"Ay!" (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is a song by American rappers

Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomp ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

. It was released on March 4, 2022 as the third single from the former's sixth studio album ''

Mainstream Sellout ''Mainstream Sellout'' is the sixth studio album by American musician Machine Gun Kelly, released on March 25, 2022, through Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. It is his second collaborative project with drummer and producer Travis Barke ...

'' (2022). The song was produced by

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...

, BazeXX, and SlimXX.

Background

In February 2022, Machine Gun Kelly performed a snippet of the song at

The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28am ...

, in a medley of "Ay!", then-unreleased track "

Maybe Maybe may refer to: Music Albums * ''Maybe'' (Sharon O'Neill album), 1981 * ''Maybe'', a 1970 album by The Three Degrees Songs * "Maybe" (Allan Flynn and Frank Madden song), 1935 * "Maybe" (Brainstorm song), 2001 * "Maybe" (Carmada song), 20 ...

" and " Emo Girl". The song has been considered similar to a return to the hip hop genre for Machine Gun Kelly, although he continues his transition to the

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

genre.

Composition

"Ay!" is an

emo rap Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals com ...

song that blends elements of pop punk and

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

, featuring "brooding but dreamy guitar loop with crisp hip-hop production". Machine Gun Kelly sings about sadness affecting his life, including "his preference for sad playlists, skipping meetings, and sleeping until 7 p.m."; he mentions cutting his hair and compares it to

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

shaving her hair off in 2007 during her breakdown. Lil Wayne's verse has a reference to the band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

said "the watery emo-trap track "Ay!" doesn't commit fully enough to any of its stylistic directions, giving Lil Wayne little to work with as he turns in a distracted, Auto-Tune-doused verse." In a review of ''Mainstream Sellout'', ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

'' called the song, along with "Drug Dealer", "among its most forgettable" tracks.

Music video

The music video was released alongside the single. It was filmed in Machine Gun Kelly's home from an iPhone, on the night before it was released. It finds Kelly and four friends in a dressing room changing into different flashy outfits. Lil Wayne does not physically appear, but a paper cutout of a drawn Wayne performs in the video.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Lil Wayne singles 2022 singles 2022 songs Machine Gun Kelly (musician) songs Lil Wayne songs Bad Boy Records singles Interscope Records singles Song recordings produced by Travis Barker Songs written by Machine Gun Kelly (musician) Songs written by Travis Barker Songs written by Gregory Hein Emo rap songs Trap music songs