Rap Song of the Week: Fivio Foreign Takes Brooklyn Drill to “Magic City”
Every Friday, our new music column Rap Song of the Week breaks down the hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Fivio Foreign teams up with Quavo for his new single “Magic City.”
Based on association alone, Fivio Foreign was tapped to be the next big star to emerge from the Brooklyn drill scene after Pop Smoke’s murder in February 2020. Those expectations were raised when Drake recruited Fivio for “Demons,” the Toronto rapper’s nod to the hip-hop subgenre, but it’s taken Fivio a few years to increase his profile further and ready his debut album.
Along the way, the East Flatbush native found a new mentor in Kanye West, impressing a whole new fanbase with a show-stopping appearance on the Donda cut “Off the Grid.” Last month, Fivio reunited with Kanye for the New York City anthem “City of Gods,” and now he’s back with “Magic City,” the latest ode to the Atlanta strip club. Naturally, Quavo is along for the ride to pay tribute to his hometown institution.
Produced by UK and Brooklyn drill innovator AXL Beats, “Magic City” hits all the right beats (no pun intended) for a stripper anthem. In addition to an apparent Three 6 Mafia reference (“Ass and titties, like hundreds and fifties”), Fivio’s “bow bow bow” adlibs and animated flow mesh nicely with an invigorated feature from Quavo.
Without Pop Smoke’s gravelly voice and universal appeal, becoming a superstar was never going to be an easy road for Fivio Foreign, and there’s no guarantee his upcoming album B.I.B.L.E. will bring him to that level. If Fivio’s able to balance the lyrical ability demonstrated on “Off the Grid” with the energy of “Magic City,” however, then there’s not much more that can be asked of him.