Drake’s Nokia isn’t subtle and certainly just another club track squeezed into a tracklist. It’s loud, unserious, and weirdly vulnerable—like a blurry 3am selfie you swear you’d never post, until you do.
It’s a rare example of a single pulling double duty: part dancefloor lure, part cinematic provocation.
And yes, it’s named after the phone. But it’s also about what happens when those calls stop getting answered.
“Nokia” is Drake’s flirty, feel-good club record where the title nods to old-school directness: pick up, show up, no mixed signals. The lyric blends brag and invitation, treating success as attraction while the dancefloor becomes the proof. Production rides an Atlanta-bass pulse with bright synths and an easy hook built for call-backs, so the meaning lands simple and clear; keep it light, enjoy the win, move with it.
Whether you’re fixated on the grainy elegance of the IMAX-shot visuals or the dizzying loop of flirtation, regional loyalty, and lyrical cheek, the message is clear—Drake’s still having fun, and he’s inviting everyone to look twice while pretending he doesn’t care.
The track lands on $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, a Valentine’s Day drop from Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR that oscillates between woozy yearning and club euphoria.
But tucked late into the album, Nokia feels like a curveball—playful, polished, and weirdly self-aware.
Critics may have called it karaoke-night-ready, but underneath the bounce is a map of symbols, shout-outs, and calculated shrugs.
The IMAX Video: A Monochrome Spectacle
The visuals are shot by Theo Skudra using actual IMAX film—a first for a Drake video and a medium usually reserved for Hollywood epics.
Instead of grand vistas, we get gritty street shots, choreographed chaos, and Toronto Carnival dancers, all wrapped in a grayscale sheen. It isn’t subtle. The camera lingers on every costume change and every synchronised hoodie flip.
The Toronto skyline appears as a model. An owl—Drake’s long-time OVO symbol—is set free from a cage. NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows up. All of it choreographed to make a point without spelling it out.
Shooting a song called Nokia on one of the most expensive film formats ever used for music videos? That’s Drake in full ironic form.
The video didn’t even premiere on his main channel—it dropped from his burner YouTube like a leak he approved in secret.
From Freetown to the Charts: The Beat Behind the Buzz
London based producer, Elkan, built the Nokia beat in a studio in Freetown, Sierra Leone, during what he called a “mental breakdown.” He later shared:
“I channeled all the pain, trauma and joy into music… ‘Nokia’ came from people I love ringing my line asking if I was okay.”
It’s hard not to hear that in the instrumental. The beat fidgets. The synths shimmer but wobble. The bassline leans more Atlanta than Toronto.
There’s swagger in the sequencing, with layers dissolving and restacking like a Snake game in motion.
The second half slows into a crunchy strut, where Drake switches to a loose, conversational delivery. Somewhere between a Whodini throwback and a half-serious late-night freestyle.
You don’t get a key change or a soaring chorus. Instead, you get repetition used as texture—a deliberate hypnotism. And it works.
And beneath it all, there’s an easter egg from the ’90s. The sampled ringtone originally known as “Type 5” on the Nokia 2010—a brick of a phone released in 1994.
By 1998, the tune had been renamed “Nokia Tune” and became the brand’s iconic default ringtone.
It’s an unmistakable sound for anyone who grew up in that era. By weaving it into Nokia, Drake doesn’t just play with nostalgia—he engineers it.
Drake’s Nokia Lyrics Explained: Name-Drops, Nightlife, and Not-So-Subtle Disses
Despite its glossy exterior, Nokia is a song about longing—dressed up in bass-heavy clubwear.
Like Rich Baby Daddy, known for its playful and provocative energy, Nokia embraces carefree fun, making it a staple for any party playlist.
The track begins with an almost obsessive refrain: “Who’s callin’ my phone?” eight times, back to back.
It’s not just a hook; it’s Drake poking fun at his own ubiquity. The chorus runs through names like Stacy, Becky, Keisha, Ashley, Dani, and even PARTY (a wink to PARTYNEXTDOOR).
It sounds lighthearted, but that repetition reads like anxiety disguised as banter – a lyrical tactic reminiscent of DMX’s infamous name-drop list in “What These Bitches Want,” but filtered through Drake’s lens of glamour, gossip, and detached affection.
He brags, sure, but there’s tenderness folded in. Drake shifts from cheeky to direct.
This isn’t a line you throw out on the dancefloor—it’s the text you send when you’re a little too honest after midnight.
“Stop teasin’ me / I could change your life so easily”
Then it switches:
“We got sticks in the club illegally / Got the whole 6ix side, they believe in me”
Classic Drake confidence. The offer of transformation, followed immediately by the frustration of not being chosen. He’s still begging—but he wants you to know you’re missing out.
Violence, loyalty, danger—standard motifs in Drake’s more assertive tracks—but here they’re softened by the repetition of “my love” and lines about ordering shots for the girls.
When he says, “I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky,” he’s not just flexing. It’s a Canadian reference with layers: Wayne Gretzky is iconic, beloved, and unreachable. That line carries more weight in Toronto than any imported brand name.
He closes in a casual, reflective tone:
“You know my dad ‘nem pimpin’ for real / You ever been down to Memphis, Tennessee, my love?”
It reads like a diary entry tucked between bottle service and Instagram captions.
Cultural Layering: Toronto Is the Centre, Again
Drake namechecks “east of the DVP” and “west on the 401” like they’re global landmarks. He knows his audience will Google it. That’s the point. It’s hyperlocal myth making—and it’s been his playbook since Views.
