Poppin (KSI song)

"Poppin" was produced by American record producers Diego Ave, Go Grizzly and Mally Mall.[1] Smokepurpp wrote and recorded to the instrumental, but "left it because he didn't really know what he was doing with it". KSI was played the instrumental with Smokepurpp's vocals during a recording studio session with the song's producers in Los Angeles, United States. KSI thought it was "sick" and asked if he could "do something with [it]". KSI wrote and recorded both a chorus and a verse for "Poppin", which "Smokepurpp liked a lot". KSI and his music management decided to have an additional artist feature on "Poppin" to "make it even bigger", resulting in the addition of a verse by Lil Pump. They chose Lil Pump because they "wanted something playful" and "it made sense to have him on the track".[2]

"Poppin" is a hyperactive hip hop track with elements of mumble rap and trap.[3][4][5] Constructed in verse–chorus form, the song runs for 3 minutes and 33 seconds (3:33). The instrumental uses a sample from "Death" by Mica Levi, taken from the soundtrack of the film Under the Skin (2013).

The song's lyrics centre around flexing, mostly money and expensive jewellery.[6] KSI told Apple Music, "We really just wanted to drop a bunch of cool flows on this [song]... and just have some fun with it."[7] KSI admitted, "[It's] not a super serious song, but that doesn't mean it can't also be a banger."[6] KSI and Smokepurpp perform the chorus.[8] Lil Pump performs the first verse. In his verse, Lil Pump makes a controversial reference to both the then-topical global pandemic of Coronavirus and the past epidemic of Ebola virus, with the lyrics, "Look at my wrist, Corona / My neck got Ebola".[6] Speaking on Lil Pump's lyrics, KSI recalled, "I just burst out laughing when I heard it. I was like, 'Of course Lil Pump did a corona line, of course.'"[6] KSI told Apple Music, "[His lyrics] can be wild, but I don't think anyone would find them offensive. I mean, it's Lil Pump. No one's going to be like, 'I can't believe he just said that!' Because it's Lil Pump, it's not really that deep."[7] KSI performs the second verse and Smokepurpp performs the third.[8] KSI explained the meaning of his lyrics for an episode of Genius' video interview series "Verified", released on 8 May 2020.[1]

On 18 March 2020, KSI announced via Twitter that he would be releasing a new single in the next week.[9] Shortly after, he posted the song's cover art to his social media pages, revealing that the song is titled "Poppin" and features Lil Pump and Smokepurpp, and the song was made available to pre-order on digital download services and pre-save on streaming services.[10][11][12] The cover art was designed by Chadwick Mäkelä and depicts the three rappers as cartoon comic book characters, dressed in green clothing and equipped with swords, in front of a blue background.[13] "Poppin" was released for digital download and streaming by RBC Records and BMG on 27 March 2020 as the third single from KSI's debut studio album, Dissimulation (2020).[14][15] The song was accompanied by the release of an audio video to KSI's YouTube channel on the same day.[16]

On 30 March 2020, KSI announced via social media that he would be hosting a competition called the "Poppin Challenge". He asked fans to record their own verse for "Poppin" and the best verse, decided by public vote, would replace Lil Pump's verse on a remix of the song which would appear on the deluxe edition of the album.[6][17] KSI watched competition entries in two reaction videos uploaded to YouTube on 4 and 9 April 2020, respectively.[18][19] KSI nominated his 13 favourite entries for the public poll, which received 854,435 votes.[20] On 17 April 2020, KSI announced that American YouTuber and rapper Crypt was the winner of the competition with 235,096 votes.[6][21]

"Poppin" was met with positive reviews from music critics. In his review for HotNewHipHop, Mitch Findlay called the song "gaudy". He wrote, "Lil Pump sets things off on an energetic note. His flow is in fine form, outlandish in its disregard to etiquette yet all the better for it." Findlay praised KSI for "proving himself to be a capable emcee once more" and "boasting the most dexterous flow on the track". Commenting on the choice of featured artists, Finday wrote, "Though one might be tempted to cry out, 'liability', don't underestimate their crafty, albeit base, nature."[8] Writing for Insider, Kat Tenbarge said that the song has "a relentless beat that could easily accompany a sweaty night at a college pre-game, a nightclub track list, or a viral TikTok dance".[6] The staff of Grungecake called "Poppin" a "bouncy record" and noted that there are "stellar lyrical deliveries from all artists".[22] GRM Daily's Courtney Wynter said that the song "carries a punchy vibe as a result of the bass-heavy production and the sharp delivery from [the three artists]".[23] Jeremy Randrup of Inlander liked the song's "fast-paced flow and rhyme scheme".[24] Writing for i, Nick Duerden remarked that "Poppin" is "a curiously convincing slice of Californian hip-hop [for] someone [KSI] who was born and raised in Watford, [England]".[3]

The music video for "Poppin" was directed by TajvsTaj.[22] It was filmed in Los Angeles in March 2020.[25] A trailer for the music video was released on 1 April 2020.[26] The music video was released to KSI's YouTube channel one week after the release of the song on 3 April 2020.[25][27] A behind-the-scenes video of the music video shoot was uploaded to the channel on 10 April 2020.[28] The music video stars the three rappers in a crowded underground club setting, filled with dancing.[22][25] Also in the club are American actress Michelle Hayden, Canadian-American actor and internet personality King Bach, record producers Mally Mall and Diego Ave, and Korean-American hip hop dancer Bailey Sok.[22] Grungecake called Sok's dancing "incredible" and said that she "intensifies the performance for [the music video]".[22]

In the United Kingdom, "Poppin" debuted at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, narrowly missing out on the top 40.[29] The song spent two weeks on the chart.[29] "Poppin" spent three weeks on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart, debuting at number 23, and it charted at number four on the UK Independent Singles Chart.[30][31] On 10 July 2020, the Official Charts Company reported that "Poppin" was the 23rd best-selling song to not reach the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart of the first half of 2020.[32] In Ireland, "Poppin" debuted at number 52 on the Irish Singles Chart, narrowly missing out on the top 50, and spent two weeks on the chart.[33]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[34]

• KSI – songwriter, vocals
• Lil Pump – songwriter, vocals
• Smokepurpp – songwriter, vocals
• Diego Ave – producer, songwriter
• Go Grizzly – producer, songwriter
• Mally Mall – producer, songwriter
• OG Tint – producer
• Michalis Michael – mixer
• Henkka Niemistö – masterer

• Audio on YouTube
• Music video trailer on YouTube
• Behind-the-scenes video on YouTube