A breakdown of 4Batz and Drake's latest release 'act ii: date @ 8'

4Batz (Batz) has had a massive rise to fame over the past year, with his first single act i: stickerz "99," garnering significant attention online. Since then, Batz has released three more singles, including a Drake feature.

Drizzy showed up on the backend of the remix for Batz's second single act ii: date @ 8, distributed to all streaming services via OVO Sound and independently by 4Batz.

Drake's decision to work with 4Batz for a remix on "date @ 8" makes sense, as this is the most popular song in the R&B singer's discography. Since its release in December last year, act ii: date @ 8 has garnered over 80 Million streams on Spotify.

Drake's vocal performances perfectly blend into 4Batz's slow-paced alternative R&B style and aesthetic. Both artists are found lyrically breaking down the complexities of their troubled relationships with women.

Breaking down the lyrics to 4Batz's latest remix with Drake for the hit single 'act ii: date @ 8'

The first instance of a possible 4Batz x Drake collaboration being in the works was when Drizzy took to Instagram on March 4 to announce that he had hopped onto a track with Batz.

Two days later, Batz uploaded a video of him, his friends, and Drake listening and vibing to Drizzy's new verse on the hit single.

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This article will aim to better understand the lyrics and sentiments behind act ii: date @ 8 (Feat. Drake) by breaking down the lyrics into parts and segments.

The song is a spacy alternative R&B track, lasting less than four minutes. The following themes were found to be highly prevalent within the track:

Womanizing
Wealth
Fame
Relationship
Faithfulness
Luxury lifestyles

Disclaimer: The following song review contains explicit lyrics. Reader discretion is advised

Chorus

4Batz performing act ii: date @ 8 for his appearance on "Off The Block" uploaded to YouTube on December 21, 2023 (Image via YouTube/@4ShootersOnly)

"I'll come and slide by 8 p.m. / And send a text to your DM / Five hunnid for your fuckin’ hair"

The song begins with a transient spacy instrumental, which opens the song before Batz comes in with his soft vocal performance. The lyrics here are pretty straightforward, with the singer stating how he wishes to meet up with his love interest.

Batz explains his desire to treat her well and is willing to show his love by spending money on things that make her happy.

"Two hunnid for your fuckin' nails / You runnin' out of shoes to wear / So I bought you another pair"

The singer begins to showcase how much he's willing to spend on her, citing an example of her spa treatments. Batz also knows how often she wears the same shoes and offers to buy more.

This entire chorus, although not having a profound meaning behind it, builds the vibe and a consistent theme that the verse's coming after continues to follow.

4Batz's Verse

"Girl, I got you another dress / So bring yo’ ass up-down them stairs / I buy you shit because you rare / And plus because you know I care"

4Batz's entry into his verse transitions smoothly as the singer retains much of the same flow as he builds on this "relationship" storyline. The singer continues to exclaim his purchases for this woman, referencing another "dress" he recently purchased.

We see Batz begin to get much more emotionally open toward the end of this bar. The singer explains that he behaves and feels this way because he cares for her, highlighting that he'll keep her safe because she's rare.

"Bitch, you know you love it here / That's why you keep on comin' near / Your n*gga can't compete, I swear (Nah, for real) / He tried, but now he look too weak, baby"

Toward the end of the verse, it's revealed that the woman he's been addressing this whole time is currently in a relationship with someone else.

The singer appears more competitive here as he implies that even though she's dating someone else, she keeps returning since nobody can "compete" with him.

4Batz then moves into the chorus again before Drake enters with his verse.

Drake's Verse

"What did I do to deserve you? / Don't even know what I did / Been’ prayin' on me since a kid / I guess it's just luck if you say so"

Drake opens the song by building on the themes set by 4Batz in the first half of act ii: date @ 8. The rapper appears to be questioning his luck as the reason for his ending up in the relationship he's currently in.

Drizzy's humor shines through when he expresses how he doesn't "even know" what he did to deserve her attention.

"How you get all of that body and face, though? / What kinda water they servin' in Clayco? / Listen me talkin’, it's not DNA, ho / Ready to pop out but we gotta lay low"

The symbolic use of "Clayco," a brand specializing in beauty and luxury skin care products, highlights his appreciation for this woman's physical appearance.

Towards the end of the bar, we see another typical instance of Drizzy's need for "secrecy" in a relationship. He wants to go out with this girl, but he seems aware of the eyes around him, hence the suggestion to "lay low."

"I really gotta calm down / 'Fore I end up in jeopardy just like the game show / Broski my twin, that's my bestie / He love me, said I got the blessin"

He highlights how this could just be him stressing out, and he needs to get greater control of himself.

Drake could be alluding that his paranoia would lead him into "jeopardy," which is also a clever use of word-play as the rapper references the game show that's been around since the 1980s.

"I swear he's gassin' me up / There's no way in hell I see you passing me up / Almost said I loved yo' ass right after we fucked / Don't know why, girl, it was on the tip of my tongue"

Drake emphasizes the previous line where he shows love to his close circle of male friends.

The rest of the verse then picks up on the "troubled relationship" story, with Drizzy acknowledging his inability to say "I love you" to a girl he's been seeing.

"Yeah, found someone I'm fallin' for / You hit me back, we're talkin' more now / The bodies that you caught before (They don't) / Make me mad or insecure (I'm good)"

This single bar is more self-reflective than the entire song, as we see Drake accepting his feelings by stating he believes he's found someone he loves.

Drizzy gives the listeners a little backstory by mentioning how they connected and started talking more. He also implies that this connection is why he doesn't care or get "insecure" about her past relationships.

"A thousand on your fuckin' hair / Two hunnid on your fuckin' nails, for real / This shit feel like a fairy tale (I swear) / I'll make them open up Chanel, ch-ch"

This bar is a callback to 4Batz's chorus, with Drake re-interpolating the words by increasing the amount he spends significantly. This could also hint at the massive wealth he's created over his career.

He compares his life to a "fairy tale" because nothing seems real. This feeling most likely stems from Drake's wealth exceeding the point where he needs to worry about spending.

"I'm a stand-up guy like Dave Chappelle / I was cursed, you 'bout to break the spell, for real / Tell that n*gga that you done with him / Girl, who cares if he gon' take it well, we done"

Dave Chappelle is referenced while Drake tries to make a connection between his relationship and him being a "stand-up" guy, wordplaying the term used to describe comedians.

He implies that his character is a good enough reason for this girl to leave her current relationship and get with him.

Outro

"Five hunnid for your fuckin' hair / Two hunnid for your fuckin' nails"

4Batz comes back for a one-liner before the song ends. The outro instrumental continues for another 25 seconds before the song ends.

act ii: date @ 8 doesn't showcase Drake's most creative feature but is a significant turning point in 4Batz's career.

The singer has officially signed an EP deal with OVO Records, Drizzy's label, and is set to release a project sometime this year.

Edited by Pradyot Hegde