“Circo Loco” by Drake & 21 Savage

As of this writing, a couple of prominent rappers are locked up in part due to the nature of the lyrics they spit. But it does not appear that reality will deter their peers from dropping criminally-minded songs anytime song, as evident by “Circo Loco”. This is a track whose wording reads as if it is primarily designed to depict the vocalists as being gunslingers or, in the case of Drizzy, gang-affiliated. 

Or as Savage puts it, he’s been ‘thuggin’ all his life’. And apparently, all things considered, being a music star isn’t going to stop him nor Drake from changing their ways. They are going to keep on publicly threatening their opps with the prospect of gun violence.

The Megan Thee Stallion Incident?

This track in particular has generated headlines, though not due to its musical quality. Instead, rappers especially have an affinity for referencing other celebrities and brands in their songs. And in this case, Drake made what many consider to be an unflattering reference to fellow rap star Megan Thee Stallion.

That said, whether or not the line “b*tch lie about getting shots, but she still a stallion” is actually a diss is a matter of perspective.

Said “joke”, as Drake puts it, clearly refers to an incident dating back a couple of years. The said incident saw Megan allegedly being shot by another rapper, that being Tory Lanez (who, like Drake, is from Canada, though the two are known to be rivals). 

The related trial is still ongoing as of this writing. But in any event, there have been persistent rumors floating about that Thee Stallion is not telling the truth, as in Lanez not having actually shot her.

That said, whether or not the above-noted line insinuates Drake believes that Megan is lying is, once again, a matter of interpretation. What it appears he is actually speaking to is being affiliated with a romantic interest who gets booty “shots” but ‘lies about’. 

However, the way he sees it, it doesn’t really matter as she is “still a stallion”. What this simply means is that she has a large behind. And this is something the likes of rappers are known to be fond of. This wordplay was clearly inspired by the Megan/Tory incident.

Does Drake believe Megan?

The lyrics don’t clearly imply that Drake believes Thee Stallion is a liar. However, they are his way of acknowledging that rumor exists.

That being said, it should be noted that Megan reacted to this. She interpreted the lyrics as Drizzy being supportive of Tory Lanez against her. She therefore responded quite vociferously. In her response, she indirectly referred to the Champagne Papi as being a “clout b*tch a*s n*gga”.

The Arsenal FC Shoutout

Then later in his verse, 21 Savage gives a notable shoutout of his own by referencing London-based Arsenal Football Club and expressing a desire that the “Gunners”, as they are sometimes called, “win Premier League”, i.e. a prominent soccer tournament that is ongoing as of the release of this track. 

To note, whereas soccer is not terribly popular in the United States and Savage calls Atlanta his hometown, he was actually born in London. This thus explains why he would make such an expression, which is perhaps the first time we’ve come across a track where an American rapper mentions a professional soccer team. 

But that said, many other Arsenal fans did not take well to this acknowledgement, likening it to the team now being cursed as a result.

Kanye West Diss

What has not made as many headlines is the fact that Drake throws a roundabout diss at Kanye West in “Circo Loco”. He and Ye had a well-publicized beef, up until about a year ago, when they squashed it under the auspices of respected hip-hop mogul J Prince. 

But in his verse of this song, Drizzy clarifies that he did so largely in the name of pleasing said figure and “for the mob ties“. This insinuates that he did not do so due to any genuine desire to make peace with Yeezy. And Kanye, who is going through enough drama at the moment, did respond by wishing Drake “love” and implying that he is not looking for any type of confrontation.

Release of “Circo Loco”

The title of this song, which is not found in the lyrics, is rendered in Spanish and translates to “Crazy Circus”.

“Circo Loco” is from “Her Loss”, an entire 16-track collaborative LP between these two vocalists that was officially released on 4 November 2022. 

This project, which was announced a couple of weeks earlier in late October, came as somewhat of a surprise. This is because even though Drake and 21 Savage had teamed up on a handful occasions, there didn’t really seem to be any indication they were this close, and they are also considered to be from two different generations of hip-hop. 

So in addition to Drizzy’s OVO label and 21’s own Slaughter Gang company, this album has also been backed by Epic Records and Republic Records.

Credits

This track notably samples “One More Time“, a song Daft Punk came out with in 2000. Therefore the duo that made up Daft Punk, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, as well as the late Romanthony (1967-2013), who wrote that track with them, are credited as co-authors of Circo Loco. 

The song’s other writers are its producers, Tay Keith and Boi-1da, as well as 21 Savage and Drake.