Drake has taken over TikTok with “Toosie Slide,” thanks largely in part due to the dance that was created for the track. It turns out this originally wasn’t Drake’s intention at all, though, because the song was actually written about Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk dance move. Drake sings on the song, “It go right foot up, left foot, slide / Left foot up, right foot, slide.”
On Instagram Live last night, Drake explained the song’s origins (and revealed he has a new album on the way), saying, “Shout out to Toosie, because when I first made that song, I was only talking about the moonwalk. […] But Toosie made the dance to that sh*t, so it’s popping now. I didn’t know it was gonna be a dance song like that, but it is what it is. We’re just having fun getting warmed up. Album’s on the way.”
Drake on Live talks Toosie Slide & finishing the album: “when I first made that song I was only talking about the moonwalk…But Toosie made a dance to that shit I didn’t know it was gonna be a dance song like that… we’re just having fun getting warmed up. Albums on the way” pic.twitter.com/YGDIkErKE8
— æ (@annelokelanii) April 7, 2020
That makes a ton of sense looking at the song’s lyrics, which feature multiple references to Jackson. Drake sings, “I could dance like Michael Jackson / I could give you thug passion,” and at the start of the song, he offers was seems to be another Jackson nod: “Black leather glove, no sequins.”
Lil Baby actually almost appeared on the song, but as he noted recently, “@champagnepapi Sent Me This Song A Month Ago My Dumb Ass Ain’t Send The Verse Bacc.”