American singers Solana ‘SZA’ Rowe and Amala ‘Doja Cat’ Dlamini are a conjugate pair whenever they break half of their souls to make one solid unit of music. Where SZA’s songwriting is predicated on grave lyricism and experience-acquired wisdom, Doja’s musicianship stands on the opposite side, cheerful, funky, and light-hearted. In their Grammy-winning collaboration ‘Kiss Me More’, Doja tempers SZA’s old soul, infusing a youthfulness in her that positions both on the same level of playfulness and innocent romanticism.
On their latest collaboration, a remix of SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ from S.O.S., the two musos feed off one another no different from their last partnership. However, the major inflexion of ‘Kill Bill (Remix)’ comes as a result of SZA being the anchor this time around. With Doja assimilated into SZA’s matrix and with the original ‘Kill Bill’ serving as the lyrical blueprint, SZA extracts a gory and dark side out of her partner in crime (quite figuratively and literally). They both share grotesque imagery of homicide cases at their hands. Rapping and singing their feelings on top of ominous sirens and drawn-out bass guitar strings, ‘Kill Bill (Remix)’ is a hybrid of progressive R&B, featuring elements of hip-hop and pop.
In the first verse, Dlamini assumes the role of the scorned lover green with a covetous spirit. Throughout the verse, the ‘Say So’ singer wraps her verse with a half-raspy voice, touching displaying jealousy (“I’m in a funk, so I bought a bouquet of roses / And cut em up at your doorstep, your new neighbour gorgeous”), bitterness (“I paid a lot of money for the fragrances you wore when we were dating”), and self-betrayal (“I couldn’t help but watch you kiss her by the kitchen sink”). Her meaty verse culminates with her blacking out in rage, pulling out a gun, and inadvertently shooting the girl while trying to murder her ex-boyfriend.
SZA reinforces the dark twist of Doja’s verse with her chorus. “I might kill my ex, I still love him, though / Rather be in jail than alone,” she sings, highlighting the aftermath of the hurt and the inability to move on.
Rowe carries over the vengeful sentiments of her chorus to her verse. Unlike her counterpart, the TDE star isn’t as graphic with the imagery. Her verse is abstract, focusing more on the present feelings. “I get the sense that it’s a lost cause / I get the sense that you might really love her,” she says, admitting defeat in resentment just as Doja did.
Even though she mirrors Doja, the twist isn’t over in the ending, with her singing: “Now you layin’ face-down, got me saying over a beat.”
‘Kill Bill (Remix)’ is a glorious rendition of a rather unholy act, seeing both musicians complement each other as well as they did on ‘Kiss Me More’. Whether or not it’s as realised as their previous work together, is open for interpretation. However, the remix is a record of two artists who not only understand each other’s strengths but also have a firm grasp of how to exploit them.
Listen to ‘Kill Bill (Remix)’:
