Fivio Foreign’s long-awaited debut album B.I.B.L.E is finally set to arrive on March 25, and the Brooklyn drill star revealed it will be executive produced by Kanye West.
Fivio and Kanye last connected on Donda standout (and Complex’s Best Song of 2021 pick) “Off the Grid” last year, which featured one of the best rap verses of the year from Fivio. The follow-up “City of Gods” arrived with much anticipation, after being previewed at private parties. Fivio even teased it would include the “the feature of the year” from Kanye.
The song also features vocals from Alicia Keys and production from Kanye West, Tweek Tune, Hermz, Mav Beats, AyoAA, Oji Volta, and The Chainsmokers.
Did it live up to the hype? How does it compare to “Off the Grid”? Members of the Complex Music team—Eric Skelton, Jessica McKinney, and Andre Gee—came together to share our first-listen thoughts, which you can read below.
Eric: “Oh, they took ‘Off the Grid’ and combined it with ‘Empire State of Mind.’”
Andre: I was reminded of Jim Jones’ “NYC,” where The Heatmakerz used the same Chainsmokers sample.
Jessica: Fivio continued his streak of great verses, Alicia Keys sounds great over a drill beat, and a Fivo album executive produced by Kanye has the potential to reignite the spark of Brooklyn drill.
Eric: I’m always rooting for New York drill artists to get mainstream looks, so it’s great to see Fivio’s relationship with Kanye carry on after “Off the Grid.” I remember talking to AXL Beats (an architect of the Brooklyn drill sound) back in 2019, and he was so excited about the idea of hearing mainstream artists rap over drill beats. So it’s very cool to see Fivio carry the Brooklyn drill torch, and do it in a big way like this.
Andre: Kanye’s verse, simply because he sounds engaged and like he’s passionate about making music. For a couple of years, he didn’t, and it’s seeming like the recharge that fueled Donda wasn’t a fluke. One of the nuggets I wish he would’ve expanded on during the Drink Champs interview is his motivation to prove today that he’s a sonic forefather of this generation. Someone needs to ask him about that, because it feels like he’s intent on showing he still has it.
Jessica: I think it’s great that Fivio is still staying true to the sound that made him a star. He has consistently incorporated the drill sound into his newer music, but it sounds like an updated version. Kanye is also in his bag in regards to rapping. I’m not sure if it’s just where Kanye is musically right now, or if Fivio has been bringing out the best in Ye, but his bars were sharp and coherent.
Eric: “I’mma turn your life into a meme and let Justin LaBoy post it” (and the Pete Davidson subliminal). I’m here for some stupid-but-catchy Kanye bars, but these are too much. Even for me. I don’t think the hook matched the rest of the song very well, either.
Andre: This song reminds me of two other tracks: “Run This Town” in terms of the title, the post-apocalyptic fashion the trio is wearing in pictures, the overall theme, and the overt pop play of it all, which leads me to the “Don’t Like” remix. A lot of people like what Kanye did with “Don’t LIke,” but others feel like he overproduced what was a barebones track and turned it into something that lost its original appeal.
I don’t feel like “City of Gods” is over-produced, but the glitzy synth (probably in tandem with the hook) made it feel like American Eagle drill, honestly. Just too glossy. That may be what they’re going for, but I’m not used to this. You don’t have to make drill an extravaganza. Let the masses come to it instead of the other way around.
Also, I guess I’ll use the Kim K reference as my only input on this situation: Y’all, please don’t play this divorce out in public. This isn’t anyone else’s business.
Jessica: Nothing so far.
Eric: Fivio. He doesn’t bare his soul quite like he did on “Off the Grid,” but he’s talking his shit on here, and I’ve been waiting for him to really come for the King of New York crown like this. He’s sounding motivated and confident, which is a good sign for the rest of the album. Kanye’s verse had its moments, but there were too many clunker lines (as referenced above) and his flow wasn’t nearly as tight as it was on “Off the Grid.”
Andre: Kanye did. He definitely channeled Fivio on “Off The Grid” by putting up a mirror up to his life at the moment.
Jessica: Fivio has a great verse, but Kanye stole the show. Since Donda, he’s been on a roll. On this one, he lays down a nearly two-minute verse full of metaphors and early-career references. It almost feels like we have the “Old Kanye” back.
Eric: We ranked “Off the Grid” as the best song of 2021, so there was a very low chance “City of Gods” was going to live up to it—and it doesn’t. Trying to inject the glossy “Empire State of Mind” energy into the gritty feel of “Off the Grid” is awkward; Fivio’s verse was good but not as transcendent as last time; and Kanye wasn’t nearly as sharp as he needed to be in order to live up to Fivio’s “feature of the year” tweet.
Andre: I don’t know how to quantify hype for that particular song up against Donda as a whole, but in short, I didn’t like this as much as “Off the Grid,” so I guess not.
Jessica: “Off the Grid” is a better song between the two, but “City of Gods” is a commendable second collaboration. I think the two songs actually complement each other: “Off the Grid” is the charged-up, club track, while “City of Gods” feels like a late-night cruising record.
Eric: I’m happy for Fivio, and I’m excited for this next album—I think he’s picked up a lot of new tricks since he first popped back in 2019—but this song was a little disappointing, for all the reasons I mentioned above. It sounds a little more rushed than I’d expect from a lead single like this (judging by the timeliness of Kanye’s bars, at least, it sounds like it was finished very recently).
Andre: For some reason, to me, Kanye’s proximity to Fivio (and his announcement that he’d executive produce Fivio’s debut) feels like him atoning for his negligence of Desiigner. The “Panda” MC, similar to Fivio, had that fun, raw appeal that spoke for the Brooklyn streets, but it didn’t seem to take off for him after signing with GOOD. I think Kanye was in a spot back then where music wasn’t his priority, but now it clearly is. Hopefully that bodes well for Fivio to release a strong project.
Overall, it’s a bit of an oblong song. It seems like they’re going for an ode to New York? But I don’t know how Alicia Keys singing reverently about New York City next to Fivio rhyming “If I see ‘em in person, we Fox 5 ‘em” next to a Chicago native rapping about his life all fits in within that.
Jessica: I think “City of Gods” is another win for Fivio and Kanye. They both had impressive verses, and Alicia Keys’ vocals on the chorus as she sings about New York City is *chef’s kiss*. Kanye and Fivio make an interesting team, and I’m excited to see what else they can cook up for B.I.B.L.E.
