Yesterday, Rihanna released two videos for "Work," both of which featured her dancing either with or for Drake. The distinction is an important one to make, particularly when it comes to Aubrey Graham. Obviously hip-hop videos tend to be gratuitous when it comes showcasing the womanly form in motion, but our yung lord of the gaze consistently takes it a step further. The number of prominent videos that show Drake mesmerized by hot women dancing, like some teenage horndog who’s never actually touched female flesh, is enough to make us wonder: Why does Drake love making us watch him watch them? But also: Is this happening in videos because it’s not happening enough in Drake’s personal life? While we await these pressing answers from Drizzy himself (Views from the 6, coming soon!), let’s take a moment to observe his gaze on tape over the years. Presented without comment because really, what is there to say that Drake’s face doesn't already?
"Over," Drake (2010)
"Find Your Love," Drake (2010)
"Miss Me," Drake ft. Lil Wayne (2010)
"Practice," Drake (2012)*
*Drake is not actually in this video until the very end, but his gaze is implied throughout (Drake IS the camera).
"Anaconda," Nicki Minaj (2014)*
*Nicki is a master at using the gaze to her advantage, especially here; hard to imagine she didn’t calculate this.
"Only," Nicki Minaj ft. Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown (2014)
"My Love," Majid Jordan ft. Drake (2015)*
*Dancing is minimal—more like, "I’m hanging out in club draped in women, guess I should sway" —but the gaze game is so strong.
"Hotline Bling," Drake (2015)*
*Admittedly choreographer Tanisha Scott is teaching Drake dance moves, so he kind of has to watch her closely.
"Work," Rihanna ft. Drake (2016)
