Rap Song of the Week breaks down all the hip-hop tracks you need to hear every Friday. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Latto and GloRilla team up on “FTCU.”
Few artists had a bigger rise in 2022 than Latto, who followed her first Top 5 hit, “Big Energy,” with her second studio album, 777, and a headlining tour. Memphis breakout GloRilla is experiencing an accelerated trajectory of her own, going from a viral hit (“F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”) to a Top 10 single (“Tomorrow 2”) to her first headlining trek next year. Both artists recently earned their first Grammy nominations, too.
Now, the Southern rappers have teamed up to celebrate their success on “FTCU.” The club banger gets a stamp of approval from their forebear Gangsta Boo as producer d.a. got that dope flips Three 6 Mafia’s classic “Tear Da Club Up,” making for a rowdy strip club anthem in which the duo can let loose and pop off on their haters.
Latto in particular has plenty to get off her chest. After Nicki Minaj found out the Grammys had moved her single “Super Freaky Girl” to the pop awards categories, she took a shot at “Big Energy” for still being considered in the rap categories. In a separate incident, more than 100 of Latto’s unreleased songs leaked online.
However, the Atlanta rapper doesn’t address the beef on “FTCU.” Instead, Latto brushes it off and boasts about being on top: “Hottest in my city, bitch, me and these diamonds hit/ Bet’ not run up Big Latto, give no fuck about no image.”
Right now, GloRilla’s at the point in her career where there doesn’t seem to be anything but love for her success. However, like many rising artists, it’s clear that she maintains connections to her old life. Spitting bars about how her crew hasn’t changed (“I pray to God a ho don’t run up, all my bitches jackin’”) fits perfectly with “FTCU.”
As just the latest song paying tribute to Three 6 Mafia in recent years, “FTCU” is hardly groundbreaking, but it doesn’t have to be. When two of the hottest rappers come together to make a club anthem, everybody’s a winner.
— Eddie Fu
New Music Editor
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