Drake, Toosie Slide | Track Review 🎵

While “Toosie Slide” is tailor made to be the next trending rap and dance song, Drake doesn’t end up delivering a game changing single.

“Don’t you wanna dance with me? No? / I could dance like Michael Jackson / I could give you thug passion / It’s a Thriller in the trap where we from.” Sigh, anytime that a new Drake song arrives, it’s a big deal, period.  That’s the case with his dance driven “Toosie Slide,” released April 3, 2020.  Where does the name come from? That would be Atlanta choreographer Toosie – fitting, right? “Tootsie Slide” checks off the boxes that characterize a Drizzy song for the most part. Let’s run down the list, shall we?

More often than not, Drake has become more and more melodic over the years.  On “Toosie Slide,” we don’t get any hardnosed bars but rather smooth, vibe-laden pop rap.  Over the course of four-minutes-plus, it honestly doesn’t sound as if Dizzy ever breaks a sweat.  Even though reference to ‘the street’ is made, “Toosie Slide” doesn’t really sound ‘street.’ That said, the movement isn’t, um, dance-pop in the least:

“It got right foot up, left foot, slide
Left foot up, right foot, slide
Basically, I’m sayin’ either way, we ‘bout to slide, ayy
Can’t let this one slide, ayy (Who’s bad?).”

I guess you could say it’s quasi-street… Anyways, besides the melodic vocals, Drake pretty much chills over smooth, hypnotic production work.  Much like the rapper himself, OZ doesn’t construct a backdrop that ever gets too high, save for that hard hitting, trap percussion.  The production works well for the ever-mellow rapper.

Final Thoughts 

Will “Toosie Slide” change lives? Well, likely, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s fuel for the fire for dancing and entertainment, so, perhaps?  In the long term, I’d say NO – there’s not much substance by my estimations.  Still, it’s an enjoyable song from Drake and the man always seems to be able to concoct a hit.  He’s done so once more with “Toosie Slide.”

Drake • “Toosie Slide” • OVO / Republic • Release: 4.3.20

Photo Credits: OVO / Republic