Drake lip syncs to Taylor Swift, pumps iron in new Apple Music ad

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited November 2016
Apple on Sunday released a new Apple Music ad spot featuring Drake getting pumped -- literally and metaphorically -- to Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood," a meta callback to Swift's own commercial for the streaming music service.




Aired in time for the American Music Awards, the new TV spot, titled "Drake vs. Bench Press," continues a series of humorous Apple Music ads starring A-list industry talent.

The minute-long commercial opens in a gym with Drake -- listening to Frank Ocean -- finishing up a set of shoulder presses, spotted by a muscular member of his posse. Both are expectedly hyped October's Very Own completed what appears to be a strenuous arms day. Before walking out to take a call on his iPhone, Drake's friend says, "No mercy." Drake echoes the rallying cry.

Checking to make sure he's alone, Drake whips out his own iPhone, opens Apple Music and navigates to a Pop Workout curated playlist containing a selection of tracks like Swift's "Bad Blood," "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake. Drake taps on "Bad Blood."

The macho rapper proceeds to lip sync, gesticulate and perform some signature freestyle dance moves to Swift's anthem. Emboldened by Swift's feel-good tune, Drake moves on to the bench press but breaks the cardinal rule of weightlifting: always have a spotter. He gets in one rep before being forced to tip the bar off his chest, causing him to fall off the apparatus.

The ad cuts to the tagline "Distractingly good."





Today's commercial can be considered the sister of an Apple Music spot released in April. One of the first of Apple's TV spots to feature a big-name music act, that ad showed Swift running on -- and ultimately falling off -- a treadmill while singing to Drake's "Jumpman." It, too, ended with the tagline "Distractingly Good."

Apple is pushing forward with efforts to transform Apple Music into a streaming music market leader. In October, Apple announced Apple Music helped drive a 24 percent year-over-year bump in its services business during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016.

Most recently, reports claimed the company is considering a major decrease in monthly fees, up to 20 percent per account, to better compete with offerings from competitors like Spotify and Amazon.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    Um...
  • Reply 2 of 22
    When I saw the 225-pound set up I remembered my one and only lift attempt. I did 12 reps while being spotted then decided I was hardcore up to 185 pounds!
  • Reply 3 of 22
    That dude needs to go to the gym for a year before he attempts a commercial where he's supposed to be working out. Lol. That's just embarrassing. 
  • Reply 4 of 22
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    That dude needs to go to the gym for a year before he attempts a commercial where he's supposed to be working out. Lol. That's just embarrassing. 
    If your point that being his level of fitness would stop him being able to lift the heavy weight at the end?
  • Reply 5 of 22
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    That dude needs to go to the gym for a year before he attempts a commercial where he's supposed to be working out. Lol. That's just embarrassing. 
    Did you not watch until the end, or are you under the impression this was an outtake?

    Drake isn't bragging about his workout prowess while lip synching to Taylor Swift.  It's supposed to be embarrassing.
    calisteveh
  • Reply 6 of 22
    Quote: "Both are expectedly hyped October's Very Own completed what appears to be a strenuous arms day."

    Can someone parse that for me please? Maybe there's some punctuation missing, or words...
  • Reply 7 of 22
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    command_f said:
    Quote: "Both are expectedly hyped October's Very Own completed what appears to be a strenuous arms day."

    Can someone parse that for me please? 
    It just means that on the strenuous arms day, or what appears to be, October's Very Own is neither hyped nor completed.  But both are expected. 

    Get it now? 
    ;)
  • Reply 8 of 22
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    I like the ad. Like the Taylor swift one I didn't see it coming and they look real. This one could easily be faked but less so the Taylor Swift one. Very funny. 
  • Reply 9 of 22
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Why is Apple so god damn big on Drake? There are other artists out there that are far more popular and would serve Apple just as well. Instead of using one person to constantly promote Apple Music, why not lots of artists? Not everyone likes his music, or even his genre of music. 
  • Reply 10 of 22

    When I saw the ad I said to my wife, "You should never bench press without a spotter." He then proceeds to show why, and I was content. People die from this.

    (I stay safe by never bench pressing. ;))

    edited November 2016 cali
  • Reply 11 of 22
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    macxpress said:
    Why is Apple so god damn big on Drake? There are other artists out there that are far more popular and would serve Apple just as well. Instead of using one person to constantly promote Apple Music, why not lots of artists? Not everyone likes his music, or even his genre of music. 
     Is drake employed by Apple? I'm Pretty sure he did this for free   

    edited November 2016
  • Reply 12 of 22
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    "Today's commercial can be considered the sister of an Apple Music spot released in April. "

    Brother*

    paxman said:
    I like the ad. Like the Taylor swift one I didn't see it coming and they look real. This one could easily be faked but less so the Taylor Swift one. Very funny. 

