This three-way collaborative track shows greatness from all involved, with a fun and entertaining pop-Drill mix.
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With Donda 2 having an established release date at the end of this month (whether it will actually drop or not remains to be seen), and Kanye West currently being on another of his infamous public streaks – endless Instagram posts causing controversy, a ridiculous amount of features in a tiny amount of time (on this track, which appears to be for Fivio Foreign‘s upcoming record produced by West, or appearing in the music video for Pusha T’s recent ‘Diet Coke‘) and the celebration of what he is dubbing Black Future Month (as a replacement of Black History Month, focused on cultivating a positive future as opposed to reflecting on a horrendous past) – ‘City of Gods’ certainly dropped at the right time.
With Fivio dubbing the track a ‘New York anthem’, Alicia Keys‘ placement on the hook elevates the typically underground hardcore hip-hop Drill sound to give it a mainstream pop appeal, subverting the traits of both Pop and Drill in the process.
Fivio’s verse is strong in similar ways to his feature appearance on West’s ‘Off the Grid’ – a lengthy verse full of passion and intensity – but surprisingly, it is Ye who steals the show with his own extended verse, which sees him switching between a range of flows and cadences that haven’t been seen from him in quite some time.
Whilst it remains to be seen what exactly the intentions are for this track, it seems safe to say that no matter who it comes from, upcoming music from these artists will be impressive.
‘City of Gods’ is now streaming, via Columbia. Listen on YouTube below:
