Rap Song of the Week runs down the essential rap and hip-hop tracks you need to hear every week. Check out the full playlist here. This week, Wale and J. Cole reunite on “Poke It Out.”
Later this month, Wale is dropping a sequel to his 2012 mixtape Folarin. To promote the project, the DC rapper reached out to his fellow blog era alum J. Cole for their new collaboration “Poke It Out,” a throwback single sharing the same sample as Q-Tip’s effervescent 1999 hit “Vivrant Thing.”
After a brief falling out in late 2016, the dynamic duo officially made amends on Wale’s boastful 2018 track “My Boy (Freestyle),” and the new track finds the longtime collaborators fully unburdened from any past animosity and simply have a good time. Over a bouncy beat by Cool & Dre, Wale and Cole celebrate their latest reunion as the latter MC raps, “Cole World and Folarin co-starrin’/ We both flexin’, Bo Jacksons, bogartin’/ These cap n****s that rap with piss-poor jargon.”
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“Poke It Out” is really at its best when the rappers spit cheeky one-liners. Wale’s quip of, “Yeah, she got a little butt, so what?” is destined to become a TikTok trend, while Cole just wants to see ladies on the dancefloor, regardless of whether they’re more like Megan Thee Stallion or Coi Leray. There’s no shaming here — just good vibes.
When paired with Wale’s recent single “Down South” — an homage to Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’” — the theme of Folarin II appears to be looking back in order to move forward. So far it’s worked out quite nicely. We can’t wait to hear what’s next.
