Lil Tecca might got him one. His new single, “Dark Thoughts,” is part of the wave of songs I predicted a couple of years ago that would take over contemporary hip-hop. It, and songs like it, harnesses mid-2000s sonic aesthetics — mainly from the oeuvre of The Neptunes, a la “Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg — and pairs them with modern, sing-song deliveries and ad-libs for a style that’s fun, bouncy, and sets certain rappers apart from the druggy, street rap wave that we’ve seen crest in recent years.
Tecca, who we last heard from in 2023 with the very contemporary Tec, sounds like the future on “Dark Thoughts” (which, when you think about what the ‘Tunes were doing back then, is kind of impressive). Although the title might bring to mind the sort of depressive emo or dissociative rage that has been making millennials shake their heads and tut-tut “the kids” since Rolling Loud this year, instead, it refers to what online communities have been calling “intrusive thoughts.”
In this case, the thoughts come from a female companion who’s sparked Tecca’s interest. The catch is, she’s got a man. “Deep Thoughts” is Tecca flexing on said man, warning his romantic rival of his girlfriend’s bad intentions (and Tecca’s). “Know my bitch so bad, you spend your cash on a bitch you never had.” he brags.
Meanwhile, the song sees Tecca growing into a different kind of artist, and making something that can bridge that pesky generational gap.
Watch Lil Tecca’s “Dark Thoughts” video above.