     I didn't like these for some reason. 


  • Reply 13 of 22
    But enough about Drake... Who else got a huge laugh when they heard about psychotic, talentless rapper Kanye Kardashian's latest break with reality in Los Angeles in which he "performed" three songs, yelled at his audience full of dumb suckers, stormed off stage, then proceeded to cancel his entire tour?

    Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 14 of 22
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    cali said:
    macxpress said:
    Why is Apple so god damn big on Drake? There are other artists out there that are far more popular and would serve Apple just as well. Instead of using one person to constantly promote Apple Music, why not lots of artists? Not everyone likes his music, or even his genre of music. 
     Is drake employed by Apple? I'm Pretty sure he did this for free   

    I don't care if he did it for free or $1 Million. The point is they're focusing on one person for the most part instead of trying to get every one involved across multiple genres. If someone doesn't like Drake or his style of music they're automatically turned off to any advertising involving this. Why do you think Apple did the silhouette iPod ads using all kinds of different music and artists? 
  • Reply 15 of 22
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    But enough about Drake... Who else got a huge laugh when they heard about psychotic, talentless rapper Kanye Kardashian's latest break with reality in Los Angeles in which he "performed" three songs, yelled at his audience full of dumb suckers, stormed off stage, then proceeded to cancel his entire tour?

    Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
    I think he seriously has something wrong in the head. And yet, he somehow still has dedicated fans. If I as a fan were treated like that I'd tell him to go pound sand. I think he fails to realize its those very fans that gave him the success he has. Eventually, he's going to ruin his own career. 
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 16 of 22
    macxpress said:

    But enough about Drake... Who else got a huge laugh when they heard about psychotic, talentless rapper Kanye Kardashian's latest break with reality in Los Angeles in which he "performed" three songs, yelled at his audience full of dumb suckers, stormed off stage, then proceeded to cancel his entire tour?

    Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
    I think he seriously has something wrong in the head. And yet, he somehow still has dedicated fans. If I as a fan were treated like that I'd tell him to go pound sand. I think he fails to realize its those very fans that gave him the success he has. Eventually, he's going to ruin his own career. 
    I think he's a seriously deranged person and for some reason his "fans" have mistaken this derangement for artistry.
  • Reply 17 of 22
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Kanye is far from talentless, but he's been wobbling for a long time, and now seems to have gone completely off the rails.
  • Reply 18 of 22
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    macxpress said:
    cali said:
    macxpress said:
    Why is Apple so god damn big on Drake? There are other artists out there that are far more popular and would serve Apple just as well. Instead of using one person to constantly promote Apple Music, why not lots of artists? Not everyone likes his music, or even his genre of music. 
     Is drake employed by Apple? I'm Pretty sure he did this for free   

    I don't care if he did it for free or $1 Million. The point is they're focusing on one person for the most part instead of trying to get every one involved across multiple genres. If someone doesn't like Drake or his style of music they're automatically turned off to any advertising involving this. Why do you think Apple did the silhouette iPod ads using all kinds of different music and artists? 
    You do realise that he was lip synching to a non-Drake song, right?  Drake doesn't sound like that.

  • Reply 19 of 22
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    crowley said:
    macxpress said:
    cali said:
    macxpress said:
    Why is Apple so god damn big on Drake? There are other artists out there that are far more popular and would serve Apple just as well. Instead of using one person to constantly promote Apple Music, why not lots of artists? Not everyone likes his music, or even his genre of music. 
     Is drake employed by Apple? I'm Pretty sure he did this for free   

    I don't care if he did it for free or $1 Million. The point is they're focusing on one person for the most part instead of trying to get every one involved across multiple genres. If someone doesn't like Drake or his style of music they're automatically turned off to any advertising involving this. Why do you think Apple did the silhouette iPod ads using all kinds of different music and artists? 
    You do realise that he was lip synching to a non-Drake song, right?  Drake doesn't sound like that.

    I don't care! Why do they keep using him for everything Apple Music? Not getting my point!

    I know what Drake sounds like...he sounds like a car trying to start with a battery going dead. 
  • Reply 20 of 22
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Taylor Swift sang "Bad Blood"?

    Wow.  I though it was Drake all this time.

    .
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