New Music: Snoh Aalegra feat. Vince Staples - 'Nothing Burns Like the Cold'
A year after dropping her Don’t Explain EP, Snoh Aalegra taps Vince Staples for their icy collaboration “Nothing Burns Like the Cold.”
The title’s clever play on words flows nicely with Snoh’s name, but it’s also a sign of the song’s emotional tone. “You say let it breathe, but this pain in my heart can’t let it be,” she sings. “We both can’t agree / Then tell me what is the point?”
Staples lends his poetic flair to the track, ruminating on an unstable relationship. “Good mornin’, darlin’,” he raps. “I see you fallin’ / In and out of love / Is it because you’re cold and heartless?”
Produced by Christian Rich, “Cold” takes its melancholy groove from the classic “Medley: Ike’s Rap II/Help Me Love.” The 1971 cut from Black Moses has been sampled numerous times, most notably by Portishead for “Glory Box” and most recently by Alessia Cara on “Here.”
Tomorrow, Snoh is set to take the stage at the heralded Soulquarius festival. Dubbed an “R&B Jam,” the bill also includes R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Ja Rule, and Ashanti, among others.
This is a reunion for Vince and Snoh, who previously collaborated on “Jump Off the Roof,” a standout from Staples’ 2015 album, Summertime ’06. Now, they’re back with some more soul.
Listen to Snoh Aalegra’s “Nothing Burns Like the Cold” below.