Brent Faiyaz and Drake notch their first official collaboration today with the former artist’s new single, “Wasting Time.” Featuring production from The Neptunes, the song features cover art that’s clearly inspired by Pharrell’s 2006 solo album, In My Mind. Drake drops references to the hit Netflix series (and novel) The Queen’s Gambit on his verse, while Brent pleads for a woman to “waste your time” with him.
As Genius contributor EasternStreak notes in an annotation, Drake weaves multiple chess references into the verse by playing off The Queen’s Gambit. He begins by shouting out the series' main character:
New piece around my neck, it’s chest games
‘Cause shorty stay with calculatin’ moves, like Beth Harmon
He drops a second chess reference later on:
Checkmate, even though you hate that I even check her
I’ll still get an E for effort
The song’s chorus finds Faiyaz pining for some alone time:
If you’re gonna waste your time
Then waste your time with me
You can have all the space
More than you need
It’s no pressure, girl
Earlier this year, Faiyaz announced the title of his upcoming album, Make It Out Alive, in an interview with Vogue, a project “Wasting Time” is likely to be a part of. Fans are also awaiting news about Drake’s long-anticipated album, Certified Lover Boy, although there’s still no official release date for either album.
Read all the lyrics to Brent Faiyaz’s “Wasting Time” featuring Drake on Genius now.
