Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role as writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.

Tempo — Lizzo ft. Missy Elliott ★★★★☆

Lizzo has become a staple when it comes to listening to music about loving yourself, and her new song “Tempo” ft. Missy Elliott is no different. The song opens up with a very unexpected, but awesome guitar riff that heavily contrasts the rest of the song, yet surprisingly works. Right off the bat, this song preaches loving yourself as a plus-size woman and to be unapologetically yourself. “Tempo” is so important for anybody who has ever felt bad about their body because it teaches you to love the skin you’re in. It’s a song that you can’t sit down for, you have to sit up and dance or move your body. The bass is booming and the flow is crazy. For parties, this song is a must. In Elliott’s verse, her flow mixed with her play on words flawlessly. Elliott’s verse adds another great layer to the song, even though the song would still be great without it. “Tempo” is not an everyday song, simply because I’m not this hype every day. But if you need a song too hype yourself up or spread some body positivity, add “Tempo” to your playlist.

Unemployed — Tierra Whack ★★★★☆

Personally, I think rapper Tierra Whack is a severely underrated artist. She consistently puts out great music and her newest single “Unemployed” is no exception. Once again Whack brings her wacky vibes to rap. Without a doubt, she is one of the most talented female rap artists out there right now and “Unemployed” really shows her chops. In addition, the production on this song is very different from other trap beats, yet it has all the same elements as a normal trap song. Whack uses a similar equation to making a trap song, but she adds her own flavor to every song she comes out with. I can’t explain the vibe I get, but there’s always something that makes her different from everybody else. “Unemployed” is the very distinct flute sound at the beginning and the end of the song that doesn’t fit at all with the rest of the song but breaks up the bass nicely. All in all, there’s a reason Apple Music named Tierra Whack their new Up Next artist, so do yourself a favor and listen to “Unemployed” right now.

Te Robaré — Nicky Jam ft. Ozuna ★★☆☆☆

“Te Robaré” definitely sounds like every other reggaeton I’ve ever heard and rightfully so it’s disappointing. I love Nicky Jam and Ozuna, yet “Te Robaré” wasn’t their best work. Both artists are very talented rappers, but the song fell short of their past collaborations and singles. The lyrics were borderline sexist and there was no real substance to anything they were saying. The only fun thing about this song is the beat. I love reggaeton beats so much and it’s what keeps me coming back to the genre. Like trap music, there is a special formula that makes up reggaeton music and this song perfectly exemplifies that formula for a good reggaeton beat. It’s got the bass and the synth, but sadly a weak flow. Reggaeton music is very similar to hip-hop, but don’t expect any lyrical genius. “Te Robaré” is really only good for the beat and that’s probably the only reason I will listen to it again.