RL Grime‘s single “UCLA” is entrenched as the de facto anthem of The University of California, Los Angeles.
“UCLA,” which appears on the trap kingpin’s seminal sophomore album Nova, effectively etched its name in university lore since its ballyhooed summer 2018 release. The track’s intoxicating, technically pristine production and velvety vocals courtesy of Atlanta rapper 24hrs reverberate through virtually every single tailgate, mixer, sporting event, and frat party on the university’s campus, sending harmonic ripples of camaraderie through everyone that hears it.
The song’s intrinsically rapturous sound, which is rooted in future bass, lends to an uplifting and euphoric ethos, which is something college students desperately need right now.
UCLA is one of countless universities that succumbed to the callous wrath of COVID-19, which stomped on the sandcastles of its graduation ceremonies and robbed its students of a profound, transcendental moment they’d been working tirelessly for over the course of their adolescence. The pandemic also represents a major hurdle in those students’ pursuit of their first post-graduation job, clipping their wings as they face a staggering amount of competition in a modern vocational landscape with record-breaking unemployment rates.
That’s why RL Grime’s “UCLA” is so special to the young Bruins tucked away in a sun-kissed pocket of west Los Angeles—the song’s soaring sound invites them to soar along with it during a time when flying seems impossible.
An inquisitive Redditer recently took to the platform to gauge just how popular “UCLA” was among the university’s students and the results, which the user shared in a sample-sized screenshot, were overwhelmingly positive and downright hilarious. Diving headfirst into Reddit comment sections—metaphorical rabbit holes of absurdity—can be treacherous at times, but the comments here would undoubtedly put a smile on RL Grime’s face.
“I requested to play ‘UCLA’ at my funeral,” one fan wrote. “I lost my virginity while ‘UCLA’ played in the background,” wrote another.
You can listen to “UCLA” in full below.
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