Ciara has joined forces with Busta Rhymes for her new single “Wassup.”
On the J.R. Rotem production, Ciara swaps her signature angelic vocals for a smooth rap cadence reminiscent of the late Shawty Lo. Lyrically, the syrupy banger captures Ciara’s confident side with lines like, “I’m so froze like a popsicle / But I’m hot when I walk through the club.” Busta Rhymes appears in the second verse with his supersonic bars.
Speaking on her new single, Ciara shares, “‘Wassup’ is a fun flex record. It started with a play on words on what we would say when I came up in ATL. ‘What’s up, what’s happenin?’ It’s somewhat of a Y2K moment. I’m tapping into my ATL roots! It’s a song that’s meant for you to have the ultimate fun.”
She continues, “Busta ‘slaughtered’ the track with his classic, undeniable, and unstoppable flow. He brought pure edge and the perfect energy to the record to take it all the way to a special place!”
Busta Rhymes adds, “Y’all are in trouble because The Queen CiCi and The Dragon got a Banger!! That’s Wassup!!”
“Wassup” marks Ciara and Busta Rhymes’ second collaboration. In 2008, they joined Janet Jackson on her “Feedback (So So Def Remix)” with Fabolous.
Ciara first previewed “Wassup” during her set on the Out of This World Tour with Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. She also treated audiences to a snippet of her previous single, “Run It Up,” featuring rapper BossMan Dlow.
The latter song was released Aug. 9 via her label Beauty Marks Entertainment. “‘Run It Up’ is about staying focused on the hustle and grind to achieve your dreams while remaining unbothered and blessed,” Ciara explained.
“Run It Up” marked Ciara’s first single release in nearly a year. She released her CiCi EP on Aug. 18, 2023. The project included her Chris Brown-assisted single “How We Roll.” The smooth and flirty jam, which has amassed nearly 42 million streams on Spotify, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart.
In other music news, Ciara is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Goodies, with a reissued vinyl and digital version with two bonus tracks; Goodies (20th Anniversary Edition) is also out today.
The original version of Goodies was released Sept. 28, 2004, via LaFace Records. The album included the hit singles “Goodies” featuring Petey Pablo, “1, 2 Step” featuring Missy Elliott and “Oh” featuring Ludacris.
In fashion and beauty news, Ciara recently partnered with Bebe, a clothing brand, to launch a new collection “inspired by her sexy, tomboy, chic style.” The collection features a range of styles and accessories for various occasions.
Earlier this summer, Ciara was announced as new brand ambassador for makeup brand NARS. “Sooo happy to announce I am a NARS Global Brand Ambassador! Explicit Lipstick is finally here and I’m wearing shade Unauthorized, a bright red that I will NOT be taking off any time soon! #NARSPartner” she wrote in an Instagram caption.
Stream Ciara’s new song “Wassup” featuring Busta Rhymes below.
