Say what you will about Drake borrowing from other artists, but he gets away with so much because, at his best, he dramatically reinvents the source material, building it into a new idea rather than merely restating the original. “Hotline Bling” is not the same as D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha.”“One Dance” may feature Kyla and Wizkid, but it’s impossible to imagine either releasing something quite like that on their own. Rihanna and Drake’s “Work” is on another level from even OVO Sound insiders PARTYNEXTDOOR’s demo. And so on. (OK, maybe he didn’t really add much to iLoveMakonnen’s “Tuesday”—other than to help make it a hit, which isn’t nothing.)
PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “Come and See Me” has been reworked before, most prominently by Erykah Badu, who also took “Hotline” and, indeed, made it her own. But SZA is the first to fully transform the song, reversing the late-night phone-call storyline into her own “twoAM.” With inspired vulnerability that contrasts with impeccably poised vocals, she uses the familiar hook and slinky, downtempo-R&B instrumental to frame an intimately detailed tale of early-hours hookups with someone of whom she says “I know you don’t love me,” but also “I know you’re mine.” Then it veers off in an entirely new, guitar-driven direction at the end, holding out hope for more SZA music soon.