By Kayla Dungee
Ty Dolla $ign, dvsn, and 70s soul band Continental IV never belonged in the same era, much less the same sentence; but it’s 2021 and like we all know, weirder things have happened. And sometimes that weirdness makes you unhealthily replay the same song until you swear it annoys you (until you hit play again). At least, that’s the case with “I Believed It,” the latest drop from Ty Dolla $ign and dvsn featuring Mac Miller. It’s an anthem of toxicity that’s intoxicating itself.
After Ty Dolla $ign formally endorsed Kanye West for president, it likely left many of his fans with more questions than answers about his rationale. But after he leads the opening verse of the single that’s part of his upcoming joint album with Canadian R&B duo, dvsn, it’s clear that like a potential West presidency, Ty Dolla $ign thrives when there’s a little chaos in the mix.
“Bitch you lied to my face and I believed it,” Ty Dolla $ign confidently rap-sings only 12 seconds into the song. You naturally expect four minutes of a scathing rant against an ex, but addressing his fault in the breakup is a surprising twist following the chorus. “You always said these men ain’t loyal/But I never thought that I’d be one.” Those lyrics are backed by groovy background instrumentals that evoke deja vu with good reason. The triplet of artists sampled Continental IV’s 1972 single, “(You’re Living in a) Dream World.”
The 70s soul quartet took a different approach to managing heartache. “There is one thing that’s for certain/We've reached that final curtain/So goodbye, oh, I want to cry,” weeps the group in their signature falsetto. Sure, that cut it back in the day, but there’s a new generation around, and they want to hear a balance between raw heartache, self-reflection, and moving on from your ex, which the track achieves.
Ty alone could’ve carried the entire song, but Daniel Daley of dvsn swoops in and croons out a rousing second verse. “You say to put some respect on your name/You ask, but don’t deserve to be claimed.” It’s hard not to savor every melody that Daley croons, but most hypnotic is the octaves that Daley jumps between in under a minute. What’s most wholesome of this blame game is its closing by rapper, Mac Miller. In what have been a number of posthumous works that have been released since his 2018 death, this quirky verse isn’t even close to the peak of his discography, which explored deeply personal themes of substance abuse and mental health. Still, his distinctive voice alone evokes a smile.
“I Believed It” might’ve been an inward expression of the universal feelings that come from a breakup in the 70s, but fast forward to present day and nothing about this generation is meek or timid (Have you ever seen the social media of a millennial or Gen Zer?) Laying it all out on the table is what today’s younger crowd does best, and this song is a reflection of that. Old schoolers, just admit that times have changed, and that the song did Continental IV justice.
Listen to the new single and full album by clicking below.
