Key Takeaways:
- After a three-year hiatus, Saweetie returns with a confident, five-track EP that blends pop appeal with lyrical edge.
- ‘HELLA PRESSURE’ features a standout collaboration with K-pop group TWICE and production from J White Did It.
- Exploring themes of self-worth and independence, the project positions Saweetie for a strategic comeback ahead of her debut album.
Saweetie is applying HELLA PRESSURE with her latest EP. Released on Friday (Aug. 1) at midnight, the rapper offers fans some of her best and possibly most varied work across more than five tracks.
On the thematic opener, she immediately clues us in on her headspace: “Imagine throwin' dirt on me and I shine like this / B**ches never thought they would see a time like this / Might've went through what I went through but don't look like this.” The West Coast princess spends the next few bars emphasizing that she’s the “epitome of class,” and how despite being MIA for a while, her influence hasn’t faded. With that, Saweetie signals upfront that she’s reclaiming her space and doing it her way.
The project then segues into “boffum,” the only pre-release single listeners got ahead of HELLA PRESSURE. Produced by J White Did It, the ladies' anthem about not settling on one option when you can have both is perhaps the EP’s most braggadocious offering. Next up is “twinzzz” — a somewhat watered-down take on her earlier hit “Best Friend” with Doja Cat — which is just as fun, though noticeably shorter.
The only other credited feature on the EP arrives courtesy of K-pop group TWICE, who join Saweetie on “superstars.” Predictably, it's a glossy pop anthem that, likely with radio in mind, pulls back a bit on the explicitness we tend to get from Saweetie’s solo work. It’s a formula she’s familiar with by now, especially after teaming up with IVE on “All Night” just last year.
Last but not least, the project closes with “i need some inspo,” in which Saweetie takes on a more submissive position, relatively speaking. “Mama, don't need no provider / Maybe add fuel to my fire,” she clarifies. “I don't need you putting on a cape to come save me / Don't ask me where I'm at, just tell me where to go, baby.”
With her first EP of brand-new music in about three years, the “My Type” hitmaker delivers a little bit of everything. However, it all fits really well into one cohesive body of work. Listen to HELLA PRESSURE below.