Title:
Drakeposting
Meme Creator:
Unknown (4chan users)
Media Creator:
Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)
Meme Creation Year:
2015
Media Year:
2015
Height of Popularity:
2015-2016
Era:
Mobile & Social Media Era
Platform:
4chan
Image Macro
Type:
Tags:
drake, pointing, hotline bling, preference, approval, rejection, meme template
History:
The "Drake Pointing" meme, also known as "Drakeposting," represents one of the most enduring and versatile image macro formats in internet culture. The meme originates from two specific frames taken from Drake's 2015 music video for "Hotline Bling," directed by Director X and released on October 19, 2015 (Know Your Meme, 2016). The music video, which was financed by Apple Inc. and initially released exclusively on Apple Music, featured Drake performing various dance moves in brightly colored, minimalist cube-shaped rooms inspired by the work of American artist James Turrell (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).
According to Know Your Meme, the first documented use of these images as a meme format occurred on 4chan's /v/ (video games) board in mid-2015, shortly after the music video's release (Know Your Meme, 2016). The format gained significant traction when users began employing the two contrasting images to express preference between options: the top image showing Drake turning away with his hand extended in rejection, and the bottom image showing him pointing approvingly while smiling.
The meme's popularity spread rapidly across 4chan's various boards throughout late 2015 and early 2016. On January 30, 2016, a Sheeky Forum user noted the prevalence of "drakeposting" on the site, while on February 2, 2016, a Redditor mentioned the term in response to a /r/4chan thread about other exploitable meme formats (Know Your Meme, 2016). The format's appeal lay in its clear visual communication of preference and its adaptability to countless subjects and contexts.
By 2016, the Drake pointing meme had transcended its 4chan origins and become widely adopted across mainstream social media platforms. The format proved particularly effective for expressing opinions about everything from food preferences to political viewpoints, making it one of the most recognizable meme templates of the mid-2010s. Its longevity and continued usage demonstrate the power of simple, effective visual communication in digital culture.
Notes about the Creator/s:
Creator (Media):
Director X (born Julien Christian Lutz) is a Canadian music video and film director who has worked with numerous high-profile artists including Drake, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber. For the "Hotline Bling" video, Director X drew inspiration from artist James Turrell's light installations, creating the minimalist, color-changing environments that became iconic in their own right (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025). The video's aesthetic and Drake's distinctive dance moves were intended to create a memorable visual experience, though Director X likely did not anticipate the meme potential that would emerge from specific frames.
Creator (Meme):
The transformation of Director X's cinematic work into meme format was an organic development by anonymous 4chan users rather than a single identifiable creator. The collaborative nature of imageboard culture allowed multiple users to refine and popularize the format throughout 2015 and 2016, demonstrating how internet communities can collectively repurpose media content for new forms of expression and communication.
Notes about the years:
Media Creation Year (2015):The "Hotline Bling" music video was officially released on October 19, 2015, exclusively on Apple Music before receiving wider distribution (IMDb, 2015). The song itself had been released earlier in July 2015, but the specific frames used in the meme come from the music video's October release.
Meme Creation Year (2015):The earliest documented instances of the Drake pointing format being used as a meme occurred in mid-to-late 2015 on 4chan's /v/ board, making 2015 the appropriate classification year for meme creation (Know Your Meme, 2016).
Height of Popularity (2015-2016):The meme reached its peak popularity during late 2015 and throughout 2016, when it became widely recognized and adopted across multiple platforms beyond its 4chan origins.
Sources and additional information:
IMDb. (2015, October 4). Drake: Hotline Bling (Music Video 2015) - Release info. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6699508/releaseinfo/
Know Your Meme. (2016, March 31). Drakeposting. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/drakeposting/
Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, May 26). Hotline Bling. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 30, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotline_Bling