As February kicks off, we have multiple singles that have been released from bigger artists, like Logic, Lil Yachty, Kid Cudi and more. Today, I’m going to go over the singles that I’ve listened to this week, good or bad.
“Fear” – Logic
The first single from this week that was on my radar was Logic’s “Fear.” I was excited for this single simply because it’s used as the lead single to Logic’s most anticipated album yet, “Ultra 85.” As we dive into the track, sonically we hear what we usually hear from him, but it sounds a lot more upbeat than usual. His performance here is great as there’s a lot of switches on his delivery and flow.
My favorite part about the track is the cheerful keyboard chords along with other instruments being played. The production really brings this song altogether. Halfway in, the beat slows down and allows Logic to get a little melodic as we saw him do at the end of his last studio album, “College Park.” Here, we saw Logic wanting to branch out from rap, not wanting to be tied down artistically. This single is a continuation of this. We even hear Logic talking about not suppressing himself anymore and becoming the person he truly wants to by getting rid of his fears of judgment. I love both this single’s message and the overall sound of it.
“A Cold Sunday” – Lil Yachty
We also received a surprise drop from Lil Yachty. He released the rest of a snippet from his “Verses Im Proud of” series from his TikTok. “A Cold Sunday” dives into his outlook on his success he’s had since his reinsurance from his album last year. He then ends the track stating that he’ll die for the respect of his music, pretty much signifying that he’s not going anywhere soon and is here to stay. The song is a short two-minutes, but showcases one of the best performances I’ve seen from him. From the amazing, catchy delivery that he adopts to the smooth, “oldie” instrumental that he raps over, everything from this song is certainly something to be proud of.
“Black Ops” – Kid Cudi ft. Denzel Curry
Kicking it off with Kid Cudi’s “Black Ops” is a video game sounding instrumental. I don’t know how to explain it exactly apart from saying it’s a little “pixel-y.” Much of what is here is strongly related to his album he just released last month, “INSANO.” The track also showcases a feature from none other than Denzel Curry. I’ve been wanting to hear more from him ever since his near-perfect 2022 record, “Melt My Eyez See Your Future.” Denzel steers away from his usual, gritty sound and opts in for more of a lighter tone. While he is still rapping like he normally does, the flow and delivery we see on this track is really floaty and bubbly. While the track was really good, I just wish it was marketed well. Before the day of, I had no idea the song came out. Unrelated to the actual song, Kid Cudi teased a deluxe version of “INSANO,” which will be offering 18 new tracks, practically acting as a whole new album, so stay tuned for that within the year (hopefully).
“Bandit” – Don Toliver
Next, we have the highly anticipated track from Don Toliver, “Bandit.” The song samples Tame Impala’s “One More Hour” and builds itself around the track quite a lot. In fact, the entire instrumental is just one section from the song being chopped over and over again into itself. As fans heard this song previewed at multiple concerts from London, Birmingham and more, they all loved it from that point. Sonically, the song has hard-hitting 808s and showcases Don rapping like his life depended on it. He’s not entirely known for his rapping, compared to his R&B-inspired tracks, so it’s nice to see him polish it off once in a while. I do wish Don had more than just a single verse on this track, but I still enjoyed what I heard nonetheless.
“Point Em Out” – That Mexican OT & DaBaby
Eight months after his breakout single debuted, “Johnny Dang,” That Mexican OT dropped a song with DaBaby titled, “Point Em Out.” I really wanted this song to be stellar, but it’s everything but that if I’m being transparent. To begin, the production is really uninspiring as it’s the most boring trap beat I’ve heard in a long time. It’s just a piano along with 808s, and that’s pretty much it. To add on, Both OT’s and Dababy’s verses are even more boring than the instrumental. OT has the better verse and vocals easily, but it doesn’t really match with the production. He was known for having a Western voice, while this song has the least Western-sounding beat. DaBaby comes in with the same flow he’s used from 2019. It’s really getting tiring to hear the same thing from him for the hundredth time in the row now. This song had a lot of potential with the collaboration between the two but missed the mark by a lot.
Overall, this week’s singles were amazing and got me excited to see what’s next for all of these artists.