DJ Khaled has some singles you may have heard. But just in case you haven’t, he’s recruited some help for his latest effort, “No Brainer”: Justin Bieber. Quavo. Chance the Rapper. Just a few names. No big deal.
“No Brainer” is being dubbed by some the “single of the summer” for its smooth beats and catchy vibe, thanks to the trio of guest vocalists who’ve helped create it. And the song itself is simple. A “no brainer,” one might say. It’s about one woman who catches the attention of three men—all of whom want her for themselves.
Justin, Quavo and Chance the Rapper all want a chance to convince the same girl that they’re the one to choose.
Justin, not surprisingly, pours on the sweet talk: “You stick out of the crowd, baby, it’s a no brainer.” Then he turns up the temperature, bragging that one night with him will have her locked down for life: “It ain’t that hard to choose/Him or me, be for real, baby, it’s a no brainer/… One night’ll change your whole life.” But this woman is more than just “drop-dead gorgeous,” Justin claims, more than someone who just walked by, caught his eye and “demanded my attention.” That’s because her “presence is critical/Movin’ my soul, yea you’re spiritual.” She’s on another level, he says: “D–n right.”
Quavo takes another tack, courting the woman with a violent metaphor: “Blow the brains outta your mind (ooh)/And I ain’t talkin’ ’bout physically (no)/I’m talkin’ ’bout mentally.” Quavo says she “look like she nasty” yet somehow “classy,” especially when she’s “dancin’.” So he wants to get her alone and then take her “to the mansion.”
Then there’s Chance the Rapper, who wants his chance, too. But first, a little about Chance: “Don’t look rich, I ain’t got no chain huh/Not on the list, I ain’t got no name.” But don’t count him out yet: “We in this b–ch, b–ch, I’m not no lame/And I keep it Ben Franklin, I’m not gon’ change.” He wants this special someone to know that a “lot of these hoes is messy” but not her. He just wants “you and your bestie” to remember him when he texts, because he knows he’s competing with “Justin, Qua’ and Asahd.” That said, he believes the odds are in his favor because, “She told me that she love that I make music for God.” His next response is decidedly less spiritual, however, as he serenades his would-be partner with lewd lyrics about what he hopes her anatomy can do for him.
The video, for its part, features the trio, plus DJ Khaled, behind the scenes of the making of the music video itself. They’re filming, dancing and getting dressed up to go to an on-set party. Some of the men and ladies smoke cigars, vape, drink alcohol (which they have in multiple scenes) and wear revealing outfits. One shot in particular features Quavo painting a woman (dressed provocatively) who stands as his muse.
DJ Khaled has a few things he likes to shout out at the end of his videos. For example, “Father of Asahd!” (his baby boy) or “Another one!” which signifies that he’s just made another hit.
And that’s exactly what this song seems to be: another one. Another track filled with big names. Another track filled with profanity. Another track filled with objectification. Another track featuring guest contributors trying to outdo one another in narcissistic excess.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
