Reading Time: 10 min read

11 Engaging Songs That POP Off (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; bookdragon, Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay]11 Engaging Songs That POP Off features music courtesy of Coco & Clair Clair, IDLES, Jack Harlow, Kim Petras, and ScHoolboy Q.

Get ready to POP! That’s right, folks! This playlist – this 11-song music compendium – is all about POP. No, it’s not limited to pop music, and no, we’re not talking soda pop, but the keyword is some form of POP. Examples include various things popping, popping your shit, as well as, popping that 😈. 11 Engaging Songs That POP Off features music courtesy of Coco & Clair Clair, IDLES, Jack Harlow, Kim Petras, and ScHoolboy Q among others.  So, without further ado, let’s get it poppin’ on 11 Engaging Songs That POP Off 

 


~ Table of Contents ~

1.21 Savage, Young Thug & Metro Boomin, “pop ur shit”

2.Coco & Clair Clair, “Pop 1”

3.NAYEON, “POP!”

4.IDLES, “POP POP POP”

5.Jack Harlow, “WHATS POPPIN”

6-7.Kim Petras, “Slut Pop” & “Slut Pop Reprise”

8.ScHoolboy Q, “Pop” (Ft. Rico Nasty)

9.DJ Khaled, “POPSTAR” (Ft. Drake)

10.French Montana, “Pop That” (Ft. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne)

11.*NSYNC, “Pop”


1. 21 Savage, Young Thug & Metro Boomin, “pop ur shit” 

American Dream// Slaughter Gang, LLC / Epic // 2024

21 Savage, American dream [📷: Slaughter Gang, LLC / Epic]“Pop your shit / Pop your shit / Pop your shit…” Yeah, you get the idea – it involves the popping of shit! 21 Savage repeats the titular lyric over and over in the chorus of – wait for it – “pop ur shit.” “Pop ur shit,” the sixth track from the Grammy winner’s 2024 LP, American Dream, features Metro Boomin and Young Thug.  It was produced by ‘If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you’ and Allen Ritter. Set in a minor key, the aesthetic is dark, idiomatic of many rap songs.  That said, there’s a ‘cool energy’ instead of being bombastic or in-your-face. 21 Savage doesn’t break a sweat either.  He exhibits poise yet still bites. “Mike Amiri jeans cost two thou’ (Two racks) / Saint Laurent sweater, that’s a few thou’ (No cap),” he spits in the first verse with the assist of Young Thug on ad-libs. Speaking of Thugga, he is true to self, popping his shit, idiosyncratically in the second verse: “Kick a lot of shit, Jesús (Bawk) / The bitch booty big like Bruce (Slime).” Ultimately, the shit has been sufficiently popped 🔥 😮💨 

 

~ Table of Contents ~

2. Coco & Clair Clair, “Pop 1”  

Sexy // Nice Girl World / Alternate Side and Many Hats Distribution // 2022 

Coco & Clair Clair, Sexy [📷: Nice Girl World / Alternate Side and Many Hats Distribution]“Yeah, we pull up, POP off / Catch your eye, don’t be shy / Fall in love for one night / So wrong but feels so right.” Pop off, girls! Duo Coco & Clair Clair comprises Claire Marie Toothill (Clair Clair) and Taylor Rose Nave (Coco). “Pop 1” is the seventh track on their 2022 album, Sexy. A brief cut, clocking in just under two minutes, it’s an enjoyable listen. The sound is a vibe with cool but potent energy. Coco & Clair Clair want no part of a serious relationship for the time being:

“He say, he wanna date me 

I say, that’s not my thing  

He say, ‘What’s my thing?’ 

I tell him, bling-bling  

I’m down to flirt, I’m down to kiss  

But first, you gotta put something on this wrist.” 

Oh, snap! Later, they add, “Fuck all that wife shit / Double texting get the block list / Ain’t no stopping it / Ready to throw hands in this bitch.” WOO! Pop TF off! Ultimately, “Pop 1” with its chill, carefree aesthetic is – wait for it – a VIBE! Another Coco & Clair Clair that POPS? “Pop Star”, the 12th and final track on Sexy 

~ Table of Contents ~

3. NAYEON, “POP!”  

IM NAYEON // JYP Entertainment // 2022

NAYEON, IM NAYEON [📷: JYP Entertainment]“I wanna make it pop, pop, pop, you want it.” Yes, yes, YAASS! Make it pop, gurl! NAYEON, a member of the South Korean girl group, TWICE, makes it pop something fierce on “POP!” The popping, 2022 K-Pop single is performed in both Korean and English. It’s an ultra-groovy, ultra-sunny song serving up those good, infectious vibes.  Regarding the sound, the instrumental shines. LDN NOISE delivers sleek production that’s idiomatic of the K-Pop style.  Furthermore, NAYEON sounds great as she sings the tuneful melodies. Further amplifying her delivery is the attitude she brings to the track.  Ultimately, on “POP!”, NAYEON brings it! “Pop, pop, pop… I know you want it, babe!”  

