Queen Latifah featuring Missy Elliott “Fast Car”
Though Queen Latifah’s forthcoming ninth studio effort Persona> is being touted as a return to the rappress icon’s hip hop roots (featuring production work from Dr. Dre, Cool & Dre and The Neptunes, amongst others), it should probably be noted that by “hip hop”, the powers-that-be are likely referring more to the genre’s 2009 “anything with a slight urban thump” incarnation rather than the raw street beats and tough-talking rhymes vibe of La’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” days (For clarification, refer to Persona‘s lead single “Cue The Rain”, a “Weather Girls-meets-’Eye of The Tiger’” post-disco-like stomper that featured no rapping at all).
On the recently leaked “Fast Car”, a quick-paced, pop-leaning shuffler that feels like it was constructed in the mad scientist lab of a Gnarls Barkley, Andre 3000 or k-os (note it’s production similarities to the latter rapper’s “Sunday Morning”), the Queen adopts a half-sung/ half-rapped vocal as she yearns for a man to fly her away through the stars so she can “forget all the bullshit” that’s suffocating her on the ground below.
And while it’s an extremely catchy creation (who doesn’t dig a clap-happy groove or a freakalicious Missy Elliott cameo featuring raunchy lines about “fruit cocktail” or “poon poon”?) and much in line with the rappa-ternt-(pop)sanga trend that’s been devouring the game for years now, “Fast Car”, like “Rain”, only really works when you try to mentally blank out the fact that it’s a Queen Latifah record, which is really kind of a sad truth.
Check it out below and see if you agree.
Persona drops August 25th.
DL: “Fast Car” (alt)
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