Nelly & 2 Chainz Go Real Trap: Hear “100K”

In the lead up to Nelly’s forthcoming seventh studio album M.O., we’ve gotten two singles with wildly different sounds. First, there was the ridiculous bubblegum pop of “Hey Porsche” which ended up sounding like the half-baked studio remnants of that “Cruise” remix he jumped on with Georgia Florida Line. Then, we got the percussive, spartan, Pharrell-produced “Get Like Me” with Nicki Minaj that condensed everything The Neptunes have ever done into three and a half minutes (which isn’t necessarily a good thing). Now, we get another taste with the 2 Chainz trap anthem ”1ooK,” which ends up being the best of the bunch by a wide margin.

The beat is simple but monolithic, with church bells chiming amidst cut-up vocals of exalting choirs — who appear to be in mid- breath of a stirring rendition of “O Fortuna” — while steely hi-hats clap around them. Meanwhile, Nelly turns his flow inside out, slurring weird syllables of depraved couplets and sounding nearly unrecognizable. It’s a heartening statement of intent after the first two singles made Nelly’s latest offering sound like it would be a schizophrenic piece of Hot 100 miasma. “100 K” proves that, for at least three minutes, M.O. won’t be a shamelessly accessible grab at mainstream dominance.