For a half-decade now, Cassie’s zero gravity R&B of yore has been powering the music of dance producers and fellow singers looking to emulate her barely-there sensuality. Meanwhile, present-day Cassie has been incorporating a harder edge, most notably on April’s rap heavy mixtape RockaByeBaby, which featured guest spots from Rick Ross, Meek Mill, French Montana, Pusha T, and Too $hort.
It also sported “I Know What You Want,” which lifts the beat from Kendrick Lamar’s “m.A.A.d city,” the classic West Coast throwback on his ponderous debut LP. Cassie assumes the aggression of Lamar’s track, but directs it toward the bedroom: “You want everything / So let’s do everything.” The video, directed by Chris Latouche and Jay-Ohh, applies colorful graphics to an otherwise slate mise en scéne, as if it intended to bridge two eras — the So Me-era and Grecian, respectively — of Kanye West aesthetics.
