In the midst of an absolutely packed New Music Friday that included releases from the recovering Lil Tjay, the newly solo Offset, remaining Migos members Takeoff and Quavo, and a DJ Khaled set with huge new contributions from both Eminem and Jay-Z, DMV rapper IDK returns with a new dual single of his own titled “W13.” Consisting of the separate tracks “Drive” and “Free Slime,” “W13” enters the fray with two completely different vibes, demonstrating IDK’s growing versatility.
In “Drive,” which you can play above, Jay utilizes a jazz-laced, flute-driven instrumental to deliver a heartfelt love letter to the lady in his life. “I’d rather be with no life than without you, baby,” he croons. “I could never doubt you lady.”
Then, on “Free Slime,” he switches gears with a soulful, Dilla-esque beat that morphs into a more forceful blend of boom-bap and trap. Here, he talks gangsta, spitting menacing threats of dubious reality — perhaps as a way to comment on the way Young Thug’s lyrics have been used against him in an ongoing racketeering case. You can check that one out below.
“W13” is IDK’s first new music release since May, when he dropped the Kaytranada-produced Simple featuring singles “Taco,” “Dog Food,” and “Breathe.”
DMV rapper IDK earned himself a big moment at the end of 2019 with the release of his major-label debut album Is He Real? The project, unfortunately, came at the wrong time in the world as the coronavirus pandemic arrived just three months later. With that, tours and live concerts alike were paused, which stopped artists from capitalizing on their work with performances in front of their fans. Despite the inconvenience, IDK kept pushing full-stream ahead as he released three more projects in that time period: IDK & Friends 2, USee4Yourself, and the recently-released Simple with Kaytranada. Now that the time is right, IDK is ready to bring impressive discography on a worldwide tour.
Starting this summer, IDK will hit the road for the Simple World Tour. A flyer for the tour reveals that IDK plans to perform IWasVeryBad, Is He Real?, USee4Yourself, and Simple while he’s on the road. The string of shows begins at the end of June with a performance in Switzerland followed by two festival sets in Netherlands and Germany. IDK will then return to the states to continue the tour alongside Charlotte rapper Mavi. After concluding the North American section of his tour at the end of August with a show in Boston, IDK will bring things back to Europe at the end of October for a collection of shows that goes through November.
You can view the full list of dates for the Simple World Tour above.
IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
One of the most fun elements of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts has always been the crowd interactions — something that has been missing ever since the series went to an at-home format as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, as restrictions have eased up and vaccination levels increase, it looks like we’ll start to receive something of a hybrid approach whenever it’s possible. IDK’s new Tiny Desk Concert brings back the live audience feel as he invites neighbors and friends to his Los Angeles home to perform new songs from his recently released album Simple.
Opening with the soulful “Puerto Rico,” IDK opts to set the mood with the smooth, melodic gem from USEE4YOURSELF rather than one of his harder-hitting rap tracks, which allows him to present himself as a “sweet guy” and adds to the overall inviting mood. Meanwhile, Kaytranada’s jazzy, house-influenced production from Simple proves to translate beautifully to the stripped-down set, where some synthesized baby grand sets the groove as IDK’s friend thumps out the beat on a coffee table. Mike Dean also makes an appearance to contribute a ripping guitar solo to IDK’s latest single, “Breathe.”
Watch IDK’s Tiny Desk Concert above.
IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The first thing that pops into mind watching the video for “Breathe” from IDK‘s newly released, Kaytranad-produced album Simple is E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Just as the title character’s telekinetic abilities make for the breathtaking visual of a band of bicycles soaring across the sky in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic, IDK sends a fleet of cyclists skyward in his own music video.
Shot in Paris, the video makes a point of showing the sense of freedom one can find even in the midst of doing something as mundane as delivering food. The cyclists in the video also find liberation in their sense of camaraderie with one another as they team up to cruise through one of the city’s tunnels, one of them presumably blasting the laid-back track via speakers attached to their saddle.
The song itself is a marked departure from some of IDK’s older, more aggressive material — and even the cooler grooves offered by his EDM pioneer collaborator. Rather than rapping, IDK sings the airy vocals, offering the reassuring advice to just breathe through it all. While other songs from the album, like “Taco” and “Dog Food,” blended his harder-edged sensibilities with the groovier production of Kaytranada, this song sees IDK truly branching out and showing his full range.
Watch IDK and Kaytranada’s “Breathe” video above.
Simple is out now on Clue with Warner Records. Get it here.
IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Denzel Curry is a little over a month removed from the release of his fifth album Melt My Eyez See Your Future. The project was his first release since 2021’s Unlocked 1.5 with Kenny Beats and his first solo effort since 2019’s Zuu. Through the 14 songs on Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Curry gets help from Robert Glasper, T-Pain, 6lack, Rico Nasty, JID, Slowthai, and more. Curry seems to be feeling very confident after his fifth album, and he made it quite clear during a recent interview with XXL.
Battle me @denzelcurry https://t.co/dCy9ETCJGd
— IDK (@IDK) May 9, 2022
“Just look out for me,” Curry said during the sit-down. “Look out for any of the next projects that’s ’bout to come out. I’m ’bout to shake the whole game up. I don’t care what anybody gotta say, bro. I’m the best rapper alive. Point blank, period.” While Curry is completely in his right to believe that, one of his frequent collaborators, DMV rapper IDK, isn’t about to let him claim the title without a fight. IDK responded to Curry’s comments on Twitter, writing, “Battle me @denzelcurry.”
You don’t want that homie https://t.co/XM8fS3V9gs
— Denzel Curry (@denzelcurry) May 10, 2022
Curry wouldn’t take long to issue a response to IDK, writing back, “You don’t want that homie.”
Curry and IDK’s back and forth comes after they collaborated on the Kaytranada-produced “Dog Food.”
You can view Curry and IDK’s interaction in the posts above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
