While you are poring over the latest news from Big Sean, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, Drake quietly unveiled a short film titled Jungle. Deeply personal and retrospective, the 15-minute short film starts with a sad Drake sitting in the back of his Bentley reflecting on where he is in life.
He admits he is drinking, smoking more and staying up late. He notes that being at the top means everyone is gunning for you, hence the title Jungle, but as he says before the film cuts away, "I am not worried about myself, I just have to come home."
Jungle follows Drake around his hometown of Toronto as he goes and hangs out with some old friends in more downtrodden spots of town than one might expect from the superstar and drives cars that do not even have an auxiliary chord, much to the chagrin of the OVO rapper.
Cameos from Oliver and PartyNextDoor are included, as well as grainy clips from Drake's childhood where he is freestyling with his dad. There are further historic scenes of the G20 riot, and a building by Toronto's city hall being demolished, as noted by Noisey.
There are two unreleased tracks in the short movie, presumably from his upcoming mixtape or album.
Jungle was directed by Karim Huu Do and shot on location in Toronto and Los Angeles.
This is not some Michael Bay blockbuster that is going to hit you in the face right on first viewing, but rather something more subtle that will require a second or third examination to understand all the symbolism.
It could be a sign that new music is coming soon -- or at least let's hope so.
The film is artsy enough that it was uploaded to Vimeo for that little bit of extra quality you cannot get on YouTube. Go ahead and watch it in HD below.
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