Source: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty
Doja Cat — “Attention”
Doja Cat is getting everyone’s “Attention” with the release of her newest single. Y2K and Rogét Chahayed team up on the production tip. Meanwhile, the California superstar raps and sings on the highly-anticipated track.
Instantly, Doja aims at haters. “You’re lucky ’cause I just paid your bill with a reply,” she raps. “I just made your money pile knee-high / I just made your stats peak, now you got a blue check / Now you can afford to go and reinstall a new wig.” She also goes on: “It’s stupid / You follow me, but you don’t really care about the music.”
The song’s Tanu Muino-directed music video opens with flashing lights. Fans clamor for Doja’s attention while she drives by nonchalantly. Soon, the multi hyphenate star struts through the city, evades pedestrians, and emerges in a dream-like sequence. Finally, she appears naked and seemingly blood-drenched.
This single and video follow recent Doja comments. “Planet Her and Hot Pink were cash-grabs and y’all fell for it,” she recently tweeted regarding her past works. “Now I can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while y’all weep for mediocre pop.”
Killer Mike — Michael
Killer Mike hasn’t released a full-length solo album in 11 years. Now, the well-respected artist, one half of Run the Jewels, is back with perhaps his most personal offering to date, Michael.
The 14-song offering features a who’s who of musical all-stars. Georgia titans like André 3000, Future, CeeLo Green, 2 Chainz and Young Thug all appear on this effort. Elsewhere, Eryn Allen Kane offers several assists, Ty Dolla $ign pops up a couple of times, and the other half of Run the Jewels, El-P, comes through too. No I.D. is Michael’s executive producer.
But it’s Killer Mike’s introspection that takes center stage here. His vulnerable honesty was also at the heart of “Motherless,” the LP’s heartfelt single about the impactful deaths of his mother and grandmother. That’s the soulful content that weighs heavy throughout the set. It’s what makes this extra personal.
“That Killer Mike character was invented when I was nine,” Mike tells the Grammys. “I just wanted to be an MC, and Killer Mike was like me being a superhero. But when you hear me talking about my mother, I’m empty now. It’s not sad, but it’s about missing and wanting.” He also tells Billboard about the album: “I just wanted to be understood and seen for who I really am.”
Coi Leray — “Run It Up”
Coi Leray continues to drop bops on her journey to a new album. After reaching Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 with “Players,” the rising star unleashes yet another single, “Run It Up.”
Duality is at the core of this joint. “I’m an angel in the day and a demon in the night / Don’t go thinkin’ ‘bout it ‘cause you might lose your mind / Drop the top in the winter ‘cause my heart cold as ice,” she sings on the track.
Coi teams up with frequent collaborator Johnny Goldstein for this track’s production. Goldstein was also a producer on “Players” and subsequent singles like “My Body” and “Bops.”
Now, the trendsetting hitmaker is gearing up to release her Coi LP. “I have so many hits on my hands now,” she tells XXL. “They heard ‘Players.’ I can’t wait ’til they hear what the album is.”
YG & Tyga — “PLATINUM”
It’s a “Platinum” party for YG and Tyga. The West Coast duo teams up once again for their newest single and its California-centric music video.
YG jumps into the track by playing off the title. “Yeah, we be goin’ platinum but I wear gold,” he raps on the track. “400-500 what I get a show / Play the game right, so I’m livin’ by the code.” Tyga adds: “We goin’ platinum, baby!”
For his part, T-Raww lets fans know how he’s doing. “Don’t sleep, I’m a beast where I’m from,” he raps. “Platinum in my teeth and it costs a honeybun.” Finally, he adds a warning: “This ain’t for the radio.”
The music video is a ride through West Coast paradise. Filmed in the Bay Area, YG and Tyga rap to the camera, surrounded by friends, upbeat dancers and a caravan of classic and fancy new rides.
Gunna — a Gift & a Curse
After going on quite an impressive run of hits, Gunna has been marred by controversy since May of last year. He was arrested as part of a larger YSL case and then released months later to scrutiny. Now, in the wake of all that, the Georgia rapper unveils a Gift & a Curse, his first project since the legal woes arose.
The “Drip Too Hard” rapper seems to address the allegations of cooperation with federal authorities on the song “i was just thinking.” “Know you hear the lies, it’s your lil’ brother, my folk,” he raps. “Yeah, I had popped out, but don’t let ’em say I told.”
Elsewhere, Gunna continues to speak about how trying these times have been. “I was just thinking about the times I was hard-headed,” he raps. “Thought it was right all along, I was misled / All this weight on my back feels so heavy.”
There are no features on this 15-song offering but Turbo, Pooh Beatz, Cubeatz and Flo are among the project’s many producers.
