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Like with Thank U, Next, intimacy with fans was key to the release of 7 Rings.
Grande teased the song over a couple weeks, leaving hints via Twitter and Instagram.
The song and video dropped together last Friday, streamed live on Youtube at midnight ET.
The running chat box in the corner like Twitter and probably a lot of group chats was a party.
As the song settled into its beat another user interjected, Rap game she coming.
Doesnt that sound familiar to you?
Cause that sound really familiar to me, she says to the camera.
Aint that the song I made about brown women and their hair?
(Not long after, Toronto producer Krs.accused Nokiaof stealing that very same hook herself.)
2 Chainz fans also noticed the hooks similarity to the 2011 2 Chainz song Spend It.
Lol stop stealing my swag.
Word, he said,quote-tweetingGrande directly.
The A-word the bane of pop-cultural existence since those fateful 2013 VMAs made its dreaded return.
Is this an act of appropriation, or worse, outright theft?
Appropriation or not is the wrong question.
Whether any of these gestures ought be raised to the level of offense is a slipperier matter.
If you use it, clear it, or spend a lot of money wishing you had.
Chapman returned with a lawsuit.
Around the same timeTMZ reportedthat rapper M.O.S.
was suing Migos and Capitol Records for infringement over the song Walk It Like I Talk It featuring Drake.
In an interview withXXL, Quavo brushed off the claim.
Man, that shits an old saying, man.
We been saying Walk it, talk it.
Whats copyright to a vibe?
Until this case, said Peretz, rhythm hasnt been taken as seriously [in copyright law].
Melodies are absolutely litigious, but style is hard to copyright.
Which leaves the moral and cultural question per usual: appropriation or appreciation?
Ultimately, these labels describe the same gesture, differing as a matter of perceived intent and public taste.
Ariana is no stranger to amalgamative sound.
Not just her credits, but her cadences and harmonies and vocal flourishes demonstrate study and commitment.
The fusion is, admittedly, not as coherent as in singles past.
The bad-bitch vernacular accumulates, at times, like a multicar pileup.
At least the song isgoodand fun.
Call it an appropriation bop if so inclined.
(But then again, arent they all?)
