Just a couple of months ago, J.P. only had seven thousand followers on Instagram. The rapper’s fans were dedicated, but he wasn’t well known outside of Milwaukee city limits. Well, now he’s a budding celebrity and a recognized talent, and people all over the world are dancing to his music. Part of that spectacular rise is a consequence of his winning personality: he’s funny, audacious, lively, controversial, and a breath of fresh air in a rap scene that had gotten serious. But most of it is down to a single song.

The success of “Bad Bitty” was inevitable. It’s the sort of recording that sounds like a club classic from the moment listeners press play. It transcends hip-hop and becomes part of the landscape of popular music. J.P.’s anthem to hedonism will go down as the song that ate spring 2024, and as its popularity grows, it’s likely to cast a long, gyrating shadow over the summer, too. It’s a rare track that rap fans, R&B fans, pop fans, and even country fans can agree on — and shake it to.

Though it’s a brief encounter, it’s a testament to J.P.’s versatility. He’s a sweet and soulful singer as well as a skilled rapper, and he sounds just as good without effects on his voice as he does when he’s singing through processing. In a minute and fifty-four seconds, he demonstrates all of that, and he does it over a beat designed to move the dance floor. The star leads with his sense of humor and fun, but when he tells the deejay to set up his song next, he does it with the authority of a man who knows he’s on the verge of a breakthrough.

Before TeeGlazedIt made this celebratory video for “Bad Bitty,” J.P. earned millions of views with a simple, pared-down performance clip for the song that caught the emcee in action in an urban backyard. The vocalist made it clear that he’s not the sort of dancefloor commander who’s disinclined to get into the action himself. Instead, he danced straight through the sequence with a huge smile on his face, radiating joy, confidence and delight in the pleasure of movement. The “Bad Bitty” clip extends that energy — and this time, he’s brought his friends along. One at a time, they do what millions have already done and millions more will soon do: they dance to a beat that’s undeniable, enjoyable, and endlessly replayable.

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