Manny King John
I’m in my bag like I’m eating king crab, let me roll up my sleeves
What’s that song by Roddy Ricch? ‘Big Stepper’? Yeah, that’s what CupcakKe came to do on ‘Elephant’, her new 2020 single. Not letting up for three-minutes straight, she slid on this track, stomping the entire thing out without a chorus or hook. CupcakKe is back after what many thought would be a hiatus turned permanent retirement from music last year—and she couldn’t sound better. Hearing her float like this in 2020 is, to put it mildly, refreshing and exhilarating. There’s a certain energy cupcakKe brings to the women rap landscape that is needed; an energy that leaves a void when she’s not making music.
Got one call, keep the circle small, like the lace holes in your sneakers
It’s CupcakKe’s wit and absolute absence of giving a fuck that makes her a unique and necessary presence in today’s rap. ‘Elephant’ is punchline after punchline over an almost DaBaby-esque beat that CupcakKe bodies with lines like:
And my makeup be on beat, I bet Blueface can’t relate
The draco putin’ holes in ‘em, man it look like I’m spellin’ OVO
In the face, I let the llama spit — now she talkin’ ‘bout, “let’s make up” — do I look like Rihanna, bitch?
‘Elephant’ is Fabolous’ wet dream: A great song with a ton of bars about current events that aren’t corny or forced, but skillfully woven into the ultimate comeback track. CupcakKe names names, switches flows, sets the booth on fire, and then goes about her day. Suffice it to say, it’s great to witness her return. Listen to ‘Elephant’ now on all major streaming platforms.
