What do a thoughtful rapper, a world-class boxer, and an Internet sensation-turned-festival circuit wunderkind have in common? All are featured guests on two brand new songs released Tuesday off of Detroit-native Madonna’s forthcoming album, Rebel Heart.
Mike Tyson opens “Iconic” with an inspirational speech about (what else?) being the best before the song transitions into an NRG-filled electro-pop anthem, showing that Madonna has not lost her aptitude for pop hits. The track slows down roughly three minutes in for a well-timed infusion of Chance the Rapper’s flow.
“Veni Vidi Vici,” features Madonna and Nas recounting their humble beginnings and subsequent prolific music careers. Madonna vanquishes her haters, Nas overcomes divorce and marches on Ferguson, and both artists annihilate any doubt you may have had that they truly did come, see, and conquer.
If these two early releases weren’t enough, on Thursday, another track from Rebel Heart — “Living for Love” — had the distinction of being the first song ever to premiere (in video form) on the social media app Snapchat. Once again, Madonna shows that she hasn’t slowed down when it comes to distributing her music through innovative means.
After over thirty years of churning out genre-defining pop, Madge has claimed the right to identify as “Iconic.” Not only is she still on top of the latest tech trends, but the versatility she displays with her melodic pseudo-rapping and catchy pop hooks, combined with her fitting inclusions of Nas, Chance, and, yes, even Mike Tyson, proves once again that Madonna has justly earned her claim to the throne as the Queen of Pop.
Rebel Heart, Madonna’s thirteenth studio album, is scheduled for release on March 10. Listen to the newly released tracks and watch the video for “Living for Love” below:
“Iconic”
“Veni Vidi Vici”