Do Not Sleep on Tkay Maidza and JPEGMAFIA's "Awake"

image

Nearly a year ago, Zimbabwe-Australian up-and-comer Tkay Maidza dropped Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1, an eight-track project that established her claim as Australia's queen of hip-hop. In spite of claiming her rightful throne, the past year has been relatively quiet for Maidza, well at least until now.    

The return of Maidza is nothing short of explosive, as her latest single "Awake" sees her linking up with hip-hop punk maverick JPEGMAFIA. Opening on a barrage of distorted alien production, there is an adrenaline-pumping, mosh-ensuing energy from the very outset that does not let up for a second. "I don't really know how to be tired/ A.d.d. my day is like a riot/ If the beat is David I'm Goliath," throws down Maidza in a verse that lives up to the earworm of the chorus. Not to be overshadowed by the thundering production on display, Maidza quickly dives into a deluge of bars that manages to nod to Adderall, clout-chasers, and biblical legends in less than a minute flat.

The unfathomably high-energy nature of the entire affair ramps up to 11 when JPEGMAFIA joins the fray to deliver an array of spitfire bars in his characteristic hard-hitting flow. Arriving just the day after JPEGMAFIA dropped his new single "Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot," is clear both him and Maidza are giving us no time at all to rest.  

Indeed, this is a collaboration not to be slept on - what we have right here is the perfect blend of trap, hip-hop, and punk. And while there have been many discussions as to what punk today looks like, if we had to stake our claim, we would imagine it sounds a lot like Tkay Maidza and JPEGMAGIA in "Awake."

Watch the video for "Awake" below:

Related Articles

Kenny Mason Turns Trash to Treasure With BULLDAWG

Kenny Mason Turns Trash to Treasure With BULLDAWG

May 26, 2026 At the center of the album, Kenny frames the world we live in as a “junkyard” — a place where artists, people and ideas are constantly challenged, judged, dismissed or repurposed. But the BULLDAWG isn’t interested in being defeated.
Author: Kiani Shabazz
rap
PawPaw Rod Paints With Different Shades Of Blue In Blissfully Personal Debut Album “Picture Day” [Q&A]

PawPaw Rod Paints With Different Shades Of Blue In Blissfully Personal Debut Album “Picture Day” [Q&A]

May 15, 2026 We chat with the prolific star about sorting through endless voice memos, how to find the right collaborators, and his incredible record Picture Day being the ultimate guide to Oklahoma-raised PawPaw Rod.
Author: Giselle Libby
pop
R&B
WHIPPED CREAM Declares that HOME WAS ALWAYS ME On Her Debut Album [Q&A]

WHIPPED CREAM Declares that HOME WAS ALWAYS ME On Her Debut Album [Q&A]

May 1, 2026 We sat down with the powerhouse of a producer and artist to hear her incredible journey to stardom and more on this album.
Author: DJ Connor
DJ