ad for Virginia Black whiskey, entitled” One Sip, and Wooh!,” begins like most ad’s. A celebrity drinks the whiskey at a bar while an attractive woman approaches them. She makes her way towards Drake only to pass right by him, as Drake’s father Dennis Graham asks him to hold his drink, while he leaves with the woman instead of Drake. In the end, Drake is left uncomfortably standing in the lounge holding two glasses of Virginia Black before stepping off-screen.
The easy read, is that Drake’s dad is cooler than him, but that’s something that’s been done before back when Dennis Graham released the video for “Kinda Crazy.” (read: Drake’s Dad Achieved A Level Of Cute And Cool That His Son Has Been Playing With For Years In Just Four Minutes). A second look brings up the use of the music. Drake’s “Passionfruit” plays until it fades out as the woman passes him, with Dennis Graham later singing “Kinda Crazy” on his way out, with the music for “Kinda Crazy” finishing out the ad.
In Drake’s fantasy world, the woman in front of him is not only interested in him, but his own music, music that he believes is seductive and passionate, plays in his mind, until the realization that she’s walking past him issues “Passionfruit” to fade out. His father, leaving with the woman, doesn’t live in a fantasy, as he personally sings “Kinda Crazy” on his way out, even mocking Drake’s turtleneck sweater and chain outfit before he exits. Case in point, Drake’s dad is cool and Drake has a lot to learn.
A deeper dive reveals a whole new level to the ad however, as not only did Drake allow an open mockery of himself in a whiskey ad, but Drake owns Virginia Black whiskey. This means that Drake most likely created a video that pokes fun of himself and makes his dad look cooler, and not just authorized. Drake’s been known to mock himself online before, whether it be singing Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood in Apple commercials, or parodying his number of beef’s with other artists on SNL, but this parody goes beyond whatever Drake thinks his sexy face is.
This ad proves that Drake is more self aware than we give him credit for, and although his music doesn’t really show any growth besides slight shifts in sound, Drake clearly pokes fun at his own image here, especially at what his audience believe his image is. He’s highly perceptive, and in doing so, in laughing with us at his own expensive, I end up liking him. I don’t know when he’ll wise up and take some blame in all of his failed relationships, but if he’s capable of this amount of reflection, well, then baby steps.
What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.