Cordae opened up about his new single with Roddy Ricch and why he left YBN.
Raleigh Rapper Cordae hasn’t let a bizarre 2020 or YBN’s disbanding slow his roll one bit. His debut EP “The Lost Boy,” which he playfully called his “firstborn,” was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year’s Grammy awards, and Cordae’s been on a winning streak since then. He was appointed as the face of PUMA’s unity campaign, nominated for BET’s Best New Artist Award, and performed at Lebron James’ “Graduate Together 2020” ceremony. A day after his 23rd birthday celebrations, he and fellow hip-hop vanguard Roddy Ricch released the track “Gifted,” a mellow, mid-tempo ode to his journey through music all the way to stardom.
Checking in with Tidal’s Editorial Director, Elliot Wilson, Cordae explained how the song came to be. “We actually did that song last year in August, a good year ago. Me and Roddy, low key that’s like one of my closest homies like in music. We just always linked and that’s somebody I can call and we just have real-life conversations. His cadence is incredible and he has storytelling ability as well. He really be talking about some s***. He’s a dope artist” said Cordae. The cinematic visuals directed by Lyrical Lemonade‘s Cole Bennett has since hit 3 million views in just 8 days, adding to Cordae’s year of highlights.
The “Old N*****” hitmaker also spoke on the burning topic of his recent split from the YBN collective. “First and foremost Nahmir and Jay, those always gonna be my brothers, in real life,” Cordae quipped. “I think the world of them cats and sometimes as friends, you grow apart and you have different visions for what you wanna do and that’s okay, cause there’s no love lost. Like I said, I think the world of them n*****, I love Nahmir and Jay to death.”
It’s the first public address from any member of the group since YBN Nahmir’s August 6 tweet confirming they’d officially called it quits. “They left this YBN sh*t in the gutter,” YBN Nahmir tweeted. “Remember that. I’ll turn it up myself.” While Cordae’s answer still leaves more questions than answers, it seems as yet unlikely the decision will be reversed. All his official handles have been adjusted with the shortened moniker, and more solo singles have been rumored, including a collaboration with late hitmaker Juice WRLD on his deluxe edition of ‘Legends Never Die.’
@cordae talks about working with @RoddyRicch on his new single on #TidalCheckIn w/ @ElliottWilson pic.twitter.com/frsFjd5DLX
— The HipHop Junkie (@_quanwilliams) September 3, 2020