~ Table of Contents ~

4. IDLES, “POP POP POP” 

TANGK // Partisan // 2024 

IDLES, TANGK [📷: Partisan]When the first word of a song is Freudenfreude, you know you’re in for a decadent, musical treat! Freudenfreude is the opposite of a legitimately negative but captivating word, schadenfreude. British alternative rock band IDLES unveil this positive freudenfreude on “POP POP POP,” the third track from their 2024 LP, TANGK.  Per Apple Music, singer Joe Talbot comments of “POP POP POP,” “…the idea of someone enjoying someone else’s joy is great.” He has a point! In the first verse, he sings, “Freudenfreude / Joy on joy (joy on joy) / Cheerleader / Happy boy (happy boy) / Strong like bull / Vu-vu-vulnerable (vulnerable) / Keep my people up / That’s my tool.” Indeed.  With two additional verses, Talbot keeps the same energy with equally captivating lyrics. In the chorus, we get “Sunbeams / Oh, sunbeams / Like God from your face.” Amen! There is also a unique outro in the alternative cut. Besides positive lyrics, Talbot delivers a compelling vocal performance. Furthermore, the instrumental is engaging.  The instruments that shine the most? The drums and guitars, baby! “POP POP POP” pops!

 

~ Table of Contents ~

5. Jack Harlow, “WHATS POPPIN”  

Sweet Action // Generation Now / Atlantic // 2020 

Jack Harlow, Sweet Action [📷: Generation Now / Atlantic]As you can gather from the title, “WHATS POPPIN” (Thats What They All Say) is a banger – a flex-fest.  Grammy-nominated, Louisville, Kentucky-bred rapper Jack Harlow serves up ample drip on this short, entertaining record. Harlow has superb production work to spit over, courtesy of JetsonMade and Pooh Bear.  As far as the lyrics are concerned, “WHATS POPPIN” commences with the chorus, where the flex begins. Afterward, Harlow drops one verse that certainly does not lack confidence.  He references his hometown a couple of times, including the restaurant, Vincenzo’s, as well as the Louisville Cardinals basketball team.  Beyond those shoutouts, there are references to sex and money.  Sure, we’ve ‘been there, done that’ obviously, but he possesses confidence, personality, and swagger.   “WHATS POPPIN” peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified multiplatinum.

Appears in 🔻 

~ Table of Contents ~

6-7. Kim Petras, “Slut Pop” & “Slut Pop Reprise” 

Slut Pop (EP) // Amigo / Republic // 2022 + Slut Pop Miami // Amigo / Republic // 2024

Kim Petras, Slut Pop (EP) [📷: Amigo / Republic]“This is slut pop, whip your dick out / Turn your bitch out, out, out.” Woo! Well, it’s safe to say that “Slut Pop” sets the tone for Slut Pop, the 2022 EP by Grammy-winning pop artist, Kim Petras. Throughout the opener, Petras is fearless and unapologetic.  Clocking in at less than two minutes, that is enough time for Petras to get the sex started right.  Cheers to “Slut Pop” – I think.  Great, slick, modern production by Dr. Luke, by the way.   

 

Kim Petras, Slut Pop Miami [📷: Amigo / Republic]If one dose of pop sluttiness was not sufficient, Petras unleashes more on “Slut Pop Reprise.” “Slut Pop Reprise” commences Petras’ second sex-positive project, Slut Pop Miami released in 2024. Kim informs us, “These bitches can’t suck like me / Walk in, I’m the sucking queen.” Wow! Depth is not the modus operandi, evidenced by this oral sex lyric reprised from “Throat Goat” The reprisal of “Slut Pop” occurs in the verse, where, once again, Kim asserts, “This is slut pop, whip your dick out / Turn your bitch out, out, out.” The slut pop, hence, is slut popping  

 

~ Table of Contents ~

8. ScHoolboy Q, “Pop” (Ft. Rico Nasty) 

BLUE LIPS // Interscope / Top Dawg Entertainment // 2024

ScHoolboy Q, BLUE LIPS [📷: Interscope]“Ol’ fuckface, punk-rock bitch!” Woo! ScHoolboy Q commences “Pop” with a bang.  The second track from BLUE LIPS (2024) features unique production work.  This includes a beat-switch (post-intro) with an oddly satisfying groove. Making the instrumental POP are eight producers: Beat Butcha, Mario Luciano, Amaire Johnson, J.LBS, Kal Banx, Skhye Hutch, TaeBeast, and DJ Fu. After delivering the intro, Q drops the chorus with ample energy and repetition: “Pop, nigga, pop, nigga.” He follows up with the first verse which features unusual but potent flows and hard-nosed bars: “I’m snatching niggas wave caps off, gang tats off / Fuck yo set, hat get soaked, spilled that yolk / Figg Side, fuck that boy, we smoke that boy / Chase ‘em down, do that boy, we left that boy, uh.” Rico Nasty appears as a featured guest. She is a fabulous collaborator for ScHoolboy Q. Her aggressiveness in the second iteration of the chorus is EPIC. She follows up with a brief but potent, aggressive, and unapologetic verse: “I ain’t poppin’ my shit, I keep a spear / I’m fresh as a mint, I’m hard as cement.” Go off, Rico! “Pop” rocks hard 🤘 – for a rap song!  

