On "Smoking on my Ex Pack," the belligerent rap moment from SZA's new album, SOS, the singer-songwriter channels lethal bars into a perfect anti-ex anthem. Absent any pining or angst, her rapping is matter of fact, leaving no room for questions, letting you know up top she's that girl. Produced by Vine star turned beat maker Jay Versace, the song's chipmunk soul loop unwinds as SZA talks the kind of talk that might make her TDE labelmates clutch their mics a bit tighter. In 90 seconds, she flexes effortlessly on the dudes falling over themselves in her DMs — she blocked your favorite rapper (she heard "the d*** was wack") and she won't text anyone's favorite athlete back either (no exceptions). She adopts the same detached player persona often deployed by the men in rap, only she's performing from a place of self-preservation: "Them 'ho' accusations weak / Them 'bitch' accusations true / You hatin' from nosebleeds, I wish you well," she raps, finding peace in her continued success. Cocky looks great on her.
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