"War" is a song by American rapper

Pop Smoke Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party (P ...

featuring American rapper

Lil Tjay Tione Jayden Merritt (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay ( ), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his 2017 single "Resume", and signed with Columbi ...

. Written alongside producers

808Melo Andre Michael Loblack (born 6 April 1997), known professionally as 808Melo or 808MeloBeats, is an English record producer and songwriter. 808Melo is credited as a pioneer of UK drill and Brooklyn drill and is known for his bass heavy percussio ...

and Swirv, It was released by

Victor Victor Worldwide Steven William Victor (born September 6, 1980) is an American record executive, talent manager, music publisher, and Artists and repertoire, A&R representative. He founded the record label Victor Victor Worldwide in 2016. The year prior, he was ...

and

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

as a standalone

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on October 4, 2019. The song was later included as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

on Pop Smoke's second

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, ''

Meet the Woo 2 ''Meet the Woo 2'' (alternatively titled ''Meet the Woo, Vol. 2'') is the second mixtape by American rapper Pop Smoke. Released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records on February 7, 2020, it is the second installment in th ...

'' (2020). A

drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a drill bit for making holes, or a screwdriver bit for securing fasteners. Historically, they were powered by hand, and later mains power, but cordless b ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

track, "War" sees Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay rap about intimidating people in the streets of New York. The song received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, with a number of them praising the lyrics. It peaked at number 100 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

. A

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was released on October 28, 2019, and was directed by JLShotThat. It features Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay rapping in a big mansion, riding on street bikes, performing live, and interrupting a show.

Background and composition

The song was written by Pop Smoke, known as Bashar Jackson, alongside Lil Tjay, known as Tione Merritt, Ellis Newton, known as Swirv, and

, known as Andre Loblack. 808Melo handled the song's production and

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

. Colin Leonard

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

the song, while Fabian Marasciullo handled mixing alongside Thomas McLaren, who was credited as an assistant mixer. "War" was released as a standalone

and

on October 4, 2019. It was later added as a

on Pop Smoke's second

'' on February 7, 2020. Musically, "War" is a

and

song. Writing for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine, Michael Saponara stated that the song has Pop Smoke rap with "croaky rhymes", that are mixed with Lil Tjay's "high-pitched croon". He continued, saying Pop Smoke "stays intimidating to his detractors by calmly saying one call can have them disposed of". Naimah Archibald-Powell of

GRM Daily GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily), formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and Br ...

commented that the song "houses Pop Smoke's unique ad-libs, a catchy

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

and assertive bars". Kemet High of '' XXL'' magazine stated that "on the sub side of the beat, Lil Tjay uses his voice to coat the foundation with an intoxicating hum. And on the surface, the timing of his bars is supreme and broken just enough to allow himself to come up for air before he dives back in".

Reception

"War" has been met with mainly positive reviews from

. Writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine, Emily Tan called the song a "stream-worthy single". The staff of ''XXL'' magazine described the song as "ominous". Aron A. of ''HotNewHipHop'' stated that "Pop Smoke's deep, raspy voice contrasts Lil Tjay's more honeyed melodies", and said it "keeps things exciting throughout the track". Saponara praised the song, saying Pop Smoke "stays war-ready", while opining that his chemistry with Lil Tjay "makes for an explosive combination". Dhruva Balram of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' said that "Pop moke'scroak perfectly complements Lil Tjay's rapid-fire rhymes, making for a frenzied combination". Shamira Ibrahim of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' opined Lil Tjay's "trajectory has been nothing short or an astronomical climb" because of the song. After Pop Smoke was murdered at the age of 20, "War" debuted at number 100 on the

for the issue dated March 6, 2020, and lasted one week on the chart.

Music video

for "War" was released on October 28, 2019, and was directed by JLShotThat. The visual was shot in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

, with it featuring Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay rapping their verses in a huge mansion, as scenes switch between them on street bikes, performing live, and shutting down a show. Torsten Ingvaldsen of ''Hypebeast'' mentioned the visual is "lightly edited", and commented that its "only hint of color are the various flame details that mark transitions throughout". Archibald-Powell opined that the video is "sweet and simple".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * Bashar Jackson vocals, songwriter *

Tione Merritt Tione Jayden Merritt ( IPA: ) (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay ( ), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his 2017 single "Resume", and signed with Columbia Records following the success ...

vocals, songwriter * Andre Loblack producer, songwriter, programming *Ellis Newton songwriter *Colin Leonard mastering engineer *Fabian Marasciullo mixing engineer *Thomas McLaren assistant mixing engineer

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Lil Tjay 2019 singles Pop Smoke songs Lil Tjay songs