MadeinTYO is a bit of a mysterious figure in the Rap world, from my perspective. It seems like he has been known to virtually disappear for somewhat extended periods of time and then come back out of nowhere with brand-new music. While we know he’s still alive and thriving due to his extremely active Twitter account, it seems like he might’ve been able to capitalize a bit more and take additional steps to truly become a superstar after “Uber Everywhere” and “Skateboard P”. Nonetheless, he has managed to piece together a pretty formidable career, and considering he’s still so young, it seems as if he has set himself up for success and a beyond comfortable life for the foreseeable future. Maybe this is just me, though, because I haven’t paid super close attention to his music recently, so maybe he’s been dropping left and right and these releases have just gone under my radar. Either way, he’s back with a fresh new track today and he even recruited A$AP Ferg to accompany him for this laid-back record.
The name of the song is called “Square Bitch”, and although it might not be TYO’s most impressive offering, it still hits hard and its simplicity is something that could easily get stuck in listeners’ heads after even just one listen. The beat begins with distorted sounding strings or synths of some sort that echo off into the distance prior to tapping hats and thumping 808s entering into the scene. When these other percussive elements come into play, both TYO and Ferg prepare themselves to go in for their portions of the track by showing off some of their telltale ad-libs that they’ve been known to use throughout their various songs. MadeinTYO pretty much only spits the chorus on this track, and he does so in a very relaxed, nonchalant manner. While boasting a very chill, unphased demeanor, he pretty much repeats the same phrase over and over again before straying away to offer up a few braggadocios lines about diamonds and designer goods. Even during these parts, he utilizes the same exact cadence as before and although it’s nothing overtly special or out of the ordinary, it’s definitely not the worst flow I’ve ever heard from a rapper, so it is what it is.
Throughout his whole hook, Ferg can be heard in the background offering up his support in the form of hyped-up ad-libs that keep the energy high despite TYO’s modest mannerisms. When Ferg comes in, I honestly have to say that he somewhat saves this record. Nothing against TYO, but Ferg just brings this vitality to the track that was totally missing before. His words are quick and full of life, he plays around on the beat in such an entertaining way, and he just shows off his abundance of skills that come to him in the most effortless fashion. Throughout the whole song, while TYO is telling some “square bitch” to shut up, Ferg ends up backing him up with some silencing lines of his own. He then also gets into talking about how he’s a special person and he’s not on the same level as other people who are less worthy of his lifestyle, pretty much condescending to certain people the entire time.
In all honesty, I was definitely hoping for more after hearing this track, but I’m not totally disappointed either. Sure, TYO didn’t show off any new skills he’s been working on and he’s not really going to turn many heads with his portions, but the beat is pretty hard despite its simplicity and Ferg really brings this song to a level that it wouldn’t have been able to achieve without him. Part of me wishes that TYO switched up his flows and added in some more diversity to the hook in order to keep things fresh and not get as repetitive as they did, but the other part of me understands his intentions and I think that he did what he meant to do. At the end of the day, if you don’t mind tolerating MadeinTYO’s part because it’s overall not too terrible, Ferg’s verse makes the listen worth it, in my opinion. While it might not be my favorite song ever from MadeinTYO, see what you think for yourself by checking out his latest song “Square Bitch” below.