Thundercat is the king of ridiculous song concepts. On "Black Qualls", the first single from his forthcoming LP, he sings about how he just bought a really nice crib and feels an urge to flex on social media, but is too paranoid about being robbed. Now, we have the second single from It Is What It Is and Thundercat is expressing similar worries.
"Dragonball Durag" documents the celebrated bassist's desperate attempts to impress his girl with his headwear. Once again, he parodies the common braggadocio of rap songs, trying to appear hard while repeatedly exposing his own insecurities. "I may be covered in cat hair, but I still smell good," he bargains. He boasts that he has a "new whip", only to shatter the charm of that statement by saying "watch me go zoom zoom" like an infant. "The durag is a superpower, to turn your swag on," Thundercat explained in a press release. "It does something, it changes you. If you have one in the wardrobe, think about wearing it tonight, and it may pop off because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Lyrics aside, "Dragonball Durag" is another groovy and highly-enjoyable listen to add into Thundercat and Flying Lotus' deep catalog of collaborations. It Is What It Is arrives on April 3 via Brainfeeder.
Quotable Lyrics
You don't have to like my video games or my comic books
Baby girl, how do I look in my durag?
Did I tie it right?
Did you wear that dress just for me?