1.24.2025
Video: Chow Lee – “Kinda Up Off Talent“
The Sexy Drill Pioneer Continues To Speak His Truth On His Spritely New Single, His First Since Releasing His Acclaimed Sex Drive Album in 2024
The New Music Video Pays Homage to the Authentic Documentary Style of the Classic “The Come-Up” Series of DVDs
Critical Praise:
“Meet the Artists Taking New York Drill in a New Direction” – Rolling Stone
“His new album, Sex Drive, arrives amid a surge of sexy drill, but while artists like wolfacejoeyy and Baby Osama have brought the sound into new territories, Lee remains the genre’s greatest entertainer.” – Pitchfork
“Chow Lee, one of the torchbearers of the sexy drill sound that has taken over the Empire State this year.” – Billboard
“It’s not just his pen that’s sharpened: Sex Drive finds Chow firmly in the pocket, teasing out stop-start meters across a startling breadth of instrumentals.” – The FADER
“He fully leans into the sexy drill version of Allen Iverson, who infamously dismissed practice in his classic press conference in the early 2000s. Chow’s constant teeth-sucking on the track is also fitting for the level of pretentiousness he conveys on the track. ‘Practice!’ is great.” – VIBE
“…we consider them pioneers of this sexy drill sound.” – HotNewHipHop
The Video:
Regaling his fans with unfiltered tales of his late night adventures, Chow Lee always keeps it 100. The Sexy Drill maestro throws it back to the DVD era with “Kinda Up Off Talent,” his first new single of 2025. Foregoing most of the hallmarks of the sexy drill sound in favor of a midtempo bounce, Chow lets the liquor talk, spitting tales of ill-advised romantic exploits and offering advice for his fellow up-and-comers: “This n****s don’t have no morals, I swear, n**** I taught myself/Sometimes you gotta listen more than you speak, that sh*t gon’ help,” he spits in his signature sing-song. Directed by Wonton, the video pays homage to “The Come-Up,” the classic DVD and VHS series of mini-documentaries that track rappers on the rise. “Kinda Up Off Talent” keeps the same lo-fi energy of that classic series, giving BTS glimpses of Chow as he shops for a new foreign and sips Henny out of red solo cups.
“Kinda Up Off Talent” is Chow’s first new song since the release of his September 2024 album, Sex Drive. Praised by outlets like Pitchfork, Billboard, The FADER, XXL, and more, Sex Drive affirms Chow’s position as leader of the sexy drill scene. Sex Drive is also home to Chow’s series of viral singles, including “swag it!,” which earned a remix featuring Flo Milli, and “ms. Beautiful v,” which generated millions of streams, went viral on TikTok (20k creations), and placed on the Top 25: New York City chart on Apple Music, along with Cash Cobain-produced singles “act bad twin” ft. Bay Swag & Cash Cobain and the Allen Iverson-referencing “practice!” With additional features from Anycia, AJ Tracey, Sleepy Hallow, and more, Sex Drive is available on all platforms now via EMPIRE.
Sex Drive is the proper follow-up to Chow’s super sexy 2023 album Hours After The Club, an addictive listen, radiating with the seductive charm that inspired Pitchfork to affectionately call Chow Lee the “horniest rapper out.” Both albums continue the momentum from 2022 album 2 Sexy 2 Slizzy, Chow’s totemic collaboration with Cash Cobain that kickstarted the sexy drill movement, recently named the 19th Best Album of the 2020s So Far by Pitchfork. Most recently, Chow Lee turnt up “In The Booth” with Cash Cobain and Plaqueboymax, and shut down the Main Stage at Rolling Loud Miami.
With much more music on the way in 2025, including a special treat for his fans on Valentine’s Day, Chow Lee looks to continue his run as the most eligible bachelor in the rap game. Stay tuned for much more.
Watch “Kinda Up Off Talent”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9rlRvqX-JY
Stream Sex Drive: https://music.empi.re/sexdrive
Photo credit: @mikecilantro_
Please contact Michelle or Chris for more info.
The Background:
Chow Lee is on a mission to become the next King of New York. He made major moves in the city’s rap scene with 2 SLIZZY 2 SEXY, his 2022 collaborative project with Cash Cobain. Praised by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, and earning “Best of 2022” distinction from UPROXX, The FADER, and more, 2 SLIZZY 2 SEXY combined the sample-heavy sound of the Bronx with the hard-hitting dance beats from New Jersey to change the face of the NYC drill scene. 2 SLIZZY 2 SEXY highlight “Vacant” was recently named the 73rd Best East Coast Rap Song of All Time by Rolling Stone. Chow recently reconnected with Cash on the sexy drill anthem “Rump,” plus the Nelly-sampling “Not No Xanax 2” from Cash’s new album, and joined Wolfacejoeyy and Cash on the Pitchfork-approved “Weekend,” and released the fiery Hours After The Club anthem in July 2023.
Now, with buzzing singles like “swag it!” and “Ms. Beautiful V,” the Long Island native is primed to take his sexy drill sound mainstream. Stay tuned for more.
Links:
instagram | twitter | soundcloud | spotify | youtube | tiktok
“Kinda Up Off Talent”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9rlRvqX-JY
“im not really spiritual!” ft. AJ Tracey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9FhAaFHifM
“tequila vacay!” ft. Roy Woods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXMBauumWO4
“settings!”: https://youtu.be/I_Z6fao6Kec
“addys!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD1bDXQ_hDk
Sex Drive: https://music.empi.re/sexdrive
“u got fans!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jA94X5PP-4 / https://music.empi.re/ugotfans
“practice!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZykbfIsR98 / https://music.empi.re/practice
“act bad twin!”: https://music.empi.re/actbadtwin / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO4jiB8xzMM
“swag it” (Remix) ft. Flo Milli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaUHpk_soaw
“S.N.A.!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2-uRTLWzGg / https://music.empi.re/sna
“ms. beautiful V”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgZ0Nz3uUfs
“swag it!”: https://music.empi.re/swagit / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgAOAmMtDP8
Hours After The Club: https://music.empi.re/hoursaftertheclub