If you aren’t familiar with Saweetie, now is your time to get hip to her. Hailing from the Bay Area, California, Saweetie first got attention for her music back in 2017 she released her single “Icy Grl.” On “Icy GRL,” Saweetie raps over Khia’s 2002 hit single, “My Neck, My Back” with a flow that is utterly smooth and dripped in cool. Since the breakout success of “Icy GRL,” Saweetie has gone on to release two EPs since then; High Maintenance in 2018 and most recently, ICY (2019). ICY is a strong launch point for Saweetie and the rest of her rap career. The project is a refreshing change from much of what is expected from hip hop projects today. Saweetie is sexy, braggadocios, and unbashful in both her music and her persona on ICY. With this newest project, the Bay Area baddie shows us that even though she is a newcomer, she is going to have a lasting stake in the rap game.

ICY has a kitchy and vintage sound. Tracks like “Tip Toes,” “Emotional” and “Dripped in Ice” take me back to the early 2000s with their structure, samples, and overall style. “Tip Toes” is one of the two songs on the EP that features Quavo of Migos. “Tip Toes” functions as a rap duet between Saweetie and Quavo, with each talking about their lust for the other in short, 30 second segments as they go back and forth for the entirety of the track. “Emotional” is the other track with a Quavo feature. In this song, Saweetie utilizes a sample that sounds much like the one used in Beyonce’s 2003 hit single “Crazy in Love.” “Dripped in Ice” is a slower and more mellow track with much simpler production compared to the other tracks on ICY. “Dripped in Ice” showcases the swagger of Saweetie's flow. She doesn't try hard to hit certain rhymes or emphasize certain words. Her lyrics roll off her tongue, allowing her style to seem effortless. The effortlessness of her flow makes “Dripped in Ice” and all the other tracks on ICY easy for the listener to latch onto. This allows us to easily enter into the world of Saweetie, one which makes anyone who listens feel like a bad bitch.

Saweetie does not hide her Bay Area lineage on ICY. She takes pride in where she is from, which is the tradition of Bay Area artists everywhere. Quavo references Oakland sideshow culture on the song “Tip Toes” when he says “And she from the Bay, she ghostwrite every morning.” Saweetie herself makes reference to late innovator of the Bay’s Hyphy hip hop movement, Mac Dre on the track “My Type” with the lyric, “Do it on his face with a thizz (Ugh)/ I'm a boss tycoon with the shit.” She also refers to her “Pussy from the Bay” on the song “My Type” and calls herself a “Bad bitch from the Bay with a ratchet side” on the track “Hot Boy.” The Bay Area influence is very prevalent on ICY and as a fellow resident of the Bay Area myself, ICY gives me an undeniable sense of hometown pride.

ICY is a short project, comprising of seven songs that amount to a runtime of 21 minutes total.This is the perfect length for this EP. Each song is able to stand on its own, have its own space to breath, and express its own sense of personality. No song on ICY sounds exactly like the other, which is something that is all too common in longer rap projects today released by more established artists. ICY may be short, but it packs a punch regardless. And after the first listen, I can guarantee you’ll want to listen to it again and again.

Saweetie continues to impress with ICY. With this project, she has shown the public that she is more than a one hit wonder. Saweetie is here to stay, and she is going to do so on her own terms. Her confidence on Icy is infectious, the tracks sound unique yet classic at the same time, and her flashy persona is extremely fun and attractive. I was extremely impressed with Saweetie’s work on ICY, and her potential to be star is all over this project. I know I will be keeping a lookout for what she comes out with next. Are you?

Favorite Tracks

Tip Toes (Feat. Quavo)

Dipped in Ice

Hot Boy

Rating: 8

Listen to ICY here:

ICY, an album by Saweetie on Spotify

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By Spencer Lobdell

Welcome to “Songs of the Week” a weekly segment where I highlight three of the best new songs released the week prior along with one throwback song of the week. To stay up to date on all new music, follow my Spotify playlist “What I’m Feeling” which is updated weekly to always include the freshest new music. Always 30 songs, hottest always at the top. Stream it here:

A playlist updated weekly with whatever new songs I'm feeling at the time. Always 30 songs and in order with what I'm feeling the most at the top.

New Songs Of the Week:

“Tip Toes” by Saweetie (Feat. Quavo)

Tip Toes (feat. Quavo), a song by Saweetie, Quavo on Spotify

Tip Toes, the standout track off Saweetie’s new seven-track EP “ICY,” gives us a look inside of her and Quavo’s young relationship. The way the two consistently gas each other up while sliding from one overt sexual innuendo to another is fun and empowering. The beat is lively and infectious and creates a specific mood where it’s hard for the listener not to love everything the two MCs have going on.

“Icy wifey like it rocky, so he take me out so often
All these bitches try to cop me but he know he never swap me”

— Saweetie "Tip Toes"

“AINT GOIN BACK” by Russ

AINT GOIN BACK, a song by Russ on Spotify

The internet’s least favorite DIY rapper is back with a motivating new track called “AINT GOIN BACK.” Russ delivers two honest verses and an echoing hook that will be stuck in your head after one listen. Throughout the song, the Atlanta MC raps about all the positive ways his life has changed since the fame. This topic is one we’ve heard from Russ before, but on this new track his boasting seems to come from a place of authenticity and comes off as far less annoying.

“Mom was applying for the food stamps
Every night studio boot camps
All I had there was a lot of free time
Cheap wine and my mind and my two hands”

— Russ "AINT GOIN BACK"

“KICK THE CUP” by Fenix Flexin (Feat. Rob Vicious)

This week, 50% of Shoreline Mafia comes through on the new single “Kick the Cup.” At its core, the song is one about struggling to kick a lean addiction, but Fenix Flexin’s tone and word choice on the hook puts me under the impression that even if he thought this task obtainable, he would choose to keep sipping. His layered vocals on the hook sound larger than life and even without Ohgeesy this sounds like a classic Shoreline track.

“I really wanna kick the cup but I can’t
Everywhere I go a nigga sippin’ drank
Said he gettin’ to the fetti but he ain’t
I just pulled out 20 thousand out the bank”

— Fenix Flexin "Kick the Cup"

Throwback song of the Week:

“Keys 2 the City” by Nipsey Hussle

Keys 2 the City, a song by Nipsey Hussle on Spotify

Rest in peace Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey was a true legend and an absolute leader in the LA community. With all that he did to make the city a better place, he was absolutely right when he rapped that he had the key to the city. The second track off the excellent mixtape The Marathon shows every reason why we love Nipsey Hussle. From his witty wordplay, to the OG west coast instrumentals, to his unmatched love for LA, Nipsey Hussle is a true king and will be deeply missed.

“Like a broke weed head, my pistol will smoke for free
Imani ain’t gonna know the streets
Got to keep her close to me
Put that on the man that’s on the cross on my rosery
Wasn’t always banging but I speak about it openly
No shame in my game
I did my thing, on the coldest streets
Who’s the hottest on the West
All you niggas know it’s me
So tell whoever got it lock that Nipsey Hussle stole the key”

— Nipsey Hussle "Keys 2 the Streets"

Check back in next week for three new hot songs and one new throwback! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to get updated when we post: