The last few years have seen a rise in rappers making more direct interpolations of older songs. Saweetie's latest single, "Is It The Way," samples Jill Scott's classic neo-soul track "The Way," from her 2001 debut album Who Is Jill Scott? She flips it drastically, turning it from a mid-tempo flirty love letter to a much more overtly raunchy track with a trap beat. She talks about her authenticity, her physical attractiveness, and sex. That is Saweetie's M.O., and it has been since she debuted.
LL Cool J recently tapped Saweetie for his Q-Tip-produced comeback album, The FORCE. The track, "Proclivities," is another raunchy cut that does not deal much in innuendo. Generally speaking, Saweetie is not one for metaphors, which is clear on this new single as well. In August, Saweetie made headlines for her roller-coaster relationship with YG. The two of them reportedly got into an altercation that necessitated police involvement to break up. Soon after, YG heavily implied that Saweetie cheated on him in an Instagram post (posting a lion and a cheetah emoji on his story, seemingly referring to her as a "lying cheater"), though the Compton rapper denied that was the case. The status of their relationship at this point is unclear. Based on their history, it does not seem that this song is about YG, to say the least. Perhaps they could both stand to learn something from Jill Scott's music. Stream "Is It The Way" below.
Saweetie - "Is It The Way"
Quotable Lyrics:
Is it the way I handle business? (My business)
Authentic with no gimmicks (Ooh)
They talkin', but I live it (Yeah)
I get up back and flip it (Uh-huh)
Singapore, Dubai, the only time you catch me trippin', yeah (Pew)
Ain't no way (Yeah)
Just 'cause I'm a player, baby, that don't mean I play (Play)
I know you a hater, see it written on your face (Face)