My first introduction to New Jersey rapper Cakes da Killa (Rashard Bradshaw) - and to the emerging 'aesthetic' of queer rap - took place when I stumbled upon "Goodie Goodies" on YouTube a few years ago. His rapping skills and flow was certainly memorable, as was the dissonance of hearing unabashedly raunchy and out-and-proud lyrics in a genre pervaded by hypermasculinity, misogyny and homophobia. His machine-gun paced rapping also articulated a queer experience that captured the grittiness of real queer lives (with references to dating app, cruising and dating rituals, etc.), as opposed to the kind of introverted, abstracted and romanticized melancholy one would generally expect from Sam Smith or Troye Sivan.
"New Phone (Who Dis)", a track from his 2016 debut album Hedonism, ditches the coyness and the rose petals that featured so prominently in "Goodie Goodies". The same desire (and lack of) fulfilling intimacy is there, but it is now accompanied by 'cutthroat ruthless' brag-rap verses colored by seething anger:
'You think this shit is sweet like honey to a beeI been attracting ballers and actors around meI been here already, Jersey bred like FettyMy come up is kinda steady so groupies be flocking heavyThe thirst is so cute, chickens up out the coopThey perched up on a roof just waiting on me to swoopAnd here come my ex, he sitting there looking stressedI'm moving on to the next, he calling and send a text likeYo it's Cakes, if you got something sweet to say just leave your name and number after the beat, alrightNew phone, who dis?New phone, who dis?New phone, who dis?New phone, who dis?New phone, who dis? Cutthroat ruthlessDon't appreciate my love then I leave you looking stupidYou know how I do this, I switch up so cluelessCould catch me getting wasted doing jello shots with Cupid'
Lyrics: Genius
Backed by old-school ringtone references, handclaps, a reference to a digital age meme, and Jersey club influences, Cakes presents a complex post-breakup psychological state marked by bitterness, rage, apathy and a steely determination to prove one's sexual agency and self-worth as a romantic partner:
"'New Phone (Who Dis)' is a track I wrote about a breakup. In a nutshell, it's that breaking point when you're riding so hard for someone who doesn't give a shit about you so you literally jump out the window from the passenger seat cause fuck that. "'Hedonism' as a whole is about reclaiming myself in different situations and this track just happens to be the most literal. "You don't appreciate my love then I'll leave you looking stupid."'
Source: RedBull.com
