Sometimes, the best way to drum up your own hype in the music business is to align yourself with people who are already making big moves. Chris Scholar knows this firsthand, and he’s enlisted a A-team of producers for his lush new single, “Ou Yeah,” premiering Thursday (Oct. 12) on Billboard.
Turns out “Ou Yeah” is more than a coyly abstract title; Scholar peppers his smooth, sensuous bars with the phrase, deftly straddling the line between rap and R&B. Woozy, expansive beats swell and crash around him, courtesy of Ty Dolla $ign producer Yves Bazelais Jr. and J. Cole touring musician C. White.
Scholar, originally from Richmond, Virginia, recorded the swirling track at Hitway Recordings in Los Angeles. ”I usually record in the crib, but the vibe of this track was so lit I needed a place where I could bring the right energy,” he says. “After I wrote the song it was still missing something, so we got Yves Bazelais Jr. and C. White to build the bounce to the record and we were golden.”
“Ou Yeah” comes just one month after Scholar dropped his #PersonalUseOnly mixtape, which features remixes of songs by Lil Uzi Vert, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and more. It’s the first single off his upcoming debut album, Directors Cut.
Listen to “Ou Yeah” below.