Kai Cenat has filed Drake’s recently released video for “Nokia” under the category of “not a banger.” In fact, Cenat, ranked by Complex last month as the most powerful streamer in hip-hop, has gone so far as to offer up his own breakdown of what he wishes the video had looked like, all while careful to make sure fans know he’s “not even hating.”
The video for the $ome $exy $ongs 4 U highlight is directed by frequent Drake collaborator Theo Skudra, whose past credits include videos for “Money in the Grave” and “Toosie Slide.” In response to fans pointing out the symbolism in the black-and-white video, Cenat pushed back, arguing that the song itself doesn’t warrant that approach.
“Yo, y’all gotta start letting me direct this shit,” Cenat said on stream, as seen below. “Everybody clear your mind.”
Emphasizing the inherent “fun” of the track, Cenat further argued, should have been the aim. To drive home his point, Cenat then walked viewers through his own idea for “Nokia,” starting with an opening shot in a hyper-colorful arcade setting.
As Cenat explained deeper into his demonstration, “lights” and “color” would be complemented by copious amounts of cotton candy, with Drake entering the arcade to win prizes for girlfriends whose respective beaus are unable to do so on their own. Later, a slow zoom serves as a transition into the hypothetical video’s secondary location, a skating rink.
“See, that’s how it’s gotta be,” Cenat added. “We looking for color, we looking for arcades, we looking for roller skating rink. That’s what it gave me. We looking for going from modern-day to—as soon as the beat changes—we in the ‘90s now. You see the vision?”
The actual “Nokia” video, featuring choreography by Tanisha Scott, is currently trending No. 1 for music on YouTube. If you missed its premiere at the top of the week, catch it in full below.
The Valentine’s Day-timed rollout of Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U was commemorated with a fittingly wine and roses-assisted stream from Cenat, who at one point offered a realtime rating of “eight out of 10” for the Billboard 200-topping project.
As of Thursday, Cenat's Twitch account had seemingly been hacked, resulting in a presumably temporary ban.