"Poppin" is a song by British YouTuber and recording artist

KSI Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji (born 19 June 1993), known professionally as KSI, is an English YouTuber and rapper. He is a co-founder and member of the British YouTube group known as the Sidemen. He is the CEO of Misfits Boxing and ...

featuring American rappers

Lil Pump Gazzy Garcia (born August 17, 2000), better known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He is one of the most prominent artists of the SoundCloud rap scene and is known for his minimalist music and hyperactive public persona. Li ...

and

Smokepurpp Omar Jeffery Pineiro (born May 15, 1997), known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. Originally a record producer, Pineiro later found success on the audio distribution platform SoundCloud in 2017 from his surge in popularity due ...

. Produced by Diego Ave, Go Grizzly, Mally Mall and OG Tint, it was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

RBC Records RBC Records is an American online independent record label and management company founded by partners Brian Shafton and Bob Grossi. It provides artists and independent labels with a full-service "virtual label" alternative to signing with a maj ...

and

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

on 27 March 2020 as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from KSI's debut studio album, '' Dissimulation'' (2020). "Poppin" is a hyperactive hip hop track with elements of

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

and mumble rap, with a bouncy and bass-heavy production. The song's lyrics centre around flexing, mostly money and expensive jewellery. KSI admitted that "it's not a super serious song" and the aim was to "just have some fun with it". "Poppin" received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising its bounciness and fast-paced flow. The song debuted at number 43 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and it additionally entered the music charts of Ireland and New Zealand. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released on 3 April 2020. The video places the three rappers in a crowded underground

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

setting, filled with dancing. KSI hosted a competition called the "Poppin Challenge" that gave fans the chance to appear on a remix of the song on the deluxe edition of the album.

Writing and production

"Poppin" was produced by American record producers Diego Ave, Go Grizzly, Mally Mall and OG Tint. The

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

samples "Death" by

Mica Levi Mica Levi (; b. 28 February 1987), also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English singer, songwriter, composer and producer. Levi is classically trained and since 2008 has released experimental pop music with their band Good Sad Happy Bad ...

, taken from the soundtrack of the film '' Under the Skin'' (2013), for which Levi and the track's producer

Peter Raeburn Peter Raeburn is a British composer, music producer and songwriter. He has won over 70 awards across the various mediums in which he has worked. As a composer, Raeburn has written the score for a variety of feature films including '' The Dry ...

were credited as songwriters on "Poppin".

wrote and recorded both a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and a verse to the instrumental, but "left it because he didn't really know what he was doing with it".

was played the instrumental with Smokepurpp's vocals during a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

session with the song's producers in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States. KSI thought it was "sick" and asked if he could "do something with t. KSI wrote and recorded both a

pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...

and a verse for "Poppin", which "Smokepurpp liked a lot". KSI and his manager

Mams Taylor Mams Taylor is a British boxing promoter, singer, songwriter and producer of Persian descent. He is most known for his song ‘Girl Gotta Girlfriend’, released in 2009 and also for being the CEO of Proper Loud Music. Career Music career ...

decided to have an additional rapper feature on "Poppin" to "make it even bigger", resulting in the addition of a verse by

. Explaining the decision to feature Lil Pump on "Poppin", KSI said that they "wanted something playful" and "it made sense to have him on the track".

Music and lyrics

"Poppin" is a hyperactive hip hop track with elements of

and mumble rap. The song uses a bouncy and bass-heavy instrumental. Lil Pump raps the first verse, KSI raps both the second verse and the pre-chorus, and Smokepurpp raps both the third verse and the chorus. The song's lyrics centre around flexing, mostly money and expensive jewellery, with the three rappers making their expensive tastes the topic du jour. Speaking about "Poppin", KSI said, "We really just wanted to drop a bunch of cool flows on this

ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, ...

.. have sturn up on here and just have some fun with it." KSI admitted, " t'snot a super serious song, but that doesn't mean it can't also be a banger." In his verse, Lil Pump makes references to both the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the

Western African Ebola virus epidemic The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and S ...

, with the lyrics, "Look at my wrist,

corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

/ My neck got

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

". Speaking on Lil Pump's choice of lyrics, KSI recalled, "When I got the verse, I was like, 'Oh my God!'" He continued, "I just burst out laughing when I heard it. I was like, 'Of course Lil Pump did a corona line. Of course.'" KSI said, " il Pump's lyricscan be wild, but I don't think

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

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."

