"BMF" (formerly "Boy from South Detroit") is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from Lana (2024), the reissue of her second studio album SOS (2022). It references Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", both of which feature a "south Detroit" line, and interpolates the 1960s bossa nova single "The Girl from Ipanema". "BMF" was originally going to feature American singer and rapper Lizzo.
| "BMF" | |
|---|---|
| Song by SZA | |
| from the album Lana | |
| Released | December 20, 2024 |
| Genre | Bossa nova |
| Length | 3:01 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Audio | |
| "BMF" on YouTube | |
Background
editSZA's second studio album, SOS, was released on December 9, 2022.[1] Soon afterward, she made a post on Instagram in which she teased about a possible deluxe edition for the album.[2] Speaking to Variety in August 2023, she revealed that the deluxe edition became a "whole 'nother" project, a reissue she named Lana. It would consist of post-SOS songs alongside some anticipated outtakes that did not appear on the album.[3]
Around SOS's release, The Line of Best Fit reported that American rapper and singer Lizzo was to feature on a track from Lana.[4] Known under the names "BMF" and "Boy from South Detroit", it was a fan-favorite outtake scrapped by SZA's manager, Punch. He, along with an album co-producer, had told her that the song was not impressive enough to include on the standard tracklist.[5][6]
Music and lyrics
edit"BMF" is a bossa nova song that interpolates "The Girl from Ipanema" (1962), composed by Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim. Its Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto rendition is used for the song's hook: "The boy from South Detroit keep bossin' / And I can't keep my panties from dropping."[7] The "south Detroit" lyric references the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'", which contains the same line.[8] Apart from South Detroit, SZA mentions the Slauson Avenue, a road in Los Angeles. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone writes that it may be a tribute to Nipsey Hussle, a rapper raised in the nearby Crenshaw neighborhood and shot dead at the same road.[7]
Release
editAfter the Variety interview, SZA performed "BMF" alongside two other SOS outtakes at a September 2023 concert in Brooklyn, New York.[9] The song was released on December 20, 2024, as the fifth track on Lana.[10] In an article for Billboard, Mackenzie Cummings-Grady ranked "BMF" as the reissue's 11th-best track, explaining that it provides enough levity to balance the tracks with heavier themes.[11]
References
edit- ^ "On SOS, SZA Blows Expectations Out of the Water: Review". Consequence. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (December 17, 2024). "SZA Releasing New SOS Deluxe Album This Week, Enlists Ben Stiller for Teaser". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (December 21, 2024). "The Long Road to 'Lana': Why SZA Took Two Years to Drop the 'SOS' Deluxe Album". Variety. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ "Lizzo will reportedly feature on deluxe version of SZA's SOS album". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian; Conteh, Mankaprr (December 18, 2022). "SZA Speaks! Inside Her New Album and Much More". Rolling Stone Music Now (Podcast). Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Inman, DeMicia (December 22, 2022). "SZA Explains Why Certain Fan-Favorite Songs Were Excluded From New Album, 'SOS'". VIBE.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (December 21, 2024). "SZA Is at Her Most Streamlined and Direct on 'Lana'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ DeVito, Lee. "SZA announces 'SOS' arena tour with Detroit stop". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "SZA Says 'SOS' Deluxe Is Actually "A Whole Nother Album" Called 'Lana'". Stereogum. September 9, 2023. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (December 20, 2024). "SZA Finally Releases Long-Delayed 'Lana' Album, Featuring Kendrick Lamar, Lil Yachty and Benny Blanco". Variety. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 20, 2024). "SZA's 'SOS' Deluxe 'Lana': All 15 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2024.