Rae Sremmurd Says They Wrote The Hook For Beyoncé’s “Formation”
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Rae Sremmurd graces the cover of the newest issue of FADER Magazine and opened up about ghostwriting rumors and truths.
The group comprised of real life siblings Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi get another good look this summer as the two of them display some brotherly love on the cover of FADER.
In the story that opens during their most recent appearance on The Tonight Show, the duo opens up about writing for other artists and rumors that they don’t write their own rhymes.
The biggest nugget comes when Swae Lee tells writer Naomi Zeichner about how he came up with the hook for Beyoncé’s “Formation” and how she “freaked” it.
Per FADER:
In the wake of that success, the guys moved to Los Angeles, toured America with Nicki Minaj, and played festivals around the world. They’ve gone on to make hits for others, too — Swae Lee wrote the hook of Beyoncé’s career-shifting 2016 single “Formation.”
By all accounts, Swae Lee’s contribution to “Formation” came together as most Rae Sremmurd songs have. The boys get a beat, and they record multiple freestyles over it. Later, often in collaboration with producers from the Eardrummers team, they’ll pick their freestyles apart and put the best of them back together, over high-definition beats.
“When I made that Beyoncé hook I was thinking nothing about it…I make a lot of songs, so I’m just thinking that this is another song. A couple months later, Mike tells me that Beyoncé wants it. I couldn’t imagine!”
Swae never worked on “Formation” with Beyoncé directly, but she invited him to hear the song when it had been finished.
“I come in the studio and she’s just like, a goddess or something. Just sitting there. This good aura. They played it for me and I’m like, It’s a new Beyoncé. She put her own twist on it. She has so much sauce on that song, it blew me away…She freaked it.”
Photo:Alexandra Gavillet/FADER
Rae Sremmurd also offered their thoughts on Hot 97’s Ebro Darden constant insistence that they do not write their own rhymes and do not deserve to be mention in the same breaths as Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole when it comes to “best of” lists for albums.
From the article:
For Swae Lee, Ebro’s allegation about his writing seems more confusing than it was hurtful. “It’s such a false statement,” he says now. “Where’d it come from? You pulled it out your ass. If you want to know who wrote my shit, go to my album credits.” Migo attributes the misunderstanding to age difference. “Ebro’s from a whole other generation, which is cool. He probably grew up on Ice Cube,” he says. “Rae Sremmurd make music that’s familiar to them, music they like to make. I think that most of the culture now leans toward that music too.” Mike WiLL’s response is more succinct: “I don’t think Ebro understands what good is.”
Rae Sremmurd also go on to talk about how they wound up in Tupelo, Mississippi and they also share details about their new album SremmLife 2 that is set to be released this July. You can read the entire story when it hits newsstands on July 12.
