Issa Rae’s follow-up to Insecure is already off to a strong start, as fans have taken to the first two episodes of Rap Sh!t on HBO Max the same way they took to her breakout show. And, in an immaculate example of Issa’s marketing prowess, the signature song from burgeoning on-screen Miami rap duo Mia and Shawna, “Seduce & Scheme,” has received an official release from Issa’s Atlantic-backed label, Raedio.
In the show, “Seduce & Scheme” is the result of a drunken late-night reunion between the two lead characters after their post-high school falling out. It goes viral, becoming the launching point for their rap group ambitions, with Mia encouraging the passionate but preachy Shawna to loosen up while Mia learns to take herself and her own talent more seriously. The show, which is also executive produced by City Girls, is a loose re-telling of the Quality Control hitmakers’ own origin story, with some Issa Rae flair thrown in.
So far, fans have been loving the show’s subtle social commentary on subjects like the double standards for women in rap and the seemingly incessant cultural appropriation surrounding the genre. Highlighting the latter, viewers were delighted by the show’s use of a real-life viral moment to promote an in-show character’s “hit” song. Atlanta rapper Omeretta The Great had posted what looked to be a white woman covering her viral hit “Sorry Not Sorry,” imitating the streetwise declarations that the surrounding suburbs were “not Atlanta.”
I’m crying Wtf is this?
pic.twitter.com/6plL3UGdH5
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(@omeretta4l) July 21, 2022
In reality, it turns out that the rapper, Reina Reign, was actually an actor, Kat Cunning, gamely playing the role of a clueless appropriator who switches from doing acoustic covers of rap songs to full-on Black girl cosplay in an effort to bank off the increasing popularity of female rappers. And just like that video went viral, Rap Sh!t‘s signature single — which was penned in part by real rapper Dreezy and some of the show’s staff, looks like it’s going to be a hit as well.
You can listen to “Seduce & Scheme” above.
Raedio is a subsidiary of Warner Music. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.