AppleInsider Staff
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.
Andrew O'Hara
William Gallagher
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22 Comments
Um...
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!
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.