Jack Harlow taps Lil Wayne, DaBaby, and Tory Lanez for “What’s Poppin” remix.
2020 has been great to Louisville rap sensation Jack Harlow, and yesterday, he sent some of that fortune our way, giving us the remix we didn’t know we needed. Following up on the staggering success of the platinum-selling, Tik-Tok soundtrack “What’s Poppin,” the 22-year-old freshman joined forces with the rest of the reigning rap class for a lyrical showdown: Sophomore DaBaby, the Junior, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne, the Senior and freestyle wizard. Reprising the melodic instrumental with its tinkling piano hook, the four pulled out all the stops, puns and punchlines for nearly four minutes of straight spitfire. By the time they all get done killing the beat, it’s not a remix anymore but a whole new song.
As if the original doesn’t hit hard enough, Harlow goes berserk on the brand new first verse—not the norm on remixes—showing how he goes from “I ain’t doin’ no verse, quit askin'” to earning a collab with an ensemble cast of the industry’s finest. Avoiding the copy/paste scenario, he immaculately brings back his bold-meets-playful swag: “I got five chicks in New York/That means one in each borough/I’m in the pocket like Burrow/When I’m back home, though/They treat me like Robert De Niro/Took her to Taco Bell, bought her a churro/Took her home, gave her a cinnamon swirl.”
DaBaby never disappoints, coming through next with all the obvious reasons he’s a ‘rockstar’ in the game—his swag, jet-setting lifestyle, and recent Billboard No. 1 status, just to name a few. “Call me DaBaby, no toddler (Wah)/I’m real creative and stylish, F&N in my denim/I send a hit, make him spin ’em/And I just flew back from LA on the jet yesterday (Yeah)/I go back and forth like I play tennis/I f**k with your ho, yeah, I’m fit for it/Still on the Billboard, the number one song and you can’t,” he raps.
Tory Lanez bodied his verse without taking a single breath, even dropping his signature shootout to Canada at the end. Mr. “Jerry Sprunger” comes through the second the beat starts and doesn’t let up, lacing the beat with line after line of energy and complexity: “Hop out that scat and I called out/I’m out here with somebody daughter/She callin’ me daddy, I’m somebody father/I gotta go gets it, or when I go kiss it/I put my lips on it like somebody water/The diamond, the glacier, the cut, it all wylin.'”
Seasoned MC Weezy summoned some of his 2000’s flavor, threw in some “Truffle Butter” charisma, and ate the last verse after the youngster got done. With his usual convincing short rhymes and tight phrasing, he added his gnarly wordplay to a few of the newcomer’s original bars.
It’s evident why the rappers are all in shades for the cover art—this remix is too much fire and could even eclipse the success of the original. Every part of the production reflects a keen thought process, from the flows to the coordinated video animations that glow and pop for each corresponding rapper. The four heavyweights managed to make the banger even better, probably setting a new standard for remixes in the process. Listen it here and decide whose bars are really the best if you can.
