Artist: Billy
Title: Fuck With You
Genre(s): R&B, Disco, House
Length: 3:39
Writers: B.Khan-Holmes
Producer: BLOOM
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: Tarantula
Fuck With You (known as
"Mess With You" in its censored form) is a song by British singer-songwriter Bilal Khan-Holmes, known mononymously as Billy, released as the third single from his upcoming debut studio album, "Tarantula". The song was released on May 10, 2021, with the track being teased through Instagram and Twitter posts the week prior. In an unusual move, the single was released after 12pm on a Monday, missing the cut-off tracking period for the Chart Heat Singles on its debut week. The track is from the batch of new songs recorded by Khan-Holmes in 2021 after scrapping several from the first incarnation of his album. "Fuck With You" follows on from his chart-topping single, "Gemini", which showcased a more subdued, R&B slow jam style to his audience. This single shows yet another side to Billy as an artist, with the production being rooted in House and Disco with varying styles of vocal delivery from Khan-Holmes interspersed throughout. Soulful, power belts are heard in the introduction and chorus while Billy sing-raps the verses and fully raps the bridge with his English accent being extremely prominent. The track was written entirely by Billy and production was handled by BLOOM, who is also signed to Five Pesky Kids. The radio edit, "Mess With You", censors the swear words throughout and replaces "fuck" with "mess" in the chorus.
Writing & ProductionLyrically, "Fuck With You" sees Billy take a teasing swipe at online trolls as well as magazine and gossip sites centred around celebrity culture. At one point, Khan-Holmes specifically namechecks Culture Uncut, referring to them as "vultures". Like Billy's previous singles, he plays up to and acknowledges his public persona but with much more gusto this time around, really amplifying his reputation of being "difficult" and "messy". The lyrics see Billy take the power from the people who either try to paint him as a bad person or are so eager to pin him down and define him. He plays up to being "complex" and tells the listeners that he treats his time in the spotlight as a game, purposely teasing and misleading those who wish to interfere in his life.
Sonically, "Fuck With You" is an up-tempo disco and house track with underlying smatterings of R&B and hip-hop woven throughout. It is the most upbeat production Billy has released as a solo artist thus far. "Fuck With You" also sees the return of Billy's much lauded vocal belts, something he became renowned for in Weekend but were not featured in previous releases; "Attention" and "Gemini". Over the thumping basslines in the verses, Billy delivers his line in a half-sung, half-rapped cadence before fully rapping in the bridge. Critics praised his secret skill and immediately drew comparisons to his younger brother, Deneil Khan, a successful Grime artist. The opening of the song has Billy belting introductory lines over a light tinkering of piano keys and dramatic strings before the heavy house bass and disco chords abruptly arrive for the first verse.
Background & ReleaseThe track was written in early 2021 amongst several other new songs intended for the "Tarantula" project. Khan-Holmes' debut solo album was due for release in summer 2020 but was ultimately postponed due to the singer being unhappy with a lot of the material. With COVID-19 surging in his home of London again during the winter of 2020, Billy took the lockdowns as an opportunity to break away from all music promotions and focus on creating material. "Fuck With You" was written solely by Billy in his home without any instruments or production technology, merely recording a vocal melody on his phone. After playing the original vocal draft to BLOOM, the producer created the disco-house beat for the pair to work with. Billy then altered parts of the song to fit the track and would then go on to add the belted intro and the rapped bridge, two key elements of the final product. Khan-Holmes appeared on Real Talk with Ezra on May 2nd and teased the prospect of new music dropping "in the summer" before surprise-announcing "Fuck With You" on social media the following day.
Billy wrote:"I made "Fuck With You" the third single because, with each track that drops the album, I wanted to deliver something different. I wanted to show all the different aspects of the record and showcase all that I can do, giving you teasers of what to expect. "Attention" had that bubbling electro-R&B sounds of the mid 00's I adore, "Gemini" was an old school slow jam dripping in sex and now "Fuck With You" really shows what I can do as an artist in terms of my versatility with genre and my voice. I'm vocally shredding on the chorus and then rapping the rest of it. With lyrics as cocky and "out there" as this song, I had to go all-out with the sonics too. I wanted to hit people over the head. Make them sit up and take note."
"Most of my influences centre in the 90's, specifically a lot of American R&B acts such as Janet, Brandy, Aaliyah, Mariah and the likes. You hear the bulk of that on my album but for "Fuck With You", I branched out and gave a nod to other huge inspirations; trailblazing soul and disco acts and London. Marrying the two sounds bizarre on paper but it works and the track is pretty unique. My Cockney accent against hip-hop and house beats is certainly stark but it's fucking epic if I do say so myself."
