BIA

Bia Says Working With J. Cole Made Her Push Her Pen ’10 Times Harder’

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Bia J. Cole London 2022
Hayley Louisa Brown

Rapper Bia is having a big year—from launching a cosmetics line called Beauty For Certain, touring with Russ, and scoring some big-name collaborations. Among her collaborators is J. Cole, who is featured on her latest track, “London.”

On “London,” both Bia and Cole rap in British accents over a drill-inspired beat. Bia recently spoke with Variety about how she presented several tracks, including “London” to Cole, for his consideration. After collaborating with Cole, Bia said she was inspired to step up her pen game.

“I learned I have to push my pen to maximum every single time because you never know when J. Cole’s going to get on your record,” she said. “Now, I’m pushing it 10 times harder. Every bar, ugh! Let me see how I can take that up a notch. Outside of that, too, I learned a lot about balance. Because the way he’s super punctual — he’s on time for everything. I’m never on time, but I’ll stay late. I need to get better at punctuality.”

Ahead of the song’s release last month, Cole also had nothing but positive words to say about Bia’s craft.

“When the thought and conversation came up about me adding a verse, I was excited but genuinely nervous cuz I didn’t even see how the song could be better after what she did to it,” said Cole in an Instagram post. “I didn’t want to f*ck nothing up! I’m grateful I Ended up catching the right wave.”

Fivio Brings Scripture Level Bars, Vince Staples Gets Heartbroken By Romona Park, J. Cole  Collabs With BIA, SchoolBoy Q Is A Soccer Dad, and More

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NMF

This week in music fans will finally get albums from Coi Leray, Fivio Foreign, Vince Staples and many more. Fivio Finally Gives The B.I.B.L.E Verses Fivio Foreign finally gives the fans his highly anticipated debut album B.I.B.L.E. Foreign recruited a lot of big name acts to be a part of his album such as A$AP […]

The post Fivio Brings Scripture Level Bars, Vince Staples Gets Heartbroken By Romona Park, J. Cole  Collabs With BIA, SchoolBoy Q Is A Soccer Dad, and More appeared first on SOHH.com.

Best New Music This Week: Pusha-T, Jack Harlow, Fivio Foreign, and More

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Image via Complex Original

  • Pusha-T f/ Jay-Z, “Neck & Wrist”


  • Fivio Foreign f/ Quavo, “Through the Fire” 


  • Jack Harlow, “First Class”


  • Lil Baby, “In A Minute”


  • Vince Staples, “When Sparks Fly” 


  • BIA f/ J. Cole, “London”


  • Omar Apollo, “Evergreen” 


  • 42 Dugg & EST Gee, “My Yungin”


  • Coi Leray, “Box & Papers” 


  • IDK & Kaytranada, “Taco”

J. Cole Admits He Was Nervous About Collaborating With BIA On ‘London’

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BIA’s new song, “London,” is already a hit on social media, with fans praising the rapper’s tongue-in-cheek British-isms and guest rapper J. Cole’s jaw-dropping featured verse. As the song dropped, however, Cole revealed that despite being the veteran artist in this situation, he was actually nervous about trying to improve a track he already saw as perfect. In a lengthy Instagram post, Cole wrote about how he came to be on the song and why he was so apprehensive.

“I Asked BIA to come through the studio for some whole other sh*t,” he recalled. “First time meeting her. We chop it up. She plays me this new song she had just did. Mannnnnnn in that moment I was blown away. I thought about this song for a month straight, it was my favorite song and I only heard it one time. She hit me recently and sent me the song (she musta knew I wanted to hear it again!!!) and I was just grateful to have it in my possession. When the thought and conversation came up about me adding a verse, I was excited but genuinely nervous cuz I didn’t even see how the song could be better after what she did to it. I didn’t want to f*ck nothing up! I’m grateful I Ended up catching the right wave.” He closed the statement by thanking his host and praising her “energy and spirit.”

