Tkay Maidza – “Shook”

Tkay Maidza – “Shook”

Four years ago, the sharp and energetic Australian dance-rapper Tkay Maidza impressed us with her all-over-the-place debut album TKAY. Since then, she’s only grown more confident and intense; “Awake,” the JPEGMAFIA collaboration that she released last year, was hard as hell. Today, Maidza announces that she’s signed with 4AD — a pretty fascinating fit — and she’s come out blasting with a new standalone single called “Shook.”

“Shook” is thumping, propulsive club-rap that might give you Missy Elliott or Azealia Banks flashbacks. The beat, propelled by a big and droning bass tone, comes from producer Dan Farber, the Dizzee Rascal collaborator who also produced “Awake.” Maidza surfs that beat with a blasé swagger, and the whole track has a really cool energy working for it.

At least part of that is the video. The “Shook” clip comes from the Beyoncé/Dua Lipa collaborator Jenna Marsh. It’s got Maidza and some dancers going off in an auto graveyard in the middle of a desert. (There are lots of music videos shot in auto graveyards, and there should be more. They’re like Mad Max wonderlands that exist in our actual physical space.) Check it out below.

“Shook” is out now on the streaming platforms.

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