 

~ Table of Contents ~

9. DJ Khaled, “POPSTAR” (Ft. Drake) 

KHALED KHALED // We The Best / Epic // 2021  

DJ Khaled, KHALED KHALED [📷: We The Best / Epic]“Popstar”, a highlight from KHALED KHALED, the 2021 album by Grammy winner DJ Khaled, is a banger by design. It’s a ‘by the book,’ bravado-heavy trap joint.  The production by Khaled, OZ, and David & Eli is sound but not game changing. Featured guest, Grammy winner Drake is locked-in into high flex mode, which is clear when the chorus drops right after the brief intro.      

“Bitches callin’ my phone like I’m locked up, nonstop  

From the plane to the fuckin’ helicopter, yeah  

Cops pullin’ up like I’m givin’ drugs out, nah, nah  

I’m a popstar, not a doctor.”   

This is one of the selling points of “Popstar,” even if it lacks profundity. Beyond the chorus, things don’t get any deeper as Drizzy spends time flexing about his tough, swagger-laden ‘pop star status’ which includes any girl he wants, anything he wants – etc., etc., etc.! Of course, Justin Bieber stars in the music video for the joint.   

Appears in 🔻 

~ Table of Contents ~

10. French Montana, “Pop That” (Ft. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne) 

Excuse My French // Bad Boy / Interscope // 2013  

French Montana, Excuse My French [📷: Bad Boy / Interscope]“Don’t stop, pop that, don’t stop / Pop that pop that pop that.” It is fitting that “Pop That” commences with an Uncle Luke sample. If there was any doubt regarding the subject matter of this French Montana gem, French and his compadres clarify throughout the record.  “Pop That,” which also contains additional samples, was produced by Lee on the Beats.  It appears on Montana’s 2013, platinum album, Excuse My French. 

“Work, work, work, work, work, work   

What you twerk with  

Throw it, bust it open  

Show me what you twerk with  

Ass so fat need a lap dance…”  

Pop That” is nasty, but electrifyingly so. Montana and his boys (Rick Ross, Drake, and Lil Wayne) rock out on this salacious anthem. Montana plays up both ‘molly’ and money (…We pop a molly, she buss it open / She seen the ‘gatti [Bugatti that is], that pussy soaking…”).  Rick Ross loves … Big booty bitches, my life a Godfather picture / Local club in my city, I fell in love with a stripper…” As for Drake, he goes ‘poetic’ in verse three (“One of my closest dawgs got three kids and they all three / But we always been the type of crew that been good without a plan B”). Tunechi (aka Lil Wayne) keeps it sexual to the nth degree (“Bitch! Stop talkin’ that shit / And suck a nigga dick for some Trukfit / Okay I fuck a bitch and I’m gone / That’s gangsta: Al Capone”).  “Pop That,” which peaked at no. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, exemplifies a booty-shaking, p-poppin’ anthem. The banger has been certified multi-platinum 

Appears in 🔻 

~ Table of Contents ~

11. *NSYNC, “Pop” 

Celebrity // Zomba Recording LLC // 2001  

*NSYNC, Celebrity [📷: Zomba Recording LLC]“Dirty POP!” Indeed, Justin Timberlake! “Pop” serves as the opening track from Celebrity, the 2001 studio album by boy band extraordinaire, *NSYNC. It commences Celebrity with a surefire bang.  From start to finish, “Pop” is ear-catching, featuring gimmicky music cues and colorful sounds. Notably, it samples “Smartbomb” by BT who produced it. Justin Timberlake and Wade Robson composed this pop song, which exhibited ample innovative spirit thanks to the variety of sounds and ideas utilized.  *NSYNC had bigger hits, but “Pop” earned them another top-20, reaching no. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 

Thematically, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and company asserted they’re more than the ‘pop life’ they are criticized for.  “Sick and tired of hearin’ all these people talk about / ‘What’s the deal with this pop life / And when is it gonna fade out?’ Timberlake sings in the first verse, adding, “That thing you got to realize what we’re doing is not a trend.” In the chorus, *NSYNC further touts their craft:   

“Do you ever wonder why  

This music gets you high?  

It takes you on a ride 

Feel it when your body starts to rock.”  

Chasez performs the second verse, keeping the same energy as his fellow hot, and talented bandmate (“Tired of feelin’ all around me animosity”). Ultimately, *NSYNC makes their point compellingly.  While the collective faded, Timberlake has endured well beyond the ‘fad.’ “Pop” shines thanks to infectious, playful lyrics, fun vocal ad-libs, lovely vocal harmonies, and a beatboxing Timberlake at the end. A bop, a bop, a B-O-P!  

Appears in 🔻:   

~ Table of Contents ~ // ~ intro ~

11 Engaging Songs That POP Off (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Alternate Side and Many Hats Distribution, Amigo, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Epic, Generation Now, Interscope, JYP Entertainment, Nice Girl World, Partisan, Republic, Slaughter Gang, LLC, Top Dawg Entertainment, We The Best, Zomba Recording LLC; bookdragon, Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay]