SONG INFO:
Song: SkeeYee
Artist: Sexyy Red
Album: Hood Hottest Princess (2023)
Music: Tay Keith
Lyrics: Sexyy Red & Tay Keith
SEXXY RED ‘HOOD HOTTEST PRINCESS’ ALBUM REVIEW
Detroit has emerged as the unofficial hub for a new generation of street rappers known for their deadpan punchlines and extensive use of punch-ins. Similarly, Memphis has also gained prominence as a sister city, thanks to a resurgent rap scene led by producers Tay Keith, Hitkidd, and Juicy J. This scene has extended beyond the borders of Tennessee, giving rise to a fresh wave of raunchy and infectious club-rap anthems.
The latest artist to adopt Three 6 Mafia’s successful formula and create a potential Song of the Summer is St. Louis’ Sexyy Red. Her provocative breakout single, “Pound Town,” is an explicit and often amusing celebration of casual sex that is guaranteed to dominate the dance floor for months to come.
Following up on a breakout hit with a full-length project can be challenging, but Sexyy Red manages to deliver with her sophomore mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess. The tape plays to her strengths by minimizing features and keeping the runtime concise at 30 minutes. It’s a high-energy collection of hard-hitting nu-crunk tracks filled with explicit lyrics, catering precisely to the expectations of anyone hitting the play button.
The tracks “Looking for the Hoes” and “Sexyy Walk” exhibit a profound understanding of what makes great party music resonate. With a consistent selection of plunking keys, horror-flick strings, and simple drum patterns, Sexyy Red enhances each track with call-and-response sections, dance instructions, and catchy hooks that effortlessly invite participation. While the music and lyrics may not be groundbreaking, the emcee’s effortless charisma and unpretentious writing make it challenging to find flaws, especially when played at high volume. Additionally, the mixtape maintains a consistent energy throughout, while offering enough variation in beat selection to keep things interesting.
In the track “Female Gucci Mane,” Sexyy Red ventures beyond Memphis and draws influences from early Atlanta trap mixtapes, characterized by kitschy synth melodies and brassy bombast. The song provides a refreshing female perspective that is often absent from the iconic releases of the scene. Over buzzing, Zaytoven-esque production, she raps lyrics like, “Walkin’ past the mirror, I’m like damn, I’m getting thick; 5’5, slim thick, with some juicy lips.” In a time where nostalgia dominates mainstream hip-hop, it’s revitalizing to hear a classic sound reconstructed from the ground up, rather than simply incorporated into a sampled drill beat or used in a karaoke-style interpolation. This approach creates a more organic conversation between the present and the past, embodying the best elements of each sound.
