“Gravity” by Brent Faiyaz & DJ Dahi (ft. Tyler, The Creator)
The chorus of “Gravity” is based on a line from the first verse where Brent Faiyaz exclaims that “she hold me down like gravity”. The “she” would be a girlfriend. And the metaphor at hand basically means that she has and does take very good care of him and is ever-faithful.
However, the way he sees the situation is that it would be best if they just called things off. That is because he is now living the “superstar” lifestyle. And such a statement can imply a number of different things which are potentially detrimental to a steady romance. But first and foremost would be the idea of Faiyaz now being fully on his grind. Therefore he does not have enough time – or even interest really – to vest in the relationship.
The second implication, which is related to the aforementioned, is that now he spends a lot of time away from home, i.e. on the road touring. Yet and still his shorty is on his mind always. But again, at this stage in his life, he is more interested in making it big than focusing on a romance. So the overall feeling being relayed is twofold. One is that he does in fact miss his girlfriend. But at the same time, it doesn’t really look like their paths will be aligning anytime soon, as in he cannot be the man she wants him to be commitment-wise. It almost reads like he’s at a crossroad and is being compelled to choose between being a house husband or a professional successful musician. And since Brent is in fact making it in the field he has prioritized the latter. And accordingly, he basically feels that his girl should likewise seek romance elsewhere.
Tyler Steps In
Meanwhile Tyler, the Creator is also a poppin’ musician addressing his main squeeze. This is someone he may not see for three months at a time while he’s touring and traveling. And yes, he does imply that during his travels he may hookup with other temporary partners. But he is dropping this verse to tell the one that he truly loves that his mind is always on her.
Conclusion
So perhaps at the end of the day, the purpose of this song is to not only invoke understanding but also sympathy for the artists and Brent Faiyaz in particular. He never actually says anything like he wants his relationship with the lady who has ‘held him down like gravity’ to end. Rather he feels that it has to because he can no longer physically be by her side.
Facts about “Gravity”
This is the first collaboration ever between Tyler, the Creator and Brent Faiyaz, the two vocalists on this song. It also marks Faiyaz’s first collaboration with DJ Dahi. It also appears to be the producer’s first team up with Tyler also.
“Gravity” was produced by DJ Dahi, who is also one of its co-writers along with Tyler, Brent and Steve Lacy.
Steve Lacy is a musician from Compton who, up until this point, has established a name for himself more as a collaborator than headliner. For instance, he is the guitarist for a well-known band called The Internet. He has also contributed to the songs of some of the biggest names in the music industry such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and the late Mac Miller. And he has worked on a few of Tyler’s tracks in the past, most notably Flower Boy’s 2017 hit 911 / Mr. Lonely.
“Gravity” was put out by Lost Kids, which is actually an indie label that was co-founded by Brent Faiyaz. And the label did so on 28 January 2021.
The release of “Gravity” was also backed by Adidas Originals, an offshoot of the famous footwear company. In fact Tyler, the Creator already has an established working relationship with Adidas.
