Following the release of his unexpected single “Nah Nah Nah”, Kanye West enlisted Charlotte rapper DaBaby to reinvent the track. After briefly teasing a snippet, West finally dropped the full remix with additional support from 2 Chainz this weekend. With this unlikely trifecta coming together on this hard-hitting beat, will “Nah Nah Nah (Remix)” be better than the original?
Off the rip, everyone’s energy is way up as DaBaby comes in firing with razor-sharp jabs at the fake friends in his circle. With themes of deception and betrayal, the 28-year old rapper’s cold-blooded words show he’s more than your average day trapper. With clever wordplay like “She a God-fearin’ woman, but back that ass up, Juvenile in ’99”, Baby’s songwriting seems to be on another level here. Ending things off by analyzing the government and media’s crooked ways, it’s clear Kanye was able to bring out the best in the North Carolina MC. While Ye’s same hook from the original cut plays out, there’s a slight variation with DaBaby’s substituted phrase, “Say I got the same flow, ha, ha, ha”. On the second half of the song, 2 Chainz defends Kanye against the overly scrutinizing public eye. The 43-year-old rapper looks back at everything West did for his life and how it will forever impact their futures in an aggressively beautiful moment. Proceeding this, we see Chainz go through his typical motions as he reminisces on his drug-dealing past while also flexing the wealth he has obtained. On the single’s grand finale, Kanye’s flagship hook repeats one more time until the abrasive instrumental eventually fades away.
While this song holds no meaning in the legacy of Kanye West, “Nah Nah Nah (Remix)” is the refined version the single needed since it came out almost a month ago. DaBaby and 2 Chainz both add some much-needed energy, and while Kanye should have had more of a vocal presence, what’s given is solid. Losing the presidential election and being caught up in an array of other ventures, I’m not sure what the future holds for Yeezy musically. Still, I hope we can eventually see his highly anticipated Donda album sometime in the near future.
Rating: 7.9/10
Written by: Mr. Fantastic
Scored and edited by: Mr. Fantastic founder and owner of Fantastic Hip Hop
