Let Gravy live his life, c’est la vie

Neha Seenarine, Arts & Life Editor

Illustration by (Amanda Riha)

Ever since Yung Gravy released “Betty (Get Money)” in June, I have thought about him every day. It’s not that I have a crush on him, it’s that his legal first name is Matthew.

Although Gravy haunts my thoughts, my odd fascination with him led me to listen to his latest single, “C’est La Vie” featuring bbno$ and Rich Brian released on Sept. 23. Before listening to this track, I knew what I was getting myself into: meaningless lyrics with 80s references and Gravy rapping about clapping cheeks.

However, I don’t need to listen to a song with a deep meaning to enjoy it, so I’m all aboard the Gravy train.

“C’est La Vie” was released at the wrong time of the year. The song sounds like a love child between LMFAO and Macklemore during their prime on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012. In my mind, it would be perfect for college kids to listen on spring break in Daytona Beach.

Despite the track coming out as people are trading in their flip-flops for fuzzy socks, it’s a fun listen. The six-second introduction of “C’est La Vie” starts with an electric guitar before cueing a beat perfect for fist-pumping.

There is zero complexity to this song as Gravy raps, “Finger-lickin’ good like it’s KFC / I learned to count a mil’ before my ABCs.” I’m pretty sure “C’est La Vie” will not be studied in a music history course in the foreseeable future.

Before the song’s release, I was not familiar with featured artists bbno$ and Rich Brian. Gravy and bbno$ have collaborated multiple times and it seems like he is the Robin to Gravy’s Batman. The duo understands each other’s flow, but at the same time, they’re not codependent.

Rich Brian is an Indonesian rapper who gained success on SoundCloud. “C’est La Vie” was my first introduction to Rich Brian and there was a point where I couldn’t differentiate his voice from Gravy. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was featured on more of Gravy’s projects.

The track is the second single from Gravy’s upcoming album, “Marvelous.” “C’est La Vie” compared to “Betty (Get Money)” shows listeners that Gravy has common themes in his music. His songs usually thrive off of groovy beats sampled from songs like Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and his experiences with different women.

However, in “Betty (Get Money),” the song succeeded from its addictive bridge, “Damn Gravy, you so vicious / You so clean, so delicious / How come you ain’t got no misses?” This part of the song is the sole reason why I’m so invested in Gravy’s work. If I somehow missed this single in the past few months, “C’est La Vie” would not have had an intriguing impact on me.

Gravy’s music has been popularized by TikTok creators dancing to his songs, “oops!” and “Betty (Get Money).” He also has shared his commentary on the social media platform on his admiration for mothers and making it his entire personality.

If Gravy wasn’t an artist, I’m sure we’d see him as another 6’7” guy from a fraternity and that’s what seems genuine about him. He doesn’t have the superstardom persona attached to him, Gravy just wants to live his life, c’est la vie.