Slime You Out
by Drake (featuring SZA)

Album: For All the Dogs (2023)
Charted: 10 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Drake teams up with SZA on "Slime You Out," a song about how their ex-lovers played them while also revealing their own feelings.
  • Drake kicks things off. He's frustrated with the dating scene where he meets women who can't connect with him on an emotional level. He observes a pattern where love takes a backseat to women who simply need someone to micromanage their lives and tell them how to think and act.

    During the first two verses, Drake outlines his disappointment with women who stick around just for the physical and financial perks. He's yearning for a connection that's not just skin deep, something that sparks his emotions and ignites his mind.

    SZA, never one to bite her tongue, lays out her own grievances in the third verse, calling out her ex for being shady and not measuring up.

    Drake's extended final verse takes us on a wild ride through a rocky year, with trust issues and letdowns on full display. Toward the end, the Toronto rapper has had enough. He's over it and he's got some regrets.
  • The repeated phrase "slimin' you out" refers to using someone for physical pleasure without getting emotionally tangled, then breaking up. Both Drake and SZA crave deeper connections, but their partners are bringing nothing but immaturity to the table.

    Drake's not here for his woman acting like a kid, being all emotional and petty, craving the spotlight. He's ready to "slime you out."

    But SZA? She's flip-flopped. She's the one feeling like she got played by her man, so she's taking matters into her own hands and sliming him out.
  • Drake and SZA have been friends for a long time but this is their first official collaboration. On his January 2018 track "Diplomatic Immunity," Drake rapped about knowing SZA from "way back," and two years later he spoke about dating her "back in '08" in his song "Mr. Right Now." SZA later confirmed they had briefly dated but clarified that it was "actually 2009" when they were romantically involved and suggested that Drake might have just "innocently rhymed '08 [with] wait."
  • Drake co-produced the track with 40, Bnyx, Noel Cadastre, and Dalton Tennant. Their production combines banging drums and bass with a smooth keyboard melody that's like a psychedelic trip. It gives the track a woozy R&B groove, complementing the dreamy vibes of Drake and SZA's voices.

    Canadian producer Noah James Shebib, better known as 40, has credits on all of Drake's studio albums as well as many of his mixtapes and singles. Shebib's style of production, which is often downtempo and ambient, has become heavily associated with Drake's music.

    Philadelphia producer Benjamin Saint-Fort, professionally known as BNYX (pronounced "Benny X"), works extensively with Yeat. His resumé features two other Drake credits: the single "Search & Rescue" and collaboration with Travis Scott, "Meltdown."

    Noel Cadastre is Drake's longtime engineer. His other Drake production credits include "Finesse," "Jaded" and "Middle Of The Ocean."

    Toronto-based producer and musician Dalton Tennant, aka D10, is the musical director for Drake's touring outfit.
  • Drake released "Slime You Out" through OVO Sound and Republic Records as the second single from For All the Dogs on September 15, 2023. He debuted the song the same day during his tour stop at America Airlines Center, Dallas.
  • The green slime-covered cover art for "Slime You Out" is an image of Halle Berry being slimed at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Apparently, Berry wasn't consulted. She called out Drake on Instagram, letting him know she didn't want him to use her image to promote "Slime You Out."
  • Drake raised eyebrows by drawing a questionable parallel between the harrowing experiences of African slaves, who endured chains and brutal whippings, and his own capacity to lavish a woman with luxury cars (whips) and costly necklaces (chains).

    You got my mind in a terrible place
    Whipped and chained you like American slaves


    Fans took to social media to express their concerns about the line, with some criticizing SZA for the collaboration: "SZA heard drake say 'whipped and chained you like American slaves' and said 'yeah, I need to get on that!'" one tweet read.
  • "Slime You Out" debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. It was Drake's 12th leader on the chart and SZA's second, following "Kill Bill."
  • SZA is skeptical of her friends' and collaborators' feedback when they quickly praise her initial demos. She wonders if they are being honest or if they are simply trying to be nice. This happened with Drake when the pair teamed up to create "Slime You Out."

    "I just handed in the first draft to Drake, and he's putting it on his album," she told The Wall Street Journal. "I'm scared because I handed in second vocals and he didn't use that. And now I'm like, 'Are you trying to sabotage me?' I know that's not true. I literally know that's not true, but that's how bad I feel about my first draft. When things come from an effortless space, I almost can't enjoy it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.