"On "Fuck With You", I wanted to remind certain people that the ball is still very much in my court almost ten years into the music industry game. I feel as though the track does the job and is the best of both words as the lyrics will piss off and rile up those who try to take me down but, in the same breath, will make my supporters and those who know me chuckle as they're in on the fun and games. When you get to a certain point in your career, people will either try to bring you down or try to exert ownership over you. I frustrate people because I can't be pinned down and it's because one; I'm an anomaly and two; I don't really take myself seriously. I'm a mixed-race, queer boy who was homeless at one point, covered in tattoos and speak with a very prominent Cockney accent despite being a brown-skinned God. I know that I shouldn't be in this position of power considering the politics of the music business. I also know that I scare a lot of people because I don't really fall into any category. I fuck with people's minds and I absolutely love it."
Critical Reception"Fuck With You" received universally positive reviews upon release, with many critics praising Billy's vocals for both his powerful notes as well as his rapping talents. The decision to release an up-tempo Disco/House track was also well received. Sara Gartland from Gigwise wrote that the song
"cements Billy's status as a bona fide hitmaker" praising the song for being as
"equally commercial as it is unique". Andrew Hudson of Pitchfork lauded Khan-Holmes' vocal performance, commenting;
"Billy's belting is bound to make casual listeners and those who stray away from boy bands finally sit up and pay attention" before calling him
"one of the most vocally talented artists in the industry". Billy's rapping skills also received acclaim. Corinne Murray of Spin opined;
"Just like the lyrical content of the song claims, you'll never be able to figure Billy out. Who knew he possessed serious rap skills?". Murray then went on to draw a comparison to Khan-Holmes' younger brother;
"Billy's cadence is not too dissimilar to that of Deneil's, both being rather brash and unashamedly East London. The only difference being Billy's voice having a slight silkier, softer coating in comparison to Deneil's gruffness." Carl Hearne of NME gave a glowing review of both the track and Billy himself, opining;
"Weekend's success as a unit aside, what makes Billy a modern day icon is how incredibly self-aware and headstrong he is. He's rough around the edges but is always first to get the joke in, beating everyone else to the punchline. Nobody can shake him and "Fuck With You" is testament to that. The more that people try to dissect him, the more curveballs he will throw. The more people attack, the more content he provides. He is here to stay and "fuck with" our heads for many years to come."
"Fuck With You"Aching bones from the weight of all your problems
Praying every night that your God will solve them
Do you really think they can crack this one?Easy life but I love to be the hardest
Break a lot of hearts, doesn't mean I'm heartless
Coat of many colours, more attention at my darkest
You'll never have all the pieces to my puzzle
So satisfying watching you squirm and struggle
Super sweet and then I turn things salty
Addictive but I'll rot your teeth like toffee
Keep them whipped, it's more fun when it's frothy
Homeless teen to number one, a real headscratcher
Guess you never know when I am coming at ya
You can call me crazy, you can call me batshit
But you still eat me up 'cause I'm always your favourite
Can't unpack me but you can surely see me naked
It's in your bookmarks, don't even try to fake it
Lot of shit gets said but this much is true
I only want to fuck with you
I only want to fuck with you, with you
Don't act like you haven't got a clue
You're stuck all over me like glue
You love it when I fuck with you
Paint you up in a stark black and blueAh-ah-ah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Ah-ah-ahIt's never fun enough with just an instant kill
You know I gotta have that cat and mouse thrill
Love it when you say my name, even when speaking ill
Shit, I love what I do and I do it for Culture
Can't lose the power if you go directly to the vulture
You can call me crazy me, call me a bastard
But when I drop a track, you're all shaking your arses
Offering weak head for some backstage passes
Toasting my health, now come on and raise your glasses
Lot of shit gets said but this much is true
I only want to fuck with you
I only want to fuck with you, with you
Don't act like you haven't got a clue
You're stuck all over me like glue
You love it when I fuck with you
Paint you up in a stark black and blueAnd if you're curious, you can scratch that itch
But I won't simplify for a simple bitch
You got enough info, I served a whole fucking plate
It ain't my fault if you can't conjugate
Wrapped in rhymes, wrapped in riddles
Dance to my tune while I play the fiddle
Can't believe I give out a lot of content for free
Should be made a saint for all this fucking charity
Low word count? Here's a little inspiration
Go ahead and make me the topic of your conversation
People laying traps, they think I'm a fool?
I clear the net while you jump through my hoops
So go ahead and hit my pics with that zoom
Know you really fucks with me 'cause I fuck with you
Lot of shit gets said but this much is true
I only want to fuck with you
I only want to fuck with you, with you
Don't act like you haven't got a clue
You're stuck all over me like glue
You love it when I fuck with you
Paint you up in a stark black and blueAh-ah-ah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Uh-yeah-eh-yeah
Ah-ah-ahCan Be Compared To:
