Source: Jason Koerner / Getty
Doja Cat — “Paint the Town Red”
After getting everyone’s “Attention” with her last single, Doja Cat is back with a paintbrush. That’s because the rapper/singer is unleashing her newest highly-anticipated track, “Paint the Town Red.”
Doja brushes through a series of topics on this joint. “I don’t need a big feature or a new sidekick / I don’t need a new fan ‘cause my boo like it,” she raps on the track. “Money really all we’re finding for / I’m doing things they ain’t seen before / Fans ain’t dumb, but extremists are.”
Nina McNeely co-directed the song’s music video with the star. It features a voyage between vignettes and includes the grim reaper, lots of paint, and plenty of red symbolism.
Up next, Doja is heading out on “The Scarlet Tour” with special guests Ice Spice and Doechii. That run is slated to kick off this Halloween.
Ez Mil & Eminem — “Realest”
Eminem and Dr. Dre signed Las Vegas rapper Ez Mil to Shady/Aftermath/Interscope this month. Now, the Detroit legend joins his new signee on “The Realest.”
“I’m the realest in the business and everybody’s gonna be envious of my beginnings,” Ez raps on the track. Meanwhile, Shady seemingly responds to Melly Mel’s recent criticisms.
“Shout to the Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash, but, boy / This someone who really is furious; stay out his path, his wrath, avoid / And I’ll be the last to toy with a juice head whose brain is like half-destroyed / Like a meteor hit it, well, there went Melle Mel; we lost his a— to ‘roids.”
The Shady/Aftermath/Interscope connection is rare. In fact, Ez joins the likes of 50 Cent as one of only a few acts to sign with all three labels, according to a press release.
“We’ve never been out there signing a lot of artists, and one of the great things about how we built Shady is how selective we’ve been,” Eminem says. “And it’s even rarer that Dre and I sign something together. But I heard Ez’s music and was like, ‘This is really special,’ so I took it to Dre. We both agreed it would be a great fit and we wanted to work with him right on the spot.”
Dre adds: “I’m really only interested in working on sh-t that sounds different from anything else going on out there, and only then if I feel I can really bring something to it. Em played me Ez and I had that feeling…That thing that happens when we both know we’ve found something special.”
Halle Bailey — “Angel”
Halle Bailey continues to spread her wings. After making waves with “The Little Mermaid,” the singer-actress unveils her newest single, “Angel.”
“Angels make a way somehow,” she sings on the inspiring anthem. Later, she adds: “Rich blood, you can probably see the gold in my skin / I’m more than a girl, won’t let the troubles of the world come weigh me down.”
Bailey says this song is quite special. “[It’s] near and dear to my heart,” she explains in a statement. “With everything I’ve gone through the past 3-4 years, suddenly finding myself in this bubble of all these eyes and new opinions, it was easy for me to feel doubt in myself and who I was. This song for me was my climb out of those feelings, a mantra and promise to myself that the work I’m doing here on earth matters and that I matter. I wanted to be able to embrace and be proud of myself and who I am naturally through and through. I hope other Brown and Black girls and everyone in general feel embraced, respected, and inspired hearing the words of this song.”
Wendy Morgan directed the song’s angelic and reflective music video.
Lil Yachty — “Slide” & “Solo Steppin Crete Boy”
Lil Yachty’s ready to “Slide” with a pair of new releases. Today, the Quality Control star unleashes “Solo Steppin Crete Boy” and the aforementioned “Slide.”
“Slide” is the first of the two and it features a message to fellow rappers. “F—k a friend, all these rap n——s is weird,” he raps on the track. “F—k these rap n——s, I’m serious / F—k ‘em, f—k ‘em all.”
“Solo Steppin Crete Boy” is also out today. It features a continuation of the “Slide” theme. “I don’t need a rap friend, I’ma step solo,” he raps. “I’ll try anything once, the lifestyle YOLO.”
But the song also references Yachty’s frequent collaborator Drake (“I’ve been flying Air Drake”) and Drake’s son (“That boy is not a kingpin, he sold a couple grams / He ain’t a gangster, grew up better than Adonis Graham.”
The two tracks have been packaged with the previously-released “Strike (Holster)” for streaming.
