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YG performs at the 2025 BET Experience Fan Fest
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Key Takeaways:
- YG’s “LOVERS OR FRIENDS” music video blends Hip Hop and R&B with a moody aesthetic and choreography that reflects emotional tension.
- Leon Thomas delivers a heartfelt hook that questions the boundaries between love and friendship.
- The rapper’s forthcoming album, ‘The Gentleman’s Club,’ continues his evolution with introspective themes and sleek visuals.
On Friday (Aug. 1), YG released “LOVERS OR FRIENDS” and its accompanying music video, in collaboration with Leon Thomas. The track is the latest singled from the Compton rapper’s forthcoming album titled The Gentleman’s Club,
The black-and-white video features smooth choreography as YG kicks raps about moving from the friend zone to a more romantic level with a partner. “How we friends, you let me hit it in a taxi / I mean Uber black truck in a backseat,” YG raps. “You wanna keep me as a friend so you can have me / When you and your n**ga don’t work out, cause he a athlete.”
However, by the end of the record, things aren’t necessarily what they seem. “Are we lovers or are we friends / Please don’t make me have to ask again / Are we lovers or are we friends / Tell me if I have to play pretend,” Thomas sings on the song’s hook. The bubbly, yet funky production is handled by Ty Dolla $ign. And before we forget to mention it, there’s also a Michael Jackson impersonator in the Dangy-directed visual.
The Gentleman’s Club is set to release on Oct. 3. In the meantime, YG has recently dropped a pair of songs in support of the album: “HOLLYWOOD” and “2004.” Both tracks are in that mid-tempo range that YG thrives in, and their music videos also feature similar black-and-white aesthetics. The raw track “2004” is especially powerful as it features YG rapping candidly about being sexually abused by an older woman when he was just 14 years old.
The “BIG BANK” artist’s last album was 2024’s JUST RE’D UP 3, his first solo album after leaving Def Jam Records. Back in March, YG announced that he was launching his own supplement brand. Compton rappers stay hustling.
