"Tap In" is a song by American rapper

Saweetie Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper (born July 2, 1993), known professionally as Saweetie (), is an American rapper. After the release of her debut single "Icy Grl" in 2017, she was signed to her then-manager Max Gousse's record label Artistry Wo ...

, released on June 17, 2020, as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album '' Pretty Bitch Music''. The song samples rapper

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

's signature 2006 single "

Blow the Whistle ''Blow the Whistle'' is the sixteenth studio album by the American rapper Too Short. It was released on August 29, 2006, via Jive Records. It features artists such as Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Tha Dogg Pound, will.i.am, Mistah F.A.B. and David Banne ...

", produced by

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...

. Too Short provides the intro on "Tap In". Produced and co-written by

Dr. Luke Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...

, it marked Saweetie's second song to chart on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

"Tap In" marks Saweetie's first release without a feature since 2019's "My Type"; she explained she had to focus on her artist development because it was something she struggled with. Saweetie stated that Too Short is one of her favorite rappers, and she was concerned that he would not like the song, however she got his blessing for the sample. With both artists being from California's

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

, Saweetie explained: "If you listen to Bay Area hip-hop, it's very fly. It's not necessarily punchlines, but like a fly way of describing what's happening to us or how we're feeling. It's super conversational and very relatable". The song was first previewed on Saweetie's Instagram, and debuted two days later on Apple Music's

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

Radio with Zane Lowe. Saweetie has become known for sampling classic hip hop tracks; she also sampled

Khia Khia Shamone Finch ( ; ' Chambers; born November 8, 1976)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, media personality, and record producer. She is best known ...

's " My Neck, My Back" on her debut single "Icy Girl". She explained her frequent use of samples: "My specialty is able to have an ear for a beat that would sound good if I flipped it or if I sampled it. Hip-hop is built on samples". "Tap In" continued the resurgence of producer

, whose career came to standstill after singer

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...

accused him of sexual assault. Earlier in 2020, he produced

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat ( ), is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song ...

's US number-one single "

Say So "Say So" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her second studio album, ''Hot Pink'' (2019). The song was written by Doja Cat with her manager Lydia Asrat, and Dr. Luke, who handled production for the song under the pseudonym T ...

". He also worked with

Kim Petras Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republ ...

and produced

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and So ...

's top ten single "

Wishing Well A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deities or had been placed there as a ...

Composition

"Tap In" flips the beat and the signature whistle sounds of "Blow the Whistle", with Too Short delivering the intro: "Don't ever stop if you want to be on top, bitch". Over a bouncy beat and "funky" bass and percussion, Saweetie raps about her wealth, dancing and her physical features.

Critical reception

Aaron Williams of

Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...

called the song an "energetic, party-ready bop" and said Saweetie sounds rejuvenated on the song. In a positive review, ''HotNewHipHop''s Mitch Findlay stated: "Taking to the infectious bass-driven groove, Saweetie breaks it down with a slick flow, revealing plenty of character as she slides into new and increasingly playful rhyme schemes", and concluded that "her confidence and infectious energy" is seemingly boundless. Travis Grier of ''Def Pen'' said the song highlights Saweetie's assets "straight from the beginning" and noted that she lacks no confidence "in any capacity". ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' called it a "fresh new spin on an old classic". Conversely, ''

Earmilk ''EARMILK'', sometimes stylized in all caps, is a North American online music publication. Launched in the late 2000s by Montrey Whittaker, Blake Edwards and Eric DeFazio, ''Earmilk'' publishes on a variety of music genres, often covering hip h ...

''s Hayley Tharp questioned whether Saweetie relies "on already established beats to resonate with listeners, or could this be a careful tactic to build her brand?" Tharpe further said Saweetie's verses in the song "leave much to be desired" and "while the hook is memorable, the repetitiveness makes up most of the song. This track's brevity mirrors her previous singles rapping about rich men, a slim waist, and a full derriere".

Music video

The song's official video was released along with the song, on June 17, 2020. Saweetie noted "There's choreo, the looks are crazy. My glam is just real cute" and said her image in the video is how she dressed in high school; baggy pants and a loose t-shirt. She sports claw-like red nails, long hair and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

earrings in the visual, which features high-energy dance choreography on an iced-out basketball court.

Remix

A remix featuring fellow American rappers

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut albu ...

, and

Jack Harlow Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in 201 ...

was released on August 28, 2020. It was teased by Saweetie on social media ten days prior, on August 18, in which there was one featured artist for fans to guess, which was Post Malone.

Awards and nominations

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Jack Harlow 2020 singles 2020 songs Saweetie songs Post Malone songs DaBaby songs Jack Harlow songs Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke Songs written by Post Malone Songs written by DaBaby Songs written by Dr. Luke Songs written by Lil Jon Songs written by Theron Thomas Songs written by LunchMoney Lewis Songs written by Too Short Warner Records singles Songs written by Saweetie