Stormzy & Raye – “The Weekend”

Stormzy & Raye – “The Weekend”

UK rap overlord Stormzy released his relatively introspective album This Is What I Mean late last year. Since then, it seems like Stormzy has switched his whole style up. These days, he’s ready to party. Last month, Stormzy released two breezy, hard-flexing singles within a few days of each other: “Toxic Trait,” which features fellow UK rap star Fredo, and “Longevity Flow,” which doesn’t feature anyone but which does have a Tom Cruise cameo in its video. Now, Stormzy’s got a fun new summer jam with Raye, an artist who’s having a big moment right now.

The London pop artist Raye has been around for a while; we were posting her Charli XCX collabs seven years ago. Earlier this year, Raye got together with 070 Shake on “Escapism,” a truly excellent pop song that topped the UK chart and even made it to #22 in America, a place where Raye had previously never made much of an impact. On the new single “The Weekend,” Stormzy and Raye get a nicely flirty back-and-forth going.

Raye co-produced “The Weekend” with London, one of the producers behind Rema’s massive afrobeats smash “Calm Down.” Her vocal on “The Weekend” is downright jazzy, and the track is equal parts futuristic and familiar. The beat is full of bass and empty space, and Stormzy brings a whole lot of pop-rap swagger to his pickup lines. Director Omar Jones’ video is extremely well-shot, and you can watch it below.

“The Weekend” is out now on Def Jam. No The Idol.

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