Quavo’s debut solo album, QUAVO HUNCHO, has arrived, and tucked within its 19 track is “FLIP THE SWITCH,” a Drake-featuring track where the Migos MC pays homage to a southern classic. His hook interpolates the flow Juvenile made famous on “Ha,” his first major hit single from 1998.
On the hook of “FLIP THE SWITCH,” Quavo raps:
You the one that’s tryna keep your business low-key, huh? (huh?)
You the one that’s having your main nigga, can’t get no sleep, huh? (Sleep, hey)
You the one who walk around on fleek, huh? (Fleek)
You the one that started from the bottom but you’ve reached your peak, huh? (Peak, peak)
Unlike “FLIP THE SWITCH,” Juvenile uses the recognizable, bluesy flow on his verses, while the hook is more melodic. In the track’s opening bars he raps:
That’s you with that bad ass Benz ha
That’s you that can’t keep your old lady
Cause you keep fuckin' her friends ha
You gotta go to court ha
You got served a subpoena for child support ha
“Ha” was helped to national prominence thanks to a remix with JAY-Z, and Juvie’s third album 400 Degreez went on to earn quadruple platinum certification.
Genius user NSRE broke down the similarities of the flows in detail:
During the first repetition of the “FLIP THE SWITCH” chorus, Quavo alludes to the intro of “Back That Azz Up,” another early Juvenile hit which is famous for the line:
Cash Money Records taking over for the ‘99 & the 2000
The song’s title and Quavo’s lyrics on its bridge may be an allusion to Drake’s “Nonstop,” which opens with him rhyming:
Look, I just flipped a switch (flipped, flipped)
I don’t know nobody else that’s doin' this
Bodies start to drop, ayy (hit the floor)
Now they wanna know me since I hit the top, ayy
“FLIP THE SWITCH” is not the only QUAVO HUNCHO cut with Cash Money connections. On “LAMB TALK,” he likens his label Quality Control’s success to famed New Orleans label, rapping:
Niggas tried to hit me but they fouled out (Yeah)
Birds sing like Whitney and Bobby Brown house (Brrt, yeah)
QC the new Cash Money Records now (Yeah, go)
Drake, whose verse has garnered attention for its diss of an unnamed foe who “was in [their] 20s in the ‘90s,” is no stranger to interpolating old Cash Money classics. His song “Practice” heavily interpolated “Back That Azz Up.” Drake has released all of his solo music, including this year’s chart-topping Scorpion, as part of Cash Money.
Genius broke down the legacy of Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” including its influence on Drake, in the video below:
Quavo and his Migos partners are presently on tour with Drake, and Quavo recently hinted that a collaborative mixtape might be coming in the future.
Read all the lyrics to Quavo and Drake’s “FLIP THE SWITCH,” and check out the rest of Quavo’s discography on Genius now.
