Kehlani debuted a defiant new single, “CRZY,” on Thursday night, the follow-up to May’s “24/7.” Like that song — which some interpreted as a comment on the Oakland rapper/singer’s recent personal struggles — the poppy bounce track is another statement of strength and perseverance. Over a laid-back beat and icy keyboards, it opens with the lines, “Everything I do I do it with a passion/ If I gotta be a bitch, I’mma be a bad one… All this s–t I’ve been through and it made me more real than assassin/ I kill ’em, I kill ’em, I kill ’em with compassion/ And baby if they askin’/ Tell ’em, tell ’em, tell ’em, tell ’em I go cray-ay-ay-ay-azy.”
“CRZY” is the first single off Kehlani’s debut album, which is due out in the fall, the follow-up to her Grammy-nominated mixtape, You Should be Here. The song was produced by the two woman production/songwriting duo Novawav to “create an unapologetic statement embracing the challenges and double standards that come with being a woman,” according to a statement announcing the track’s release.
Kehlani Says ‘It’s OK to Not be OK’ on ’24/7′ Single
Back in May, the singer released the uplifting “24/7,” a DZL-produced track that featured the self-affirming lines, “It’s OK to not be OK/ To dive in your pain/ And it’s alright to not be alright, to search for your light.” The song came shortly after she was reportedly put on a psychiatric hold after attempting to harm herself. Another song, “Gangsta,” from the Suicide Squad: The Album soundtrack, will drop on Aug. 1.