
John Legend is known for his ballads aimed squarely at adult contemporary radio these days, but it shouldn't be forgotten that the crooner is also capable of making a banger. In case you forgot about tracks like his hit "Green Light," John gives us a quick reminder with the release of his new single "Dope."
The song is all about being turned on and turned out by an attractive lady who's too hot to handle. In fact, John can't stop singing her praises. "She roll up, it's automatic / My mood is on ecstatic / She lightning straight to the vein," he sings on the opening verse. "She beautiful, she magic / She chemical reactive / I'm burning out in her flame." As he sings, producers Ryan Tedder and Ian Kirkpatrick lace him with a beat that crackles like fire while also reminding us of the early 2000s reign of The Neptunes on the airwaves.
That's one of the reasons why the guest verse from rapper JID feels right at home here, with his rhymes riding the groove of the song perfectly. He continues the song's intoxicating metaphors throughout his verse, segueing perfectly into John's soaring falsetto once the chorus comes back into the picture.
"'Dope' is one of my favorites. I love the energy of the song," the singer said of the song in a press statement. "I loved collaborating with my gifted co-writers and producers, and JID is one of my favorite emerging artists in hip-hop. I hope the song can be a part of people's soundtrack for this summer."
While "Dope" has arrived just in time for the weather to warm up, John Legend steered clear of announcing when exactly we could expect that new album. We think everyone's more than fine to bump this one in our ears until he's ready to reveal that information, though. Check out "Dope" when you press play and then sing along with the song's lyric video below.