“Rather be me than regret it.” – Lil Tecca on “Nada”
Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe otherwise known as Lil Tecca, is a 22 year old American rapper and singer-songwriter from Queens, New York. He rose to the mainstream with his highly popular single “Ransom” which still holds relevance to this day. He has released multiple platinum-certified singles, and won the MTV Video Music Award for the “Song Of Summer” in 2019.
Tecca holds a solid discography of four studio albums, 32 singles, and two mixtapes. All of which total an average of 28.3 million monthly listeners and 10 billion streams on Spotify. Lil Tecca has become a fan favorite due to his unique blend of melodic flows and catchy hooks, with a recognizable signature style that keeps things fresh while still familiar to the listener.
On March 14th of this year, Tecca released ‘Dark Thoughts’ with Republic Records. The song makes an appearance as the lead single of his upcoming fifth studio album “Dopamine”. The single features an upbeat and bouncy melody reminiscent in style of Pharell Williams’ work with the Neptunes, drawing some comparisons to songs such as ‘Frontin’ and ‘Beautiful’. Naturally, the song’s vibe would be similar to Pharell Williams’ ‘Frontin’ due to the sampling of the song, present in the four count opening beat of ‘Dark Thoughts’. The song is built on a vibrant and bouncy instrumental produced by Lucas Schraff and Folie’s. It blends twinkling piano keys with bright loops, creating a nostalgic but contemporary soundscape.
Beyond it’s cheerful and bouncy melody, the song is more introspective than other songs, capturing the complexities of a relationship that has both individuals fighting an internal darkness. It covers themes such as vulnerability and emotional support. In some lyrics, Tecca goes as far to talk about being willing to bear the weight of another’s negativity, and a desire to be present for someone who might be struggling. Whether or not it’s a stylistic choice, the unique blend of meaning and signature style works. The contrast of an upbeat melody with somber lyrical content builds a compelling mix, drawing listeners into a sound that is both refreshing and amicable.
Critics have lauded “Dark Thoughts” as a standout track in Tecca’s discography. Devin Morton of HotNewHipHop described it as potentially one of “the best tracks of his career,” praising the “infectious” chorus as well as Tecca’s artistic growth as a “more capable” songmaker. Michael Saponara at Billboard saw the song as an example of Tecca “getting in his pop bag” as he delivers a “soundtrack to a night out on the rooftop bars” and ups “his artistry to new heights” in the process. Commercially, the song has made a significant impact, charting in multiple countries such as New Zealand, Iceland, and Latvia. It has also landed an adequate ranking on the Australian ARIA Singles chart. These charts are a testament to the susceptibility and impact that Tecca leaves on an international scale.
The song is definitely a neat addition to the discography, and certainly has earned itself a spot as one of my favorite songs from Tecca. It’s a song I could definitely find myself listening to often, just as long as it doesn’t end up like “500lbs”. Not to throw shade towards the song, but the consistent broadcasting of the track did not do it any justice. “Dark Thoughts” has solid replayability, but just like “500lbs” it will be ruined for me if I begin to hear it everywhere. Personally, the lyrics that stood out the most in “Dark Thoughts” was “And I ain’t tryna add no pressure for you, I know that they all doin’ extra. She got dark thoughts, let me hear some, yeah, Baby, I’ll be messed up for you.” Tecca had a nice flow in this segment, and the word choice captured his essence perfectly.
In my opinion, “Dark Thoughts” had a similar vibe to a song called “ 1400/999 Freestyle” by Trippie Redd featuring Juice Wrld. Both tracks have some things in common such as themes involving relationships and an elastic type beat that is very apparent in both songs. Also, this might be an extreme take, but the beat present in “Dark Thoughts” reminded me a little of “Pink Dreads” by DDG. If you enjoyed “Dark Thoughts” by Lil Tecca but wanted to dial things down a bit with a calmer approach to this type of song, I recommend “Out of Love” by Lil Tecca. It covers a similar concept of relationships, but this time it’s centered around a broken relationship. The lyrics that stuck with me the most from it was “It’s my love, it’s your love, It’s our love, and I be thinking the world is out of love.” It’s an excellent listen if you like Tecca, but maybe not “Dark Thoughts” so much.
