Lay Bankz: Philly's own keeps it 100 and doesn't regret it with 'Tell Ur Girlfriend'

The streets are ruthless and if you’re playing by the rules of hip-hop artist Lay Bankz, it’s only a matter of time before more than just your friends know things are more than just platonic with ‘Tell Ur Girlfriend’ detailing it out.

Lay Bankz lays down the law in ‘Tell Ur Girlfriend’

From the Valentine’s Day vibes brewing to just not being able to resist the power of some lust, Bankz doesn’t hold back with her newest audio gem.

Lay Bankz seamlessly fuses the past, present, and future with her unqiue hybrid of club music, hip-hop, and R&B. The Philadelphia 19-year-old's new single "Tell Ur Girlfriend" succinctly synthesizes her eras-spanning appeal. The new song layers serrated synths and space-age squelches of turn-of-the-millennium R&B atop the sliding 808s of drill and insistent five-beat pattern of East Coast Club to create a futuristic, dancefloor-filling anthem. Twirling melodies and fastpaced rhymes with ease, Lay grounds the proceedings in a well-drawn relationship drama. She and her partner are each stepping out on their significant others, but Lay is tired of living a lie. "If you want me, you gotta put the word in/Tell your girlfriend...that I'm your girlfriend," she sings.

"Tell Ur Girlfriend" continues the momentum from Lay Bankz's breakout 2023, marked by several viral singles and an acclaimed debut EP. She kicked off the year with the frenetic club-rap anthem "Na Na Na," a viral smash that generated over 127k video creations on TikTok and over 45 million global streams. Lay tapped into the zeitgeist once again with her single "ICK!," a ferocious club-rap song about the moment sparks stop flying, which became one of the biggest viral hits of 2023, peaking at #8 on Billboard x TikTok's Viral Chart behind more than 1 million video creations, and generating over 90 million streams across platforms. Both "Na Na Na" and "ICK!" are highlights from Now You See Me, Lay's debut EP, which shows her range across 7 memorable tracks. To close out 2023, Lay released "Sloppy Seconds (Ick Pt. 2)," the equally-cheeky follow-up single to "ICK!," generating nearly 7 million streams since its release in December.

Lay's new singles continue to exhibit why Lay Bankz is one of the most exciting risers in hip-hop and R&B today. Lay Bankz first emerged onto the scene as a dancer, gaining a following on social media with her energetic interpretations of regional dance moves, like the "blick." When she built a large enough platform, she showed the world her true talent with the viral hit "Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)," a club and R&B hybrid that generated nearly 450k creations on TikTok. The success of "Doo Doo Blick" established Bankz as a bonafide TikTok phenomenon–with over 2.4 million followers and 88 million likes–and one of the most sought-after talents in the club scene–she showed off her chops on "PIANO," a highlight from Bandmanrill's debut album, and recently got a call from Ciara, who recruited Lay Bankz to appear on the "Dance Mix" of her new single "Da Girls." Videos of Lay dancing with Ciara generated over 1 million combined views on TikTok. Lay earned critical acclaim from Pitchfork for her seamless club-n-b single "In My Bag," and showed off her bars in a a performance with On The Radar. She was mentioned by Complex as a Philly artist on the rise in their list of The Best Rap Cities Right Now.

Most recently, Lay joined fellow club-influenced artist Skaiwater on "choosin u" and walked the Red Carpet at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Earlier this year, she was named one of Spotify's Most Necessary Artists To Watch for 2024.

With "Tell Ur Girlfriend" and much more on the way, Lay Bankz looks to continue her mission to bring Philly to the masses. Next, Lay performs at Rolling Loud California 2024 in Los Angeles on Friday, March 15th. Stay tuned for much more from the rapidly rising artists as the year continues.