Another week, another set of releases! Welcome back to the fourth week of New Music Fridays (on Tuesday) with Dylan. This week, we had a wide variety of music releases. There is something for everyone to check out, whether its an EDM/Latin track, hip-hop/rap or a pop/EDM remix. Let’s get right to it!
“Taki Taki” by DJ Snake, featuring Cardi B, Ozuna and Selena Gomez (iTunes, Spotify)
DJ Snake, the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) producer who gave us hits like “Let Me Love You” and “You Know You Like It,” is back with another smash hit. “Taki Taki” is an EDM-based track with hints of a Latin vibe that features Latin trap singer Ozuna, rapper Cardi B and popstar Selena Gomez. In a recent interview with “Billboard,” Snake revealed that the track originally only featured Ozuna, but he decided last minute to add a more “feminine touch” to the track. First teased in mid-August, DJ Snake tweeted a photo of four directors’ chairs, and a small chair for Cardi’s daughter, Kulture. Each chair had an artist name sewn into it. The collaboration was officially announced on Monday, Sept. 17.
I was actually so eager to hear this track, that I ended up staying up until 11 p.m. when it was released.
The first 10 seconds of the track instantly had me hooked. The introduction contains a creepy-yet-mysterious vibe, something that always locks me in when it comes to hearing a song for the first time. Ozuna quickly comes in with the chorus, followed by his verse, both which are in Spanish. Halfway through, Cardi B arrives with an all-English verse, followed by the bridge, where she raps fluently in her first language, Spanish. Cardi’s bridge sounds similar to her No. 1 smash, “I Like It,” which is also a Latin-based track.
Ozuna repeats the chorus once more, followed by a verse from Selena Gomez. After singing a few lines in English, Gomez ends her verse by speaking full-on Spanish, something fans rarely hear from her, despite the fact that she is part-Latina.
The track is closed out with the chorus one final time, this time sung by both Ozuna and Gomez.
There is no doubt that this song will be a smash. With some of the hottest artists in music and an excellent variety of culture on one track, this is a guaranteed top-five hit that will tear up the airwaves as well as the charts.
“Taki Taki” debuted at No. 2 on the iTunes Worldwide chart and No. 6 on the Spotify Global Top 200. Play or Nay: Play
“Neighbor” by Juicy J featuring Travis Scott (iTunes, Spotify)
Juicy J and Travis Scott are back with another collaboration, “Neighbor.” This is their third track together, aside from Travis’ “Wasted” and Juicy J’s “No English.” “Neighbor” was announced on Tuesday, Sept. 25 as a surprise release, and was officially premiered the day after on “Beats 1” with Zane Lowe.
This track was iffy for me, as I am of a fan of Travis, but not so much Juicy J; I have always found his tone to be a bit annoying.
Kicking off the track is a short introduction from Juicy J, followed immediately by the chorus, sung by both Scott and J. At first, the chorus had me hooked. It was your typical Travis-based chorus—catchy with a smooth flow, backed with a great beat. However, Travis decided to waste six seconds of the chorus by simply dropping the F-bomb 13 times in a row. For me, this was obnoxious, and it ruined a chorus that had great potential to be a hit.
Travis makes up for the annoying chorus with a solid verse, despite it being a bit short.
The chorus is repeated once more before Juicy J arrives with his verse, and that completely killed the song. Admittedly, his flow is decent, but it sounds like any other rap verse these days. J raps about his use of drugs, all the girls he gets and even takes a jab at rappers Offset and Cardi B. Juicy J has never really been an A-list rapper, and after hearing that verse, I can definitely see why.
Despite the fact that Travis Scott is featured, this song really wasn’t my cup of tea, and I don’t see it becoming a hit anytime soon. The two-minute-and-43-second track, overall, is repetitive and sounds like it was put together like a last-minute homework assignment that was due the next day.
“Neighbor” is still yet to debut on both the iTunes Worldwide chart and the Spotify Global Top 200. Play or Nay: Nay
Lost In Japan (Remix) by Shawn Mendes and Zedd (iTunes, Spotify)
Shawn Mendes has teamed up with producer Zedd for his first-ever official EDM remix. “Lost In Japan” was originally released in March 2018 as a promotional single for Mendes’ third studio album Shawn Mendes. Zedd teased his remix on Twitter by posting a video of himself playing the track on a piano, where Mendes’ soon after liked the tweet, convincing fans that the remix was official. Shawn confirmed the remix on Sept. 25 by tweeting the official Spotify pre-save link, along with the exact time of the release.
Although I am not a huge fan of Shawn Mendes, surprisingly, I enjoyed this track. Despite the original version being on the slower end, Zedd definitely turned this track into an instant hit.
Starting off with a soothing piano introduction, Shawn comes in with his A-list vocals, edited with a hint of an EDM autotuned sound. As Shawn continues with his introduction, you can definitely hear Zedd’s build up to the drop, something the producer never fails to do successfully. Sounding a bit like the DJ’s 2017 smash “Stay,” which features pop singer Alessia Cara, the final seconds before the drop is a ticking clock, leaving listeners eager to dance.
The drop is simple, yet groovy at the same time, while Mendes continues to sing, “I can’t seem to get you off my mind.” Once again, Zedd has turned a slower song into an absolute smash!
“Lost In Japan (Remix)” definitely shows fans another side of Shawn, proving that he can conform to more than just pop songs. Just two days after the release, I have already heard this track on both of Chicago’s hit music stations, B96 and 103.5 Kiss FM. With two of the hottest artists in music hopping on this track, I can confidently say that this song will be a smash that will tear up the Top-40 airwaves, as well as the Billboard Hot 100.
“Lost In Japan (Remix)” debuted at No. 22 on the iTunes Worldwide chart and No. 89 on the Spotify Global Top 200. Play or Nay: Play
As a whole, this was a very solid week for new music. No matter what genre you’re into, there is something for everyone to enjoy! Aside from the Juicy J track, I definitely see the other two tracks performing very well on the airwaves and the charts, and I wish them the best.
I’m Dylan Jahnke, and this is my second year with 42Fifty, which I first joined as a staff member. I am a senior at Oswego High School, and I plan to study mass communications/music management in college. I hope to one day have my own radio talk show or get into artist management. If I’m not writing or editing for 42Fifty, I’m either working at Culver’s, hanging out with friends and family, or doing homework. I am humbled to say I began my 42Fifty career my junior year as a staff writer, then Arts & Entertainment editor first semester of my senior year and now Editor-in-Chief.
