"Slayyyter summer" continues to unfurl at a quickening clip.
After turning a 3 p.m. Coachella slot into a bunny ear-emblazoned cultural event, the St. Louis-born pop star is celebrating the wildly successful release of her album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA with a confetti blast — nay, fire hose – of a song. The surprise release of “BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE” is here to do one thing: put a final exclamation point on the statement “It’s Slayyyter’s moment, bitch!” Message loudly received.
Its title alone speaks to a level of deserved triumph. In a February interview with The FADER, Slayyyter reflected on the pain of being labeled “up and coming.” “I went through a period of being really depressed … ‘How many more years is that going to be my title?’ Maybe this isn't for me.” But after leaning all the way into her own gritty specificity, she found new creative energy and career momentum.
The new single continues her delirious world building and is a prototypical Slayyyter track, replete with 808s, battle chants, and her very recognizable style of one-liners. Standout bars include, but are not limited to, her being on her “Tweaker ho shit, got my man screamin' at the bar,” and the memorable: “Two checks, late on rent with Ann Demeulemeester boots.” The chorus stands out for reflecting on her present moment coming into pop’s upper echelons while still being St. Louis Slayyyter. “I'm annoying to your famous friends / Cause I don't give a fuck.”
There have always been many wolves within Slayyyter. One is a vodka-soaked bimbo rapper, epitomized by early hits like the speaker breaker “Daddy AF,” and further unleashed on latter bops like “Self Destruct” and “Erotic Electronic.” Another is the light, lilting, and sensitive Slayyyter, producing pop music like “Mine,” “GAS STATION,” and “BRITTANY MURPHY.”
I’ve always been partial to her latter musical style and thought her distorted rap persona, while fun and gaggy, was more vibe than true expression. But on WGIA Slayyyyter is able to utilize her distorted rapping persona to more profound effect. These aren’t mere clubby memey head bangers, but textually dense expressions from a dive bar pop star with a lot to say. Songs like “CANNIBALISM!,” “CRANK,” and “OLD TECHNOLOGY” effectively merge energy with lyrical exactitude, and “BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE” continues the rush.
With hit after hit, it’s clear that Slayyyter will soon trade her Bud Lights for champagne, but I have a feeling that she’ll continue to sip her beer. Cheers.
Photo by Ethan Holland
