It’s been awhile since we heard from Normani — 553 days, in fact! Last was in January 2020, with her Birds of Prey cut “Diamonds” with Megan Thee Stallion, and a lot has changed since then. A year and a half after that collaboration, the singer is back with “Wild Side,” this time backed by Megan’s partner in “WAP,” Cardi B. Continuing her love for late ’90s and early ’00s sounds, Normani prominently interpolates the late Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” and somehow makes the idiosyncratic classic all her own while straying away from the pop sounds of 2019’s “Motivation.”
Beginning with a sultry intro that includes rattling bass, programmed drums, and distorted yelps, the singer immediately sets the tone of the track before she gets to the first verse. After asking her partner what they’d like to do with her, she gets real carnal in the pre-chorus — “drip, drip, drip when you slide in/fit, fit, fit, baby, right in” — before launching into the smoothest chorus of the year. Cardi’s part is her usual feature fare with some meme-able bars, but the real treat here is the bridge and the extended outro (remember those?). With how varied songs like “Motivation” and “Wild Side” are from each other, only one thing is certain about Normani’s upcoming debut album: it’ll be an event no one will want to miss.
Rating: 4.5/5