Poppin

"Poppin" is a song by KSI from his debut studio album, Dissimulation (2020). The song features guest appearances from American rappers Lil Pump and Smokepurpp. It was produced by Diego Ave, Go Grizzly and Mally Mall. The song was released for digital download and streaming by RBC Records and BMG on 27 March 2020 as the third single from the album. "Poppin" is a hyperactive hip hop track with elements of mumble rap and trap. The song's lyrics centre around flexing, mostly money and expensive jewellery.

"Poppin" received positive reviews from music critics, who commonly praised its bounciness and fast-paced flow. The song reached the singles charts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The music video was released on 3 April 2020. The video places the three rappers in a crowded underground club setting, filled with dancing. KSI hosted a competition called the "Poppin Challenge" that gave fans the chance to appear on a remix of the song on the deluxe edition of the album.

Writing and production
"Poppin" was co-produced by American record producers Diego Ave, Go Grizzly and Mally Mall. Smokepurpp wrote and recorded to the instrumental, but "left it because he didn't really know what he was doing with it". KSI was played the instrumental with Smokepurpp's vocals during a recording studio session with the song's producers in Los Angeles, United States. KSI thought it was "sick" and asked if he could "do something with [it]". KSI wrote and recorded both a chorus and a verse for "Poppin", which "Smokepurpp liked a lot". KSI and his music management decided to have an additional rapper feature on "Poppin" to "make it even bigger", resulting in the addition of a verse by Lil Pump. Explaining the decision to feature Lil Pump on "Poppin", KSI said that they "wanted something playful" and "it made sense to have him on the track".

Music and lyrics
"Poppin" is a hyperactive hip hop track with elements of mumble rap and trap. The song has a bouncy and bass-heavy instrumental. The chorus is performed by both KSI and Smokepurpp. Lil Pump raps the first verse, KSI raps the second verse and Smokepurpp raps the third verse. The song's lyrics centre around flexing, mostly money and expensive jewellery, with the three rappers making their expensive tastes the topic du jour. Speaking about "Poppin", KSI said, "We really just wanted to drop a bunch of cool flows on this [song]... and just have some fun with it." KSI admitted, "[It's] not a super serious song, but that doesn't mean it can't also be a banger."

In his verse, Lil Pump makes a topical reference to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Western African Ebola virus epidemic, with the lyrics, "Look at my wrist, Corona / My neck got Ebola". Speaking on Lil Pump's choice of lyrics, KSI recalled, "I just burst out laughing when I heard it. I was like, 'Of course Lil Pump did a corona line. Of course.'" KSI said, "[Lil Pump's lyrics] can be wild, but I don't think [that] anyone would find them offensive. I mean, it's Lil Pump. No one's going to be like, 'I can't believe he just said that!' Because it's Lil Pump, it's not really that deep."

Release and promotion
On 18 March 2020, KSI announced via Twitter that he would be releasing a new single in the next week. Shortly after, he posted the song's cover art to his social media pages, revealing that the song is titled "Poppin" and features Lil Pump and Smokepurpp, and the song was made available to pre-order on digital download services and pre-save on streaming services. The cover art depicts the three rappers as cartoon characters, dressed in green clothing and equipped with swords, in front of a blue background. "Poppin" was released for digital download and streaming by RBC Records and BMG on 27 March 2020 as the third single from KSI's upcoming debut studio album. An accompanying audio video was released to KSI's YouTube channel on the same day.

On 30 March 2020, KSI announced via social media that he would be hosting a competition called the "Poppin Challenge". He asked fans to record their own verse for "Poppin" and the best verse, decided by a public poll, would replace Lil Pump's verse on a remix of the song on the deluxe edition of the album. KSI reacted to competition entries in two reaction videos, released to YouTube on 4 April and 9 April 2020, respectively. KSI nominated his 13 favourite entries for the public poll, which received 854,435 votes. On 17 April 2020, KSI announced that American YouTuber and rapper Crypt was the winner of the competition with 235,096 votes. Explaining the decision to host the competition, KSI said, "The fans got me to the point [where] I'm at today. I thought [that the competition] was a good way to give back [to them]."

Critical reception
"Poppin" was met with positive reviews from music critics. In his review for HotNewHipHop, Mitch Findlay called the song "gaudy". He wrote that "Lil Pump sets things off on an energetic note". Findlay continued, "His flow is in fine form, outlandish in its disregard to etiquette yet all the better for it." Findlay praised KSI for "proving himself to be a capable emcee once more" and "boasting the most dexterous flow on the track". Commenting on the choice of featured artists, Finday wrote, "Though one might be tempted to cry out, 'liability', don't underestimate their crafty, albeit base, nature." Writing for Insider, Kat Tenbarge said that the song has "a relentless beat that could easily accompany a sweaty night at a college pre-game, a nightclub track list, or a viral TikTok dance". The staff of Grungecake called "Poppin" a "bouncy record" and noted that there are "stellar lyrical deliveries from all artists". GRM Daily's Courtney Wynter found that the song "carries a punchy vibe" as a result of the "sharp delivery" from the three artists and Jeremy Randrup of Inlander praised the song's "fast-paced flow and rhyme scheme". Kitty Empire of The Guardian acclaimed that "KSI just about holds his own against [the featured artists]". Writing for i, Nick Duerden remarked that "Poppin" is "a curiously convincing slice of Californian hip hop [for] someone [KSI] who was born and raised in Watford, [England]".

Music video
The music video for "Poppin" was directed by TajvsTaj. It was filmed in Los Angeles in March 2020. A trailer for the music video was released on 1 April 2020. The music video was released to KSI's YouTube channel on 3 April 2020. A behind-the-scenes video of the music video shoot was released to the channel one week later. The music video places KSI, Lil Pump and Smokepurpp in a crowded underground club setting, filled with dancing. Also in the club are Canadian-American actor and internet personality King Bach, record producers Mally Mall and Diego Ave, and Korean-American hip-hop dancer Bailey Sok. Sok's performance was praised by the staff of Grungecake, who called her dancing "incredible" and found that she "intensifies the performance for [the music video]".

Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, "Poppin" debuted at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, narrowly missing out on the top 40, and spent two weeks on the chart. The song also debuted at number 23 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart. On 10 July 2020, the Official Charts Company reported that "Poppin" was the 23rd best-selling song to not reach the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart of the first half of 2020. In Ireland, "Poppin" debuted at number 52 on the Irish Singles Chart, narrowly missing out on the top 50, and spent two weeks on the chart.

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.


 * KSI – songwriting, vocals
 * Lil Pump – songwriting, vocals
 * Smokepurpp – songwriting, vocals
 * Diego Ave – production, songwriting
 * Go Grizzly – production, songwriting
 * Mally Mall – production, songwriting
 * OG Tint – production
 * Michalis Michael – mixing
 * Henkka Niemistö – mastering