The video backs that up visually, folding in Carnival aesthetics and suburban nods.
Even the group choreography feels like it’s mocking the TikTok-era demands for virality. Drake isn’t chasing trends. He’s mimicking them just long enough to twist them.
And then there’s the Kendrick discourse.
The Kendrick Connection: Owl vs. Owl
Drake fans and commentators haven’t missed the cues. Kendrick Lamar caged an owl in his Not Like Us video. Drake, in Nokia, frees one. Kendrick celebrated his crew with group shots and iconic dap-ups.
Drake mimics those exact moves with his own circle. Even the lyrical cadence seems to parody Kendrick’s more clipped, sarcastic lines.
It’s trolling for sure, and it’s unmistakably deliberate. This isn’t Drake responding with bars. He’s replying in symbols, smirks, and camera choices.
Nokia Lyrics About Love, Power, or Identity?
Let’s be honest—this isn’t Drake at his most poetic. But that’s kind of the point. The song’s surface is shallow for a reason.
Beneath the party talk and girl names is a strange, vulnerable energy. It’s about the chase, yes, but also the silence that follows.
And that title? It’s more than a flex. The Nokia was the last phone you could drop on concrete and trust it’d survive. That’s what Nokia wants to be—a song that lasts, no matter how chaotic the night gets.
Why Nokia Has Everyone Talking
On first listen, Nokia feels like a throwaway—a playful detour that sneaks in halfway through the album.
It’s a flashback to nights out and situationships that probably shouldn’t be revisited but somehow always are.
But much like Hotline Bling (another phone-themed track), it is undoubtedly catchy. Maybe it’s the deliberate simplicity. Maybe it’s the contrast between the humour and the sadness behind it.
Nokia debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to climb streaming charts globally. It’s not his most vulnerable work. It isn’t chasing a Grammy either. But it’s sticky. And it’s clever.
The song feels like an off-the-cuff joke that somehow landed a top 10 spot—which might be the most Drake thing ever.
He’s not just making music anymore. He’s planting easter eggs. And right now, Nokia might be the most stylishly cryptic one he’s dropped in years.
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Drake NOKIA Lyrics
Pre-Chorus: Drake
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who? Who?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who? Who?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Yeah, yeah)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (OVO Sound, 2025)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone?
Chorus: Elkan & Drake
Is it Stacy? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Becky? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Keisha? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Ellie? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Was it Dani? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it PARTY? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Where’s the function? (Where the fuck the function?)
Send the addy (Where the fuck the function?)
Verse: Drake
The way I feel right now, I feel like we need to be all alone
So if you just playin’ around, you need to tell your girl, “Take your fine ass home,” and that’s real
Stop teasin’ me, yeah, what? Stop teasin’ me
I could change your life so easily
I keep beggin’ you to stay, but you’re leavin’ me
Leavin’ me, we got sticks in the club illegally
Got the whole 6ix side, they believe in me
We got members east of the DVP
We got members west on the 401
We had a lock on the game, but it’s more to come
You gotta pop that ass ’til the morning come
You want shots for the girls? Then order some
Pre-Chorus: Drake
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who’s callin’ that shit?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who? Who?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who? Who?)
Who’s callin’ my phone? (Who? Who?)
Who’s callin’ my— (Ayy)
Chorus: Elkan & Drake
Is it Stacy? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Becky? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Keisha? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it Ashley? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Was it Dani? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Is it PARTY? (Who’s callin’ my phone?)
Where’s the function? (Where the fuck the function?)
Send the addy (Where the fuck the function?)
Intro: Elkan
Baby girl
Baby girl
Baby girl
Chorus: Drake & Elkan
Baby girl
Let me see you do your dance, let me see you twirl
Shakin’ ass in the club with your homegirls
Take a pic for the ‘Gram, show the whole world (Show the whole world), yeah
Is that your bestie?
I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky
I’ma at you like bless me
Hit the dance floor, get nasty, impress me
Baby girl
Let me see you do your dance, let me see you twirl
Shakin’ ass in the club with your homegirls
Take a pic for the ‘Gram, show the whole world (Show the whole world), yeah
Is that your bestie?
I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky
I’ma at you like bless me
Hit the dance floor, get nasty, impress me
Verse: Drake
Ayy, how many hoes in this club?
Is it just me and you, my love?
I don’t mean to call you no ho
I just heard about the things that you do, my love
And you’re just like me, if it’s true, my love, ayy
You could see right through my love, ayy
I see your waist shrunk, my love, ayy
You got some bass in the trunk, my love, damn
How many hoes in this club?
Is it really just me, my love?
You know my dad ‘nem pimpin’ for real
You ever been down to Memphis, Tennessee, my love? Uh
I ain’t sayin’ I agree, my love
I’m just tellin’ you the things that I see, my love
I got drinks, jokes, sex, and cash
Those are four things I can guarantee, my love, ayy
Chorus: Drake & Elkan
Baby girl
Let me see you do your dance, let me see you twirl
Shakin’ ass in the club with your homegirls
Take a pic for the ‘Gram, show the whole world (Show the whole world), yeah
Is that your bestie?
I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky
I’ma at you like bless me
Hit the dance floor, get nasty, impress me
Baby girl
Let me see you do your dance, let me see you twirl
Shakin’ ass in the club with your homegirls
Take a pic for the ‘Gram, show the whole world (Show the whole world), yeah
Is that your bestie?
I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky
I’ma at you like bless me
Hit the dance floor, get nasty, impress me
