Drake Reveals Inspiration Behind “Hotline Bling” But Fans Had Someone Else In Mind

BYZachary Horvath1.5K Views
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Celebrities At The Los Angeles Lakers Game
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Drake attends a basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 4, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/GC Images)
DRAM felt the same way the fans do now back in 2015.

Over the last 12 hours or so, Drake has stirred up a lot of conversation. Late last night, the Canadian rapper put "100gigs for your headtop", a massive folder of old files, as well as three new tracks. "It's Up", "Blue Green Red", and "Houskeeping Knows" are the titles, and they include features from 21 Savage, Young Thug, and even Latto. As far as the past folders go, they include alternate covers for past projects, studio clips, and more. Overall, the internet has been mixed on this as you would come to expect with Drake at this point. Currently, one of the "archaic" documents that is causing some debate is a video of The Boy explaining how "Hotline Bling" came to be.

"We used to be in bed together — we just finished f***ing and her phone would be blowing up," Drake began. "So, I saved her name in my phone as 'Hotline Bling.' That's always been her name on my phone". He also joked that it was such a good name that he felt it could have been his new stage moniker. "And I was looking at it today, I was like, 'Hotline Bling' is a sick name. That should be an artist name". Additionally, he even talked to the still unknown fling about her nickname being used as the title for now one of his biggest songs. "Yo your name, your nickname is such a good title for something.' And then I just told her today, I was like, you know I did a song called 'Hotline Bling,' thats crazy".

Fans Want Drake To Give DRAM His Due For "Hotline Bling"

However, some people are thinking that someone else should be credited for the song. Back in 2015, DRAM put out "Cha Cha", a track that was released a few months prior to "Hotline Bling". The track would go on to be his breakout record and he felt there was some obvious similarities; so much so, that he felt Drake "jacked" it. DRAM made his feelings known that same year in an interview with Billboard. He moved on, but some fans still aren't letting Drizzy off the hook. "DRAM was the “inspiration”, one user on X writes. "Drake stay lying", another adds. Others were defending Drake, saying that the songs didn't sound remotely close.

What are your thoughts on Drake's inspiration for "Hotline Bling"? Do you think DRAM needs credit for this song's creation, why or why not? Where do you rank this song in terms of Drizzy's biggest hits? How do you feel about him releasing all of these files the night prior? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Drake and DRAM. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.
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