Kamaiyah enjoyed a prolific 2022, capped off in December with her seven-track Keep It Lit EP. The Oakland rapper dropped “Champagne Tears” today, January 27, to maintain momentum.
“I’m focusing on dropping more consistently and not looking at that numbers,” Kamaiyah tweeted ahead of the song’s arrival. “This the first time I’ve been able to just have fun and put out cool sh*t that I actually f*ck wit.”
And she definitely seems at ease through “Champagne Tears” — effortlessly packing several strong messages into just over two minutes of run time. “The money ain’t a thing / I’m sippin’ champagne through the pain,” Kamaiyah raps over a hypnotic, laid back beat. “No, the tears won’t fall down my eyes.”
Elsewhere in the song, Kamaiyah addresses enduring various forms of loss, including leaving her previous label, but her confidence is far from lacking: “I remain ’cause I still got sauce, b*tch / Want me to fall, but I won’t though / Rapper turned mogul / About to take this sh*t and go global / Got the rap game in a chokehold.”
In 2020, Kamaiyah addressed her departure from YG’s 4Hunnid Records and wished to received an apology from YG.
“It’s just like, I’m not gon’ flourish here,” she said, in part. “If I stay here, I’m not gon’ ever be what I’m supposed to be and reach my maximum. This ain’t a fit for me. It ain’t what I envisioned myself being.”
She seems to be flourishing now.
Listen to “Champagne Tears” above.