Release and promotion

On 18 March 2020, KSI announced via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that he would be releasing a new

in the next week. Shortly after, he posted the song's

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

to his

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

pages, revealing that the song is titled "Poppin" and features Lil Pump and Smokepurpp, and the song was made available to

pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...

on digital download platforms and pre-save on

platforms. The song's cover art depicts the three rappers as cartoon characters, dressed in green clothing and equipped with swords, in front of a blue background. "Poppin" was released for digital download and streaming by

and

on 27 March 2020 as the third single from KSI's upcoming debut studio album. An audio video was released to KSI's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on the same day. 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 a public poll, would replace Lil Pump's verse on a remix of the song on the deluxe edition of the album. KSI reacted to competition entries in two

reaction video A reaction video is a video in which people react to something. Videos showing the emotional reactions of people viewing television series episodes, film trailers and music videos are also numerous and popular on video hosting services such as You ...

s, released to YouTube on 4 April and 9 April 2020, respectively. KSI shortlisted his 13 favourite entries for the public poll, which received 854,435 votes. On 17 April 2020, KSI announced that American YouTuber Crypt was the winner of the competition with 235,096 votes. Explaining the decision to host the competition, KSI said, "The fans got me to the point

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...

I'm at today. I thought hat the competitionwas a good way to give back

o them O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), plu ...

Critical reception

"Poppin" was met with positive reviews from music critics. In his review for ''HotNewHipHop'', Mitch Findlay called the song "gaudy". He wrote that "Lil Pump sets things off on an energetic note". Findlay continued, "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."

Anthony Fantano Anthony Fantano ( ; born October 28, 1985) is an American music critic and YouTuber who runs the YouTube channel The Needle Drop and its tie-in website. He discusses and reviews music from a variety of genres in his YouTube videos and on his we ...

of The Needle Drop similarly admitted that "a feature from il Pump and Smokepurppis a bit dated". Fantano observed that their performances are "no where near as raw as

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

eleasesthat put

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

on the map", but recognised that "Poppin" has a "similar energy" to them, which KSI "plays off of with his performance on the track pretty well". Fantano further praised KSI for having "a decent sense of what makes for a good song" and concluded that "Poppin" is a "pretty grimy banger with irie production". Writing for ''

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'', 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 TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

dance". The staff of Grungecake called "Poppin" a "bouncy record" and noted that there are "stellar lyrical deliveries from all artists".

GRM Daily GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily), formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and Briti ...

's Courtney Wynter found that the song "carries a punchy vibe" as a result of the "sharp delivery" from the three artists and Jeremy Randrup of ''

Inlander The ''Inlander'' was a sternwheeler that worked on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada, from 1910 until 1912. She was owned by the Prince Rupert and Skeena River Navigation Company which was a syndicate of Skeena River businessmen who p ...

'' similarly praised the song's "fast-paced flow and rhyme scheme".

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' acclaimed that "KSI just about holds his own against he featured artists. Writing for '' i'', Nick Duerden remarked that "Poppin" is "a curiously convincing slice of Californian hip hop orsomeone who was born and raised in

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

Music video

The

for "Poppin" was directed by TajvsTaj. It was filmed in Los Angeles in March 2020. A trailer for the music video was released on 1 April 2020. The music video was released to KSI's YouTube channel on 3 April 2020. A

behind-the-scenes In film, cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the Filmmaking#Production, production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the E ...

video of the music video shoot was released to the channel one week later. The music video depicts KSI, Lil Pump and Smokepurpp having a good time in a crowded underground

setting, filled with dancing. Canadian-American actor and internet personality

King Bach Andrew Byron Bachelor (born June 26, 1988), also known as King Bach is a Canadian-American Internet personality and actor who rose to fame on the now-defunct video sharing service Vine, where he had 16.2 million followers, making him the most fol ...

and Korean-American hip hop dancer Bailey Sok make appearances in the video. Sok's performance received praise from the staff of Grungecake, who called her dancing "incredible" and found that she "intensifies the performance for he music video.

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Poppin" debuted at number 43 on the

, narrowly missing out on the top 40 of the chart. The song also debuted at number 23 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart. On 10 July 2020, the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

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. In the Republic of Ireland, "Poppin" debuted at number 52 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

, narrowly missing out on the top 50 of the chart.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

songwriting, vocals *

songwriting, vocals * Diego Aveproduction, songwriting * Go Grizzlyproduction, songwriting * Mally Mallproduction, songwriting * OG Tintproduction *

songwriting *

songwriting * Michalis Michaelmixing * Henkka Niemistömastering

Charts

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{Smokepurpp 2020 songs 2020 singles KSI songs Lil Pump songs Smokepurpp songs Songs written by KSI Songs written by Lil Pump Songs written by Smokepurpp Songs written by Mally Mall RBC Records singles BMG Rights Management singles