This past week, the song everybody had been waiting for finally dropped; the steel drum tune behind that viral video of Kodak Black, Offset, and Travis Scott dancing. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here it is below:
So why did this 5 second clip get so popular? Maybe because the song’s beat is so playful and fun. Perhaps it’s because of how awkward the rappers’ shuffle-like dancing comes off. Probably a combination of both, plus its meme capability to boot. Anyway, people had been hyping up this instrumental to the point where Kodak Black played just the beat at a concert (no lyrics yet) and everybody went nuts.
View this post on InstagramALL I’M GONNA SAY IS: COMING SOON❗️❗️❗️”d.a. GOT THAT DOPE❗️”
Truly crazy stuff. The producer behind the beat, DA Doman, has been blowing up this year due to a string of hit singles, including Tyga’s “Taste“ released earlier in 2018 that is now multi-platinum selling status. In all, the song’s hype is a culmination of a few factors: memeability, catchiness, and branding. But how is the actual single itself?
The track, titled “ZEZE”, is made by Kodak Black featuring Offset and Travis Scott on guest verses (if you could not already guess). While I don’t know what ZEZE is and plan on just calling it either “the Kodak meme song” or “the song that goes *dih dih dih dih dih*”, the cut is not bad at all. Sure, the instrumental has already been overplayed since before it was released, and the lyrics are half-baked at best, but the atmosphere and carefree nature make it an intoxicating listen. Had this been released 6 months ago I can guarantee it would’ve been on every 4th of July and Summer Hits playlist. Hell, the single cover depicts a hunched over man on an island with a palm tree and recliner under a clear sky; if that doesn’t scream summer vibes, I don’t know what does. I may be biased since I’m a huge Travis Scott and Offset stan, but the chemistry between the artists is phenomenal as well. Flows and verses melt into each other with tons of reverb on top of the gentle drums, and this only adds to that beach-y energy previously mentioned.
To summarize my thoughts, I enjoy this song quite a bit. Kodak, Travis, and Offset came together to create a fun song and they delivered in full, so I can’t have that many complaints. While being “fun” doesn’t dismiss the average lyrics, I can’t say they really hurt the track that much; they’re catchy and show enough personality to be passable in an era of rap where lyrics are rarely that original to begin with. But what are your thoughts? Have a listen and let me know in the comments.