Drake's Toosie Slide music video pays subtle tribute to Kobe Bryant

Getty Images
Getty Images

Drake has released the music video for his new song Toosie Slide and the visuals pay subtle tribute to the late basketballer Kobe Bryant.

The video turns the song into a self-isolation soundtrack and features Drake dancing around his enormous Toronto mansion while wearing gloves and a face mask.

As Drake performs the ‘Toosie Slide’ around his house - which features a swimming pool and a grand piano - the camera pans past two LA Lakers jerseys, no. 8 and no. 24, in honour of Bryant.

The jerseys can be spotted around the 0:56 mark.

Drake is an avid NBA fan, being the global ambassador for his home team, the Toronto Raptors.

The rapper paid tribute to Bryant following his death in a helicopter crash in January, which also claimed the lives of his daughter Gianna and seven others.

Kobe Bryant (AFP via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant (AFP via Getty Images)

“It can’t be,” wrote Drake, sharing an illustration of Bryant.

Drake’s visual for Toosie Slide also pays tribute to Toronto in lockdown, opening with shots of the city’s empty streets.

The video ends with Drake letting off a fireworks display outside his home.

The track has already inspired a challenge on TikTok, with other musicians such as Tinashe posting their own versions of the dance that Drake instructs in the song.