Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1, also known as Songs in the Key of Nope, is a comedy album by American drag performer Willam Belli, self-released on October 26, 2018. The album features fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Latrice Royale and Trixie Mattel, as well as drag performer Rhea Litré. In the United States, the album spent two weeks on Billboard Comedy Albums chart, reaching a peak position of number four.
Background
Willam Belli, mononymously known as Willam, is an actor, drag performer, and recording artist who came to prominence for competing in the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2012. Now That's What I Call Drag Music is Belli's third studio album, following his debut The Wreckoning (2012) and Shartistry in Motion (2015). Belli wanted to create a studio album similar to his previous songs "Love You Like a Big Schlong" from The Wreckoning and "Boy Is a Bottom" (2013), which parody Selena Gomez & the Scene's "Love You like a Love Song" (2011) and Alicia Keys "Girl on Fire" (2012), respectively, after drag queens on a gay cruise told him those were their "moneymaker songs" to perform.
Composition
The self-released comedy album is approximately 32.5 minutes long and has nine tracks, including seven parody songs and two originals. The album spans multiple genres; according to Belli, "there's a poop song on there, there's a blow job song, there's a dance song, there's a country song, there's a jazzy song, there's an EDM song". He has said the opening track "Hoops" is his favorite because "it involves my sex life and jewelry, two of my favorite things". The song "Aileen" is a parody of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" about American serial killer and prostitute Aileen Wuornos, co-written by Jackie Beat and featuring fellow Drag Race contestant Trixie Mattel. In a 2018 Billboard interview, Belli said he has "always been kind of obsessed" with Wuornos because of her similarities to one of his aunts who was also a sex worker. Furthermore, he said, "I've done all the things that she's done, except kill people. I've hooked. I've bleached my hair. I've walked down I-95. Done all of it." In 2019, he said Wournos' "upbringing of abuse and neglect seriously handicapped her chances of ending up a productive member of society without a serious redirect somewhere. She was obviously held responsible for her actions by the court, but I'm hoping the people that turned her into the troubled individual she was also reap some sort of karmic punishment, if Aileen's bullets already didn't seal that deal."
Latrice Royale, another Drag Race competitor, is featured on "Oral". "Unshart My Fart" is a parody of Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart" (1996). Belli has said she is "proudest" of one of the song's rhymes. Drag queen Rhea Litré is featured on "Fries", a song about french fries. "Derrick" is about fellow Drag Race contestant and Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry. The song is a parody of Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (1998), with a medley covering "Stronger" (2000) and "Toxic" (2003). The song's lyrics reference an interview in which Barry incorrectly said people died in the Stonewall riots, a series of demonstrations by members of New York City's LGBT community at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, before being corrected by Belli.
Release
The album was originally called Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1 and re-issued as Songs in the Key of Nope to avoid copyright infringement with the compilation album series Now That's What I Call Music!. On November 23, 2018, Belli wrote: