Erykah Badu’s remix of Drake's “Hotline Bling.”

Erykah Badu Covered Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” With a Weird New Twist

Erykah Badu Covered Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” With a Weird New Twist

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Slate's Culture Blog
Oct. 2 2015 3:53 PM

Erykah Badu Covered Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” With a Weird New Twist

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US singer Erykah Badu performs on the stage of the Nice Jazz Festival on July 08, 2012 in Nice, southeastern France. AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP/GettyImages)

Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP/GettyImages

Artists love to cover Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” His refrain, “you used to call me on my cellphone,” clearly strikes some kind of universal chord. First there was Sam Smith and Disclosure’s danceable spin, and now we have Erykah Badu’s offering, “Hotline Bling But U Cain't Use My Phone Mix” from her forthcoming But U Caint Use My Phone mixtape. Most interestingly, Badu’s take features one very bizarre turn. Around 3:00, the song gives way to a minute-long recording that imitates an automated attendant:

You've reached the Erykah Badu hotline. If you're calling for Erykah, press 1. If you're calling to wish her a happy birthday, Kwanzaa, MLK, Black History Month, Juneteenth, or Hanukkah, press 2.
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From there, it goes increasingly, delightfully off the rails.