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Which Is Funnier, Drake's "Lemon" Verse or Drake in a Wig?

Over the weekend, Drake consciously made a fool of himself in both the "Walk It Talk It" video and a new remix of N.E.R.D. and Rihanna's "Lemon."

Drake is a master of knowing how to meme himself. He's so naturally talented at it that even "God's Plan," a video meant to be a genuine display of generosity, ended up as a meme that signifies over-the-top kindness. So it goes that the recent, Soul Train-styled video for Migos' "Walk It Talk It" is the latest opportunity for Drake to consciously make himself look like a dork, wearing a long, vaguely Jheri-curled wig that bizarrely makes him resemble "Weird Al" Yankovic or Chris Cornell instead of Rick James as was likely intended.

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A few days earlier, though, Aubrey also hopped onto N.E.R.D. and Rihanna's "Lemon," a song which was already both fire and trash at the same time thanks to a no-nonsense, funky Pharrell beat but a baffling, exaggeratedly nonsensical Pharrell performance. Drake's new, equally stilted opening verse further enhances that quality, somehow unique to Pharrell-helmed songs of the late decade.

Both of these pieces of Drake content are very entertaining, but one is definitely much funnier than the other. Let's take a look:

"Walk It Talk It"

This video is so fucking great. Unscrambling the board to reveal "Dat Way" is iconic. It is every meme you could make about a Migos song, but it's officially by the Migos themselves. Drake's turn as a 70s loverman rules because very few rappers get as earnestly into their performances as he does, which has reflected in his "I'm going in" facial expressions throughout the years.

"Fuckin' Problems" (2012)

A Travis Scott Concert (2017)

"Walk It Talk It" (2018)

Obviously, the wig improves these faces, so what was already pretty amusing goes up to "hilarious," especially when you factor in his awkward shimmies.

"Lemon" Remix

So, firstly, Drake chooses to imitate Rihanna's curt, staccato original flow, which is already snicker-worthy because he doesn't sound nearly as tough as she does. He talks about 3D-printing money and "having opinions" (yeah dude, opinions are rock star) and his pass-off of "you know what P about to say" deflates because Pharrell's hook is just him saying "bath salts" over and over again. But in between this uneventful beginning and ending there is a magical moment at exactly 31 seconds in. I'm going to link to the timestamped portion below because it's just that good.

"So you SEEEEEE."

So. You. See.

Those three words are a self-contained three-act play of intentional hilarity. Even the brief rest before that line starts is brilliant, creating expectations only to have them dashed. Drake leans into the line with drama it absolutely doesn't deserve, and it is sick as hell. "So you SEEEEEE" is what you actually sound like when you try to rap "off the dome" to impress your friends at a party. It's miles funnier than the wig, and it's relatable, too, which is the mark of true comedy. Perhaps Drake is our foremost generational voice; not through his music, but his gags.

Phil is on Twitter.