“That Way”

The only reasonable response to hearing “That Way,” where Lil Uzi Vert interpolates the Backstreet Boys’ hook to “I Want It That Way” into a hypnotic chant, is to conclude that the Philly rapper makes the best Dance Dance Revolution music. Produced by Supah Mario, the dreamy beat sounds like entering a portal that lets you out at a 3 a.m. party where everyone is dressed like they’re in the opening scene of Blade.

Though the words “Backstreet Boys interpolation” may make you think “That Way” is a gimmick, it is actually a return to the shoulder shimmying, eye-rolling, singing Hayley Williams in the backseat of a car Uzi, whose animated personality made his meteoric rise possible. “They laugh at me because I’m emo” is one of those Uzi lines that couldn’t be said by anyone else. Yet, while his vocal delivery on the track mirrors his early singles, “That Way” is full of the trance-like spirit and pure fire of recent songs like “Futsal Shuffle” and “Free Uzi.” Uzi may be rap’s only superstar ready for both a Funk Flex radio freestyle and Cascada night at the club.