Internet Money's "His & Hers" is a Giant Lemon
Putting Don Toliver on a song doesn't make it good
Last year’s chart-topping “Lemonade” was the perfect summer hit: an exquisite guitar beat, melodic hook from Don Toliver, and gold-tinted music video put out by Lyrical Lemonade. Reminiscent of Travis Scott’s “Yosemite”, the track even featured (surprisingly) flowy verses from Gunna and Nav—or alternatively, Roddy Rich. It was a breakout moment for Internet Money, the producer collective responsible for forging the collaboration that would prove to be a favorite for hip hop listeners through next year.
Seemingly determined to replicate the feat, Internet Money dropped “His & Hers” last week, following a familiar script: bouncy guitar ✔, Don chorus ✔, summery MV ✔. For some variation, Nav has been swapped out with Lil Uzi Vert (the label seems to have doubted Nav could muster a passable feature twice in a row—a good bet for sure). The result is a song that sounds unmistakably like a “Lemonade” knockoff.
To be clear, “His & Hers” is catchy. Despite my best efforts, I’ve found myself humming the melody on more than one occasion (I’m sure writing this review isn’t helping matters), and the single will no doubt find itself on many listeners’ playlists this summer, as it was engineered to. But between the predictable flow, lazy transitions, and irritating songwriting (ribs..?), it’s hard not to wonder why some of the top players in rap settled for so little. No one can take back the 3:44 spent on their first listen, but surely one can hold back on further streams, or else risk being sold the same derivative formula by Internet Money every summer like clockwork.
After all, who asks for a glass of watered-down lemonade?