Back in December, TIME chose Lizzo as an artist to watch in 2014 — and the hard-working rapper is proving us right.
Not only has she been criss-crossing the United States on a seemingly nonstop tour, but she’s just signed to Virgin/EMI internationally to help distribute her impressive skills to the world.
Lizzo’s ferocious debut Lizzobangers has already produced two rambunctious singles, and today, TIME premieres the third: “Luv It.” The song is a rager, filled with her breezy rap, tough talk and dance-friendly electronic beats that show off her skills as a rapper and lyricist.
While Lizzo is closely associated with Minneapolis’ defiantly independent and boisterous hip-hop scene, her new track is an ode to her hometown of Houston. “‘Luv it’ is an open book to my experience as a Houstonian,” Lizzo tells TIME. “I wrote it to pay homage to my earliest rap memories of free styling in the cafeteria, banging on desks. The second verse is truly telling of that — Ryan accepted my first take (which is partial freestyle) and used it in the final master. It’s a raw depiction of my rap DNA.”
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