Electronic trap music isn’t quite what it used to be. Both in terms of popularity and sound. While it remains far from dead, its influence and sonic direction have altered over the years. The latter has seen too much focus on sound design and energy, and not enough on groove, bounce, and the rap roots that brought it to life. Despite the fluctuations in the genre, two producers have been working tirelessly to not only keep the genre alive, but allow it to thrive. Paying homage to its beginnings while pushing the sound without losing sight of what makes it special. Those two artists of course are UZ and TroyBoi. The pair have been on a similar course for over a decade but it was only on TroyBoi’s 2023 Say Less EP that the pair finally dropped their first collab in ‘Yalla.’ Wasting little time, they are back with another collaboration, and it’s even better. ‘IBTFY’ is the pinnacle of electronic trap and proves why each artist has an undeniable claim to the throne.
TroyBoi and I both kicked off our music journeys at the start of the trap movement. After chatting online for ages, we finally met up this year at a London show. It was definitely overdue. Sharing the stage with him was a total standout moment. We began tossing around song ideas, and some just clicked instantly. I feel that the modern trap sound is a bit too saturated and overdone. Our aim was to create a feel-good track that harkens back to the roots. Our styles sync up well – straightforward yet packed with punch and bass. I’m pretty confident we’ve got a killer track on our hands. – UZ
‘IBTFY’ is exactly what I want from electronic trap in 2024. It’s hard-hitting, gritty, and pays homage to the original trap sound, yet remains fresh. Marked by three distinct drops, the track is an epic anthem that’s destined to decimate stages. The first calls back to UZ’s genre-defining ‘Trap Shit’ series with some exciting undertones and breathtaking flourishes added in. The melody is simple but hypnotic and the bass and drums are perfection. From there we see TroyBoi’s influence show more heavily, injecting lush soundscapes and world music influences for a robust sonic offering. The song’s namesake ‘I’ll Be There For You’ rings throughout adding an impassioned and memorable hook. I know it’s only February but this might be the trap anthem of the year!
Collaborating with UZ on this track was really seamless. He sent me the idea that he had in mind and immediately I knew I could hear what I could add to it. We both came up together during the SoundCloud era and this track felt like an homage to that time. UZ and I had just finished working on our first collaboration so this was a very complementary heavy hitting track to follow it up with. – TroyBoi
Stream TroyBoi and UZ’s new collab ‘IBTFY’ below.
