yuke in the video for "Loose Screws."
YouTube
Despite the bruising intensity of his wider discography, 18-year-old yuke can be sharply sensitive, lyrically vulnerable about depression, anxiety, and more; the Cheetah World series is named for his deceased aunt, who collected trinkets and clothing featuring the spotted feline. On “Bitter,” he channels that emotional clarity into detailing an unsatisfying relationship. “I think I got a sweet tooth for you,” he mumbles. “But you so fucking bitter bitch I hate it.”
Despite the sour subject matter, “Bitter” sounds like a Super Mario game, computerized bloops bouncing sky-high before crashing down to earth. While most of Cheetah World 3 remains minor-key and generally punishing, frequent collaborator zatru laces this track with an undeniably chipper beat.What sets “Bitter” apart from other upbeat CW3 cuts – “On My Way!” produced by ss3bby or the twentythree-produced “Ruthless Fun” – is yuke’s halting delivery.
So when yuke raps – pleads, really – “Just say it, I know you wanna say it,” it’s almost wrenching, like he’s daring a girl to break up with him even though he doesn’t want her to leave. And I can’t stop thinking about the long pause at the start of the song, how the beat runs for an extra four or six bars like yuke was so caught up in what he was about to say he missed his initial entrance. When his voice finally does come in at 0:23, it’s low in the mix, like a confession he can barely bring himself to speak aloud.
Often, yuke’s music feels as viscerally intense and overwhelming as our human emotions. And juxtaposed against lyrics about, “totin’ on this stainless,” and riding around with, “my demons [...] we so heinous,” you’d be forgiven for potentially overlooking the heart hiding behind the boilerplate. But “Bitter” is one of those resonant moments on Cheetah World 3 where yuke would rather tell than show.
