Swet Shop Boys – “Zayn Malik”
The Swet Shop Boys duo of Heems (formerly of Das Racist) and Riz MC (actor Riz Ahmed of HBO’s The Night Of) are gearing up to drop the Cashmere LP next month. We’ve already heard “T5” and “Tiger Hologram,” and today they share “Zayn Malik.” It’s pretty much a warning shot that it’s serious in this shop. There’s no hook, just a hard, menacing beat, a 22-bar verse from Riz and a 16 from Heems and enough wordplay for two more songs. Sample venom from Riz: “Like all the hate in the music you see they sanitize/ Look, Zayn Malik got more than 80 virgins on him/ There’s more than one direction to get to paradise.” Sheesh. Listen.
Cashmere is out 10/14 via Swet Shop Boys’ own new imprint Customs. Pre-order it here.