Maybe it’s that nervousness we have to thank for Cole putting his whole foot in that verse — let alone his other recent appearances on YG’s “Scared Money” and Benny The Butcher’s “Johnny P’s Caddy,” as well as his verses on Dreamville’s Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama. If this is how he snaps when he’s nervous, I can’t wait to see what he does when he feels confident

You can watch the “London” video above.

[WATCH] BIA is Joined by J. Cole for New Single and Video “London”

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“London,” BIA’s new braggadocious track featuring Grammy-winning rap icon J Cole, is released today on Epic Records. The new tune is heavily influenced by U.K. drill and injected with BIA’s own attitude.

The music video for the song is set in a gloomy London, but the Boston-bred singer’s star power shines through (as does her drip) the gloom.

With Instagram-ready views from the United Kingdom capital, the vibrant visual equally embraces all things British. BIA spends the day shopping at the most opulent stores and then parades down the sidewalk at night, Cruella de Vil-style, flanked by two dalmatians. After that, the multi-talented artist arranges a tea party before sailing with Cole down the Thames.

You can see it all below.

The post [WATCH] BIA is Joined by J. Cole for New Single and Video “London” appeared first on The Source.

BIA And J.Cole Do Their Best ‘Top Boy’ Impressions On The Assertive ‘London’

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Everything changed for BIA in 2020. The Massachusetts native spent years trying to work her way towards a spotlight moment and it finally arrived with the viral success of Whole Lotta Money. The song eventually led to the release of her For Certain EP which presented guest appearances from Lil Durk, Doe Boy, and 42 Dugg. Her success carried over into 2021 when Nicki Minaj delivered a remix to “Whole Lotta Money,” and that release led to the arrival of a deluxe reissue of For Certain with new guest features from G Herbo and Sevyn Streeter.

However, all of that is in the past now as BIA can only use her prior success as stepping stones to reach newer heights. An example of that comes with her latest song, “London.” The new track calls upon another rap superstar, this one being J. Cole. Together, the rappers dip their toes into British culture and even show off their best Top Boy impressions through their lengthy verses. “London” also comes with a matching visual that places the duo in the bustling England city as they shop at the mall, cruise on speedboats, and talk a slick game with their crew behind them.

The track arrives as J. Cole’s latest guest verse in what appears to be the second feature run of his career. He’s recently worked with Earthgang, YG, and Benny The Butcher. More recently, he gathered his Dreamville team to craft their D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape with DJ Drama.

You can listen to BIA and J. Cole’s “London” in the video above.

42 Dugg is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

BIA Teases Her Next Single, A Surprising Collaboration With J Cole

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“Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA has been receiving a lot of attention in the wake of her viral favorite single. The single not only caused some stores to sell out of the Bottega Veneta shoes she name-checks on the song but it was also one of the first songs Nicki Minaj blessed with a verse for its remix as she edged her way back into rap’s spotlight. BIA didn’t stop there; in the months since, she’s released more well-received singles including the G Herbo-featuring “Besito” and the MC Hammer-sampling “Can’t Touch This.”

Her next single has the potential to be her biggest to date, though. The Beantown rapper teased her next single, “London,” on Instagram, revealing an intriguing collaborator: none other than Dreamville founder J. Cole. Cole’s been on a mercenary streak of late that rivals his features run from 2020. He has raised eyebrows and boggled minds on tracks with both frequent collaborators like Wale (“Poke It Out“) and newcomers such as Benny The Butcher (“Johnny P’s Caddy“) and YG (“Scared Money” with Moneybagg Yo).

As with YG, a collaboration with BIA seems very left-field for Cole, but considering that his verse on “Scared Money” was one of his best-received ever, there’s a lot of reason to be hopeful for his “London” appearance. On the other hand, if BIA somehow issues a verse that manages to keep up with — let alone upstage — Cole, it could be her Nicki Minaj “Monster” moment, launching her to a new level of respect and popularity. Basically, it’s a win-win for the up-and-comer — and fans of hip-hop, in general.

“London” is due 4/8.