Rating The Eight Hip-Hop Tracks On Jennifer Lopez’s ‘AKA’
After a three-year break, Jennifer Lopez has returned with a new album, A.K.A. Although her hiatus was relatively brief (she has released 10 albums in 15 years, after all), a fair amount has changed. For one, female pop music has lost some of its gloss thanks to Beyoncé’s recent self-titled album, which was lush and dark and avoided the cheesiness that often comes with the genre’s big-name releases. Another change is that J.Lo is 44, which is ancient in pop years. Judging by her cover story in Billboard, that change hasn’t affected her much physically. But, some thought that it would lead to a more mature and sparse record.
Instead, we get an album cover with a vampire dominatrix on it and a track listing packed full of rappers. In fact, there are an astounding 8 songs on A.K.A. that include guest features from MCs. XXL decided to review those songs using our ranking system to see how they hold up.—Reed Jackson
Stream Jennifer Lopez's Best Hip-Hop Collaborations via Beats Music
"A.K.A." featuring T.I.
Rating: L
I guess J. Lo was like everyone else and listened to Beyoncé’s new album, as this track sounds like it was taken right from it. She even sounds like Bey here, mimicking the vocal style used on everyone’s current guilty pleasure, “Drunk In Love.” T.I. plays the role of her Jay Z, but with a more menacing angle, emphasizing the “AK” in A.K.A.
"I Luh Ya Papi" featuring French Montana
Rating: XL
The Bronx comes together as the Coke Boys’ French Montana shows up to spit some bars. This track, with it’s catchy-as-hell chorus and goofy sweet rhymes by French, kind of reminds me of an old Cam’ron joint back when he would try to make lovey-dovey pop songs every once in a while. It has more a synth bounce to it, though, except when the beat switches over to Big Pun's "It's So Hard."
"Acting Like That" featuring Iggy Azalea
Rating: L
Things slow down a bit on “Acting Like That,” which features background vocals from a dude who sounds like The Weeknd. Say what you want about Iggy, but the girl has flow, and she shows it here. Feel free to question her authenticity, her lyrics or her overall shtick, but the way her verses come off is always more impressive than you would think. Admit it!
"Worry No More" featuring Rick Ross
Rating: L
A verse from The Bawse is always good for at least one ridiculously awesome metaphor about how lavish his lifestyle is. In this case: “Addicted to fans and money, white Lamborghini/Born king, that’s why she was Nefertiti.”
"Booty" featuring Pitbull
Rating: S
The beat here sounds like something my Ecuadorian girlfriend’s 16-year-old cousin, who is obsessed with Diplo, would make on the Fruity Loops demo version on his laptop. Pitbull, who I swear has the best manager in the world, comes through with his Miami-meets-Dr. Pepper bounce.
"Troubeaux" featuring Nas
Rating: L
Oh, goodness. If Pete Rock was confused by Lupe Fiasco’s bite of “T.R.O.Y.,” he might go into a coma after hearing this song. The silver lining? We get to hear the legend Nas drop a gravely voiced verse over that classic saxophone loop. And he name drops Boosie! Think of it more as a freestyle on a mixtape than a messy rework.
"Same Girl" featuring French Montana
Rating: M
J. Lo’s collabos with French work the best on A.K.A. Maybe it’s cause they both represent NYC. Or that they both had similar upbringings. Or that their dynamic reminds me of her dynamic with Ja Rule a bit—playful and earnest, even when it’s supposed to come off serious.
"Girls (Remix)" featuring Tyga
Rating: L
Mustard on the beat, hoe, and Tyga on the rhymes. He name drops Bernie Madoff, which is kind of funny, and talks about how he has a “couple of girls” he can “pray on,” which is kind of creepy. This song shows how well the West Coast is doing right now, though; A.K.A. seemingly uses each song to mimic a popular sound, and this one is straight Cali.
Bonus: "I Luh Ya Papi (DJ Khaled Remix)" featuring Tyga, French Montana and Big Sean
Rating: M
DJ Khaled organizes some MCs to spit some new verses on “Papi.: French might still be the top dog here in terms of repurposing Biggie lines—he rhymes “gators” with “Detroit players”—but Big Sean drops some respectable bars about broken-hearted girls and such. Both he and Tyga end their verses with an “I luh ya, J.Lo,” which is what every 20-something guy has been wanting to say since they were in middle school, when they first saw the “I’m Real” video.