Megan Thee Stallion Indulges In Some Early Aughts Nostalgia

Additionally, Ed Sheeran is back, in case you missed him!

By Rich Juzwiak | October 29, 2021 | 9:00pm

Entertainment Music

Absolutely: Megan Thee Stallion, “All of It” – Meg Thee Stallion just dropped a mixtape with a slew of freestyles, and it’s absolutely worth a listen. While some fell a little flat for me (“Warning”) and others immediately made me think of all the TikTok dances to come (“Eat It”), one big standout was “All Of It.” The production has early aughts hip hop flavor, and Meg raps with a bullish wistfulness that suits her well. The only bad thing about it is that with a 1 minute and 53 seconds runtime, it’s too short! —Ashley Reese

Y: Shygirl, “Cleo” – At heart, “Cleo” is classic deep house—doom-tinged keyboards murk-ify the four-on-the-floor’s bounce—but the U.K.’s Shygirl convolutes the tried-and-true template with some baroque strings and ultra-hypnotic vocals. This is how you make the new old. The lyrics’ invocation of our celeb-obsessed culture (“You got me feeling like a movie star…Call me Cleo”) is the perfect finishing sauce. —Rich Juzwiak

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Y: Jessy Lanza featuring Loraine James, “Seven 55” – A contradiction of sensibilities, this single from Jessy Lanza’s upcoming DJ-Kicks mix pitter-patter pounds like the heart of an infatuated small woodland creature while Lanza’s vocals take a more laconic tack. And there’s even more going on: Lanza says the song was inspired by a commitment-phobic friend. “I fantasized about the women caught in his web and wrote ‘Seven 55’ from their point of view,” she said. The complexity! —RJ

Y, a reintroduction to Ed: Ed Sheeran, “Tides” – This is the first track off of Ed’s new album = (pronounced “equals”) and it’s probably the one that sums up the entire album the best. This song is a toe-tapping version of “previously on” and introduces the listener to the overarching theme of all the songs they’re about to hear which are about loving his wife and his child. For Ed fans, the similarities between “Tides” and “Castle On a Hill” are unmistakable which is part of what makes this an enjoyable little ditty. It’s cute. I’ll be listening to it until Christmas music season but it’s certainly not anything extraordinary.— Shannon Melero-Ureña

Y, something for the oldheads: A$AP Rocky, “LIVE.LOVE.A$AP” – Listen, it’s not new music, but it’s new to Spotify: Mr. Rihanna’s excellent mixtape has been added to the platform ahead of its 10th anniversary. How nice for the elders who think fondly of their knee mobility and who have lost many a jacket or other valuable after throwing it into a pile and running to a dance floor to slosh a mixed drink on strangers while the DJ transitions “Wassup” to Wacka Flocka Flame’s “No Hands.” Niche memory for some, but maybe it works for you! Anyway, A$AP’s busy being Rihanna’s man, but until he does something with music, you can listen to his old shit and reminisce. —Megan Reynolds