Justin Bieber’s love for hip-hop is influencing his new sound. The pop sensation shows off his rap skills on his new single “Boyfriend,” which is being compared to Justin Timberlake and the Ying Yang Twins.
The teen idol’s first single from his upcoming album Believe was produced by Mike Posner. Mick Lee, a DJ on Baltimore’s Z104.3, had a chance to hear the record in advance of its March 26 release and described it is a mix of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” and ‘N Sync’s “Girlfriend.”
“Wow….so much different than his previous music,” wrote Lee. “AND get this… he raps…best comparison is it sounds like ‘Wait’ by the Ying Yang Twins.”
This would not be the Biebs first time rapping. He busted out some rhymes on his Christmas album Under the Mistletoe and collaborations with Chris Brown and Jaden Smith. He also freestyled over Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?” and Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis” during radio station visits.
The follow-up to 2010’s My World 2.0 is expected to have a more mature and urban sound judging from Bieber’s collaborators, which include Pharrell, Drake, Timbaland, Danja, Hit-Boy, will.i.am, Diplo, and more.