Songs We Love: Kali Uchis, 'Ridin Round'

Enlarge this image

Kali Uchis. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of the artist

Kali Uchis.

Courtesy of the artist

Even when she's singing in her best baby voice, Kali Uchis has her middle finger raised.

"What you waiting for?" she taunts sweetly in "Ridin Round," a standout from her new EP, Por Vida. The vocalist, a Colombia native reared in the D.C. suburbs, has been perfecting the art of the kiss-off track since high school. Now, she's nailed it with an askew beat from Bunx and words that smile while they aim for a place where, unlike her new residence of L.A., the sun rarely shines.

Uchis' favorite target? Dudes who underestimate her. "Ridin Round" finds her mocking some guy who thought she couldn't "cross the street without holding his hand." Fool.

"Now, his face is looking kinda flustered," Uchis coos. "He didn't know that I was my own hustler." The track sounds like a playground rhyme — but it's a rhyme for girls who don't play.