Ironically, the title to Drake’s newest song is “I’m Upset”. I say it’s ironic because it’s making some of his former Degrassi cast-mates upset. Daniel Clark, in particular, is surprised because he was left out of Drake’s music video, which was designed to be like a Degrassi high school reunion. Is Clark warranted in his feelings? Or is this just one of those things that happens and not to read into it too much? Clark states:
“No one ever reached out to me about this. I have no idea even when it was filmed. I woke up this morning and watched the music video and was like, What the hell is going on?”
But maybe there’s something to it. In this trailer for Season 2 of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake and Clark’s characters have a pretty intense beef. Perhaps that extended beyond the set? That was pretty early on in the series, and while I don’t know that for sure, perhaps his character didn’t lend itself enough to the story of the video. You might make the argument that Ephraim Ellis’ character shouldn’t have been included as well, as his character shot Drake’s character (Jimmy) in the back. But I would disagree. I think having the character of Rick Murray present makes a lot of sense. The point of the video, it seems, is to showcase where Drake came from and where he is now. Think Part 2 of “Started From the Bottom”.
Maybe what we should be considering is the idea that Clark’s character just wasn’t necessary to the video? It took me a minute to remember who he was, and I was a pretty big fan of the show in the early years. I had to Google a few different things before I could find a photo of him during that time so I could remember just who he was. I’m not saying that it’s his fault, but his character was kind of lack-luster. I don’t think he added much to the show. Spinner, on the other hand – his character was pretty important. Or at least in the way that I viewed things.
Either way, I kind of think that Clark is blowing this out of proportion. I watched the show in the early years, and the big characters that I remember were represented in Drake’s video.
Overall, I think the video is a great homage to his time on Degrassi as well as what the City of Toronto means to him. In the opening scene, we get to see him leaving the Raptor’s court, and even the 303 Bay Street sign. From there, he gets right down to business. I think to say that anyone was left out of the video is kind of grasping at straws. Sure, maybe the video wasn’t set up exactly how Clark would have liked it, but it’s Drake’s video. Like I said, maybe there was some bad blood from when they were on set together. The only person who really knows the answer to that is Drake. But if I’m being honest, Clark probably does too, and just doesn’t want to admit it. Perhaps this is his way of getting another 15 minutes of fame? Or perhaps, it truly was an oversight.