Drake performs consent while describing coercion. The gentleman routine collapses under its own weight when the supposed question becomes a command, when leaving marks becomes the proof of what happened. What starts as asking permission ends as branding.
First thing, can I get consent? / I am a gentleman / Girl, what's in that drink? It taste like medicine
The consent question becomes theater when the next line evokes drink-spiking. Calling yourself a gentleman while asking what's in someone's drink reveals the performance, not the reality.
I'll smack that ass, smack that ass until I leave a print / Smack that ass, smack that ass until it's cheetah print
Leaving a mark is the point, not the side effect. The physical evidence matters more than what she wants, which the song never actually describes despite Drake claiming to ask.
To the left, to the right, throw it back now, y'all / One cheek this time, two cheeks this time
Sexyy Red appears only as choreographer, giving aerobics commands instead of expressing desire. In a song supposedly featuring her, she's conspicuously absent as a sexual subject.
I need a bad bitch to come take my innocence / Remind me that I'm him again
Drake positions himself as passive recipient while simultaneously directing all the action. He's both innocent victim and commanding presence, whichever feels safer in the moment.
Sent you a drunk text, reply if you want to / Play shy if you want to
The 'if you want to' repetition sounds like permission but functions as pressure. Every option he lists is what he wants her to do, dressed up as her choice.
The narrator would be surprised to learn that repeatedly announcing you're a gentleman while describing leaving physical prints reveals anxiety about coercion, not confidence in desire. The song avoids the most obvious question: does she want this, or just comply with it?