Rap and pop is a combination that seems to arise mostly in the inherently dissatisfying world of duets: of course there’s Iggy and Charli XCX reminding us how “Fancy” they are, and Nicki Minaj certainly kills every guest verse she lends her flow to, but there are relatively few acts who can straddle the gap between genres while still demonstrating the kind of skills that’d put established performers to shame. Thankfully then, we’ve just seen the new video for upcoming rapper Tkay Maidza’s first drop, “U-Huh”.
Startlingly young (she’s only 18) the Mathematics directed clip sees the Zimbabwe-born, Australia-based artist frolicking in an abandoned school, getting up to the sorts of childish hijinks that perfectly suit the casual, understated charm of the song. It’s the kind of drop that defies the need for description: I could tell you about the way the synth claps dance off the sides of shuddering snares and how the simplicity of Maidza’s chorus hooks you from the very first listen, worming its way into your subconscious faster than any track since Icona Pop’s “I Love It”, but frankly, you’re best off just listening to it.
Maidza has already earned comparisons to fellow female rapper and partaker-in-Twitter-beef Azealia Banks, but the similarities are limited. Yes, both can spit and both are young women earning hype in a particular genre, but where Banks’ work feels 90s indebted to the point of being tired, often underwritten with an aggression that can come across as alienating, “U-Huh” feels fresh and inclusive: which is undoubtedly what frames it firmly in the sphere of noughties pop, even when her delivery is stuttering at double time over the beat. Mark my words: this girl is set for very big things indeed.
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