It’s no secret The Weeknd and Playboi Carti create generational tracks, but when 00-XO come together, it’s timeless.
As Abel’s presumed final record as The Weeknd, HURRY UP TOMORROW, looms closer each day, the XO superstar follows up his iPhone-shot lead single “Dancing In The Flames” with perhaps one of the most anticipated tracks of the year: “TIMELESS” with Playboi Carti.
First previewed at Abel’s São Paulo show, the track evidently oozes aura at every turn, especially when Carti popped out to perform it alongside him in Brazil. Fleeting, buzzy synths produced by Pharrell (who earns a shout out from The Weeknd on his verse) meet voice-changing raps from Carti and soothing run-offs from The Weeknd, as “TIMELESS” proves to live up to the hype. “TIMELESS” is the second lead single for Abel’s third installment of the After Hours-Dawn FM trilogy; currently trending towards a late-2024, early-2025 release.
This is Abel and Carti’s second collaboration since dropping “POPULAR” for The Weeknd’s HBO series, The Idol. The two also appeared on Metro Boomin and Future’s WE DON’T TRUST YOU, signifying their collective star power as one-of-one icons. The Weeknd is already regarded as the Michael Jackson of our generation, recently becoming the only artist in history to hold 19 songs with 1 billion streams each on Spotify.
Amid Abel’s rollout, Carti is also in the midst of unveiling his long-anticipated album, I AM MUSIC, as 2024 nears its end. Sharing the album’s true lead single “ALL RED” in mid-September, following highly-touted one-off tracks in “H00DBYAIR,” “KETAMINE,” “2024” and more, the Opium leader shared a slew of artworks and pre-order packages for the record, which is still without an official release date. Carti caps a landmark year with performances at Summer Smash, ComplexCon in November and Rolling Loud Miami in December.
With HURRY UP TOMORROW in sight, The Weeknd’s “final chapter” looks to be as timeless as the rest of his catalog.
This story will be updated.
Listen to “TIMELESS” below!