If you’ve ever felt like Drake’s smash-hit “Hotline Bling” sounded familiar, that’s because it is. The latest infectious offering from Drizzy is eerily similar to D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha,” a song thrusted into fame after Beyonce stamped it as one of her favorites. But whether or not it was a direct rip-off is up for debate. According to our friends at Stereogum, Drake’s almost-No. 1 hit is a sample Timmy Thomas’ 1973 song, “Why Can’t We Live Together,” not D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha.”
Up until Monday night (Oct. 19), the Virginia artist has been relatively tight-lipped about Drake’s track, but the singing/rapping newcomer took to Twitter after performing in Toronto, and following the release of the “Hotline Bling” visuals. Sharing that his performance in “The 6” was a welcomed opportunity to share his music, D.R.A.M. also lamented at the social media comparisons between his track and that of Drake’s. Since finally admitting that he feels he got “jacked” for his record, D.R.A.M. made a vow to own the sound made famous by both tracks, in 2016.
Read D.R.A.M’s thoughts on Drake’s “Hotline Bling” below, and spin both track to draw your own conclusions.
Just performed in Toronto for the 1st time tonight and it was bittersweet.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Sweet cus I’m out here sharing my music, my sound with the people..
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Bitter though, cus after my performance all I’m seeing is Cha Cha/Hotline Bling comparisons on my timeline.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Niggas want to know how I feel about that…
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
Yeah, I feel I got jacked for my record…But I’m GOOD.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
I’m happy that the VA sound that me & @GabeNiles are steady working on is growing. And in 2016 we gon’ own it, GAHDAMN!.
— D.R.A.M. not DRAM (@ONLY1DRAM) October 20, 2015
@ONLY1DRAM we loved Cha Cha first. Very unique and raw. That’s That underground magic force that sparks a seed to grow a tree. . . Ms. badu
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) October 20, 2015