Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West, Skrillex, & FKA twigs… on one track? 2020 really is something else. The group’s new song “Ego Death” is out today after over a year since it was first played out live, but is it worth the wait?
As a Skrillex fan, the answer is a resounding “maybe.” The production is definitely on point, clean as ever. But at the end of the day, the sound is still geared toward the artists on the track — it is by no means a Skrillex original with features. Ty Dolla, Kanye, and FKA twigs all put their own mark on the track and for those fans, this is going to be an absolute bop.
It starts out pretty slow and nonchalant with a recognizable rhythm and beat as Ty Dolla hops on the track, followed by Kanye, and finally FKA. The beat switches up time to time but never reaches the level of energy that it feels the track really deserves.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Ty Dolla $ign explains how “Ego Death” came together…
Basically, I was at a party, and I don’t remember. I heard some girls saying something about some guy, like, “Oh, that’s the death of his ego.” I remembered that when I got to the house. I’m like, “Wow, that’s hard.” It’s like I had the song Ego Death, and then I made the beat. Then I was watching Instagram, and there was some video of Ye walking through Chicago. Then he was like, “Hold up. There’s a train going by.” I thought that was so hard, just seeing him just walking through Chicago by himself. So I sampled that part, and then I went out to Chicago to work on Yandhi with him. Then I played him the record, and he went crazy. Everybody in the room ran out, like, “Oh, shit.” So he came back. He grabbed the little performance mic, and he started beatboxing and just freestyling and shit.
We recorded all that, kept all that. Then I ended up going to London. I linked up with Twigs. She laid her part, went crazy, and then I came back to LA and I hooked up with Sonny. He added his magic, and now we have the song. So it was definitely a process.
Ultimately, this track will probably chart high due to the names on the track and it’s a nice track to put in the middle of a playlist, but I don’t think many will ever feel months from now, “Yo, throw on ‘Ego Death,’ that sh*t slaps.”
Check it out for yourself below.
Photo via Marilyn Hue
