“10 Bands” by Joyner Lucas (ft. Timbaland)
The title (“10 Bands”) of this song is based on the colloquial usage of the word “bands”, which actually alludes to a wad of money. The term can be found during the beginning of the chorus, where Joyner Lucas is referring to a certain female’s strong desire to get some paper.
However, such is not the subject matter of the track in its entirety. Rather “10 Bands” deals with all of the major themes that we usually find in rap music. And these include the artist’s rise from rags to riches, his wherewithal to behave violently if a situation calls for it and his interactions with women. And in terms of the latter, it seems that Joyner is not too keen on the idea of falling in love due to his “ex [expletive]” breaking his heart in the past.
So after hearing “10 Bands”, the listener is likely to walk away with the impression that, despite his notable success and exceptional lyricism, Lucas remains grounded as an individual. He remembers the days when times were hard, and no one had his back. Indeed, as he has done on other tracks, he even recounts being labeled as mentally-challenged and someone who would not amount to anything. Joyner also acknowledges that ‘all of his money goes back to Uncle Sam’, meaning that he pays ridiculous amounts in taxes to the IRS of the United States. Also he challenges anyone who has a beef to confront him directly. So while the title of the song and its chorus are based on money and by extension women, those subjects in and of themselves take somewhat of a backseat to other topics discussed.
Release Date of “10 Bands”
Joyner Lucas first teased the release of this track (and its music video) via his Twitter account on 10 July 2019. This was the day before it was officially released by Twenty Nine Music Group on 11 July.
Writing and Production
“10 Bands” was written by Joyner Lucas and produced by the legendary producer Timbaland. This is the first time these two artists have worked together.
On which album does “10 Bands” appear?
“10 Bands” came out as single from Lucas’s 2019 album, ADHD. It is actually the album’s fifth single. The first four singles from this album are:
- “Devil’s Work”
- “Isis“
- “I Love”
- “Broke and Stupid“
