Anderson .Paak & Cordae, A Good Day | Song Review

Hip-hop standouts Anderson .Paak and Cordae make a dynamic duo on the short but utterly sweet, vibe-filled single, “A Good Day.”

[nx_pullquote]“Pulled out my dick, she on Ozempic, so she can’t eat (Nope) / She bumpin’ Kendrick, so I hit it in the back seat (Woah).”[/nx_pullquote] Speechless! So… What happens when Anderson .Paak (Brandon Paak Anderson) and Cordae (Cordae Amari Dunston) collaborate? Sheer fire! The dynamic duo unveiled “A Good Day,” the lead single from their joint album, Heavy Is The Crown (arriving October 23, 2026).  There are lots of ‘cooks in the kitchen’ on “A Good Day.” Why? The Hollywood Cole-produced single features four samples: “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers; “It’s Like That” by Mariah Carey featuring Fatman Scoop and Jermaine Dupri; “Life Is Like a Dice Game” by Nas; and “It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube.

“A Good Day” is not just good; it’s GREAT from the get-go. A kick-ass soulful groove and sunny sound set the tone. The sped-up Bill Withers interpolation/sample is potent! That bass line pops! Anderson .Paak draws first blood in the first verse, rapping the first four bars: “Just wakin’ up in the mornin’, gotta thank God (Yes Lord) / Think I might take the yacht out to Cape Cod…” Cordae follows up with the next four bars: “She from Oakland, so I flew her ass to Van Nuys (Yes) / Andy, let me hold a condom, nigga, we ain’t the same size”. Paak retakes the reins for the final bar, adds four more, and then drops the chorus:

“I wake up in the mornin’ thinkin’ what we gon’ do today?

‘Cause this shit don’t feel the same, it just don’t feel the same

Oh, I wake up in the mornin’ thinkin’ how we gon’ ease the pain

‘Cause all they gon’ do is hate, but they can’t get in the way (A lovely day).”

The backend of the chorus blends the famed “Lovely Day” chorus with Fat Man Scoop’s (R.I.P.) hype man approach from Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That” (“Let’s go now (What?), let’s go now (What? A lovely day)”). Cordae draws first blood in the second verse – four bars, like the previous verse. Paak follows with four more, before Cordae returns with two more. Paak completes the final two bars of the second verse, before delivering that unforgettable chorus once again.  Ultimately, “A Good Day” is a short but utterly sweet, vibe-filled song.  To reiterate, Anderson .Paak and Cordae make a dynamic duo.  They’re formidable!