Tone Glow 167: Chow Lee
An interview with the New York rapper about growing up in Long Island, how listening to Charli XCX sharpened his songwriting, and his new album 'Sex Drive'
Chow Lee
Chow Lee (b. 1998) is a Long Island rapper best known for pioneering “sexy drill,” an offshoot of NY drill that favors sultry atmospherics, incorporates Jersey club and 2010s R&B production, and features lyrics that are unabashedly horny. Compared to other subgenres defined by their amorous nature (e.g. lovers rock, pagode romântico), sexy drill is decidedly brash, its simultaneously gauzy and pounding beats acting as conduits for club-ready anthems and hazy late-night soundtracks. In 2022, Lee and producer/rapper Cash Cobain dropped 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy, an album that catapulted both their careers and served as a foundational text for everyone aiming to create sexy drill. Despite the influx of artists aiming for this style, Lee remains one of the genre’s leading stars, due in no small part to his quick-witted punchline raps—his name comes from Ken Jeong’s character in The Hangover (2009). Since 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy dropped, he’s released two solo albums: 2023’s Hours After the Club and 2024’s Sex Drive. More recently, he featured on Bay Swag’s “5 Star” alongside Cash Cobain. Joshua Minsoo Kim spoke with Lee on October 25th, 2024 via Zoom to discuss his childhood, the evolution of his rapping, and learning how to perform live.
Joshua Minsoo Kim: Were you born in Long Island?
Chow Lee: I was born in Brooklyn but I never lived there—I grew up in Long Island.
What was it like growing up there?
My mom used to work at a pharmacy, so I used to wake up mad early because I went to preschool in Brooklyn. And then I started going to school in Long Island in first grade; I used to live right across the street from my elementary school. It was chill—video games, young shit. I got two sisters and one brother, and I’m the youngest. I used to play video games with my brother when he came over—he didn’t live with me, he used to live in Queens.
Do you feel like your mom’s personality rubbed off on who in any way? Like, do you see similarities?
Not really. My mom’s a square—she’s more by the book (laughter).
Then who taught you to not be like that?
It was really just me. Just growing up, being outside and being rebellious. She was really strict, and when you’re really strict on a kid, you’re not trying to be hearing that (laughter). That came early—it was like hell no.
What was school like then for you? Were you a class clown?
Nah, me and my friends were in class laughing and shit. I definitely got in trouble mad times, but I wouldn’t say I was a class clown. In 7th grade I was just fucking around and making songs. At school, people were like, “Aight, I kind of like this song.” I was like, shit, I might as well keep making music. And it was fun to me so I was like, why not? I started taking it more serious.
What was that first song like?
I was on some Chief Keef shit, some AutoTune shit for real. We young so we just tryna rap like Drake and all ’em. You get your vocabulary up. It was some straight, simple-bar shit—just tryna make some shit rhyme. For beats, I was just getting them from YouTube, just “type beats.”
You have that early album, 458’s & Heartbreaks (2018), which is still really early on in your career. What sort of things were you aiming to do with that? I know that Drake has always been an early influence, and I hear that on the album too.
That was really on some alternative shit, some heavy Lil Peep shit, some Thug, some Future. I was and still am a big Lil Peep fan. He used to put 808s on them rockstar beats—shit was hard. He was talkin’ bout that real heartbreak shit. I think I first got into him with HELLBOY (2016). Then I started bumping his shit before that, like the shit with “ghost girl.” [2016’s crybaby]. Then he dropped Come Over When You’re Sober, the first one. That shit was fire.
How’d you end up finding out the sort of artist you wanted to be? You had all these different influences and were making these different albums and there’s a lot that happened before 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy (2022).
As you get older, you got more shit to talk about. And then on top of that, I was just trying different sounds to see if I could do it.
What was the first song where you felt like you could really speak from your experiences?
Everything on 458’s. There’s pain right there. “Worth It,” “Bussin’,” “Halfway to Nirvana.”
You have tracks on there called “Hayley Williams” and “My Bloody Valentine.” You already mentioned Lil Peep, but do you mind talking about these other artists that you reference and what they mean to you?
I like rock music, I be bumpin’ Guns N’ Roses. I fuck with Paramore. That’s what we grew up on—everyone loves Paramore. It’s nostalgic. People were watching MTV and they were always on there. It was easier times, so if you were born in that generation, whenever anyone bring up “Misery Business” people will be like, “I used to watch that on TