Fivio Foreign has seen his stock rise considerably since the release of his 800 B.C. EP in 2020. The Brooklyn-bred drill star has made show-stealing cameos on Kanye West’s Donda, Nas‘ King’s Disease and Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes while going platinum with his Lil Tjay and Polo G collaboration “Headshot.”
Now, Fivio is looking to capitalize on this momentum with his debut studio album B.I.B.L.E., for which he officially kickstarted the campaign on Friday (February 11). The gravelly-voiced rapper announced the project is set to drop on March 25 and will be executive produced by none other than Kanye West.
Giving fans their first taste of the highly anticipated album, Fivio also unleashed the lead single, “City of Gods,” starring Ye and Alicia Keys.
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Featuring a soaring chorus from Alicia Keys that evokes JAY-Z‘s “Empire State of Mind,” the triumphant track brings Kanye and Keys into Fivio’s drill rap soundscape as the Brooklyn native crowns himself the new King of New York.
“Pop was the King of New York, now I’m the n-gga in charge,” Fivio declares, tipping his Yankees fitted to the late Pop Smoke.
Ye’s self-proclaimed “feature of the year,” meanwhile, finds him hinting at buying the Chicago Bulls, teasing a meeting with Michael Jordan and addressing his reconciliation with Drake.
“After I buy the Chicago Bulls I’ma go link with Mike,” he raps, before later saying, “I feel like Sinatra in these streets, me and Drizzy, we at peace.”
“City of Gods” is dedicated to Fivio Foreign’s friend and affiliate Tahjay “Tdott Woo” Dobson, who was recently shot and killed in Canarsie, Brooklyn just hours after signing to Million Dollar Music Record Label. T Dott was best known for inventing the Woo Walk dance, which helped Pop Smoke’s “Get Back” achieve viral success.
“Tdott. That’s my baby boy. I never thought I’d be doing this without you here with me,” Fivio said in a statement accompanying the song’s release. “You supposed to be here with me but you gon’ always be the Prince in the City of Gods. Your name will forever live through me. Long Live Prince Tdott.”
However, Fivio’s grief was mixed with jubilation after the track officially earned him a co-sign from legendary producer Swizz Beatz (who is, of course, married to Alicia Keys). “I just got my Blessing from Swiss Beats [sic],” he tweeted on Thursday night (February 10). “I know it’s real!”
I just got my Blessing from Swiss Beats.. I know it’s real ❗️
— Fivio Foreign (@FivioForeign) February 11, 2022
While a tracklist has yet to be revealed, B.I.B.L.E. is also expected to feature a collaboration with fellow New Yorker A$AP Rocky, as well as a drill song sampling Destiny’s Child’s 1999 hit “Say My Name,” which Fivio declared will be “the hottest song of 2022.”
B.I.B.L.E. isn’t the only project Fivio Foreign appears to be busy working on. The 31-year-old has been locked in the studio with Kanye West since the start of the year, hinting at a reprised role on the forthcoming Donda 2 (out February 22).
Fivio previously appeared alongside Playboi Carti on Donda‘s “Off the Grid,” delivering a powerful, commanding verse that HipHopDX nominated for Verse of the Year in 2021. The cameo also earned Fivio a JAY-Z comparison from Mr. West.