3 steves collab on thundercat’s “black qualls”

We know him and love him for being weird, irreverent, and extremely talented, and now, Thundercat is back. With his new album, It Is What It Is, dropping on Brainfeeder Records on April 3, the man born Stephen Bruner preps us for the vibes with a funky new single featuring the Internet’s Steve Lacy and legendary vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Steve Arrington (Slave, Steve Arrington’s Hall of Fame).

The three Steves serve up a jam about being Black men in America parsing the meaning of personal success, humility, and insecurity. In his verses, Thundercat talks about moving out of the hood to “a crib on top of the hill,” buying a new car, and feeling paranoid about his gains right before the refrain “No more living in fear” comes in as a reminder that the blessings bestowed upon us are ours to enjoy no matter what people think. Arrington chimes in with the reassuring “I’m doing what I like, I don’t need your co-sign” and “Don’t trip on my aggression, baby/ I can go in many directions, baby/ I’m just trying to live my life.”

Listen to “Black Qualls (Single version)” below:

It Is What It Is
1. Lost In Space / Great Scott / 22-26
2. Innerstellar Love
3. I Love Louis Cole (feat. Louis Cole)
4. Black Qualls (feat. Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, & Childish Gambino)
5. Miguel’s Happy Dance
6. How Sway
7. Funny Thing
8. Overseas (feat. Zack Fox)
9. Dragonball Durag
10. How I Feel
11. King Of The Hill
12. Unrequited Love
13. Fair Chance (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Lil B)
14. Existential Dread
15. It Is What It Is