Drake’s “Hotline Bling” inspires multiple music covers

It’s a shame that “Hotline Bling” has yet to top the charts, and it’s garnered a lot of attention for that. The song, most likely an ode to booty calls, was dropped at the end of July during the second show of Drake’s Beats 1 OVO Sound radio show, and since then, it has become a phenomenon.

Drake’s skills as a songwriter are undeniable. He has a creative and clever way of saying something very simple. The track has everything one would expect from a Drake hit — a catchy, well-produced beat and an addictive yet simple hook: “You used to call me on the cellphone.”

In today’s pop world, a song’s success is measured by how many tributes it inspires, and everyone wants a piece of “Hotline Bling.” At this point, artists from Sam Smith and Disclosure to hot new talent Alessia Cara and several YouTube stars have covered the song.

But which one is the Hotline King?

One contender is certainly the amazing Erykah Badu. Earlier this month, Badu took on the song with a seven-and-a-half minute cover and remix version titled, “HOTLINE BLING BUT U CAINT USE MY PHONE MIX.” She tweaked the hook into “You used to call me on my cellular device at night,” and to be honest I completely enjoyed the goofiness. Starting at the three-minute mark, listeners hear a long voicemail with a bunch of humorous options for how to leave a message. “If you’re calling to beg for some sh*t in general, press four,” is my personal favorite. The whole thing is completely over the top, but as an attempt to introduce a note of levity, Badu does her own thing by injecting a dose of weirdness one expect only from her.

Next up is Smith with Disclosure. Smith and the Lawrence brothers teamed up and attempted to bring this song into their world by giving it some dance pep, but unfortunately their efforts aren’t entirely successful. “Hotline Bling” isn’t well suited for the duo’s signature house beats. Don’t get me wrong — Smith and Disclosure need to keep these collaborations coming, because personally, I cannot get enough.

While promoting her new single, “Here,” 19-year-old Alessia Cara is also showing some major love for Drake. Cara is a newcomer making waves, but she’s not new to covers — the singer recently covered Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” Cara owns Swift’s song, making it her own. I saw Cara perform at an iHeart Radio show, and few times has an artist I’ve never heard of before left me wanting more. Cara’s gentle acoustic vocals on “Hotline Bling” are definitely too slow and not appropriate for the club, but they certainly have a time and place.

On the other hand, Keyshia Cole is the Hotline Queen. The singer offers up the female response to “Hotline Bling” that I had been waiting for. In my book, Cole sounds even crisper and cooler than Drake. The lyrical conceit of redirecting the same narrative from the woman’s perspective is fantastic as it reveals that there are two sides to every relationship. I’ve been listening to this remix, and every time I discover a new layer. She sings to Drizzy, you’re “running out of pages in your black book / Chilling with these girls I’ve never seen before.”

Undoubtedly, one of my favorite takes on “Hotline Bling” is a Spanish version by Dominican-American rapper Fuego. One of my friends spends large amounts of time lurking the deepest trenches of SoundCloud, and she knows I love Latin music and reggaeton. When she played Fuego’s “Cuando Suena El Bling,” she claimed it was “better than Drake’s,” and maybe I am completely biased, but the Spanish remix is excellent. The Spanish language rendition took social media by storm and its bachata feel gives it a more genuine emotional feel than the original.

The last contender is Charlie Puth. Kehlani’s presence accompanied by a stripped-down piano arrangement make a soulful duet that is one of the best covers of Drake’s original. It doesn’t take too much of an effort to transform “Hotline Bling,” into a sad cocktail-lounge jam, but the instant Puth and Kehlani’s voices blend as they belt out the chorus is incredible. This particular cover is very humane since we get to listen to both the female and male sides of the story. On Saturday evening, the depressing pop cover played on 102.7 KISS FM, and I wonder if it can become as popular as the original. Puth’s voice has already been featured on two heavy-handed tracks this years — a duet with Meghan Trainor, “Marvin Gaye,” and Wiz Khalifa’s hit “See You Again.”

I am still stupefied at the notion that Drake has never had a No. 1 single on the Billboard chart’s as a lead artist. At this point I could make a proper mixtape of Drake covers, with half its length devoted to “Hotline Bling.” I am thrilled at the prospect of “Hotline Bling,” possibly moving to the top spot in the next weeks.

Ikram Navia is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. Her column, “Fresh Beats,” runs every other Monday.