Label mates turned feature buddies, Alemeda and Doechii’s new pop-punk single “Beat A B!tch Up” is the adrenaline rush we didn't know we needed. Dropping as the third single on Alemeda's upcoming EP, But What The Hell Do I Know (out Nov. 7), this song proves that adding Doechii's lyrical power and playfulness to the track is always a smart move. Alemeda said it herself in an interview with Billboard, "Doechii gave me hella notes to enhance the song, and she took it to the next level. I sent the song to her right away because I knew I wanted a female rapper on it.”
Reminiscent of the pop-rap collaboration with JENNIE and Doechii on "ExtraL" earlier this year, this song is another upbeat playlist replay that sits comfortably in both artists’ discographies. Whether it can stand alone as a chart-topping hit is still up for debate. But listeners are always eager for a scream-friendly, girl-power rock anthem (think Shakira and Rihanna’s “Can’t Remember to Forget You"). Lucky for us, Alemeda is signaling that there’s much more to come.
The Ethiopian-Sudanese artist has been quietly reshaping the sound of alt-pop with her genre-fluid approach for the past few years. Her independently released debut single, “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows,” a drum-and-bass-tinged breakout that took off on TikTok in 2021, showcased her penchant for experimentation early on. After signing to Top Dawg Entertainment, she released her debut EP FK IT, a project that resisted easy categorization, landing somewhere between dream pop, R&B, and left-of-center indie. This new record leans harder into rock and punk influences, signaling the direction of her evolving sound.
“Beat A B!tch Up” is driven by a pulsating 151 BPM pulse in D♭ major that propels the music forward while keeping time with a paired sing-song-y pop-punk melody. Sonically, it's built on a hypnotic pre-chorus that does the heavy lifting, successfully lighting up that part of the brain wired for vocal symmetry. It's the kind of melody that plays hockey in your brain long after the track ends, cycling relentlessly on repeat whether you're at the gym, in the car, or folding laundry.
'Cause I thought that you were serious (Serious)
Yeah, I thought that you was telling the truth (Telling the truth)
Oh, I must be delirious (Delirious)
'Cause I really would fight bitches for you
The chorus is fun and nostalgic of mid-2000s pop-punk — a sound many people are hoping more artists revive — but the echoing background vocals have been criticized by some online music purists as being over-produced. The lyrics showcase a light-hearted but aggressive narrative about getting physical with another woman who might be after her man, but it comes across playful, paired with Doechii's child-like vocal intonations on the rap bar in verse two. Not to mention the artist literally rocking out in a makeshift boxing ring in the music video that is lit with exploding fireworks, which evoke a sense of wonder, not wariness. It's a warning shot, the promise of violence, not a recap, so it doesn't land with the same force.
Flipping urgently from a sweet melody to a sharp-edged electric guitar, then a scream-chorus works well in the first half. Listeners aren't sure where the song will go next, and that pacing gets looser in the prolonged bridge. But, Alemeda redeems it, showing off her range excellently in that section with a long vocal run that jumps a full octave. If this is her moment to make us sit up and pay attention (and place a winner's bet), she's done a good job.
For music lovers, there’s real joy in hearing different sounds from emerging and mainstream Black women artists. For too long, the industry has funneled many into R&B and hip-hop lanes, genres Black women have built and revolutionized, but when that genre feels like the only option, people can get typecast. So when a “pop girlie,” or better yet, a “punk phenom,” steps onto the soundstage, it’s not just refreshing; it’s necessary. Alemeda echoes these sentiments in an interview with Rolling Stone: “There’s such a scarcity of women who look like me doing it. I feel like I have a point to prove because even now, people will keep trying to put me into the R&B [box]. People will actually go as far as say alternative R&B, and it’s like, at this point, just punch me in the face. It’s the worst.”
Despite the overt questioning and forced redirection, Alemeda is standing firm in her pop-punk sound, and it's working for her. Her catalog, including “Beat A B!tch Up,” feels like a welcome reprieve from the familiar. “I love seeing Black women on their rock shit,” one listener wrote on YouTube, and I couldn’t agree more. “Beat A B!tch Up” isn’t just a fun title or a fiery feature. It’s a reminder that the boundaries of Black women’s artistry are as expansive as they want them to be.
