This one’s a bit out of my wheelhouse, since it’s not exactly an indie artist doing indie things. In fact, you could probably say that Leray’s the polar opposite of most of the artists I post here; she’s well-known and pretty damned established. With that in mind, I couldn’t help but write about “Players,” mainly because the sample of “The Message” got my attention. Chopping up that classic rap tune isn’t anything new, but the added instrumentation here gives it a distinct kickback-meets-G-Funk feel, which allows Coi to float over and deliver lines about how she can’t/won’t be tied down.

It’s pretty empowering stuff, when you get down to it. Too often, we take women for granted, thinking they’re going to be around us regardless of the dumb sh*t we do. That goes for men and women who date women. However, “girls are players, too” and they can keep their options open like anyone else. The fact that this one samples such a classic beat gives its message (pun intended) a bit more weight. Check out the track below and support dope music in all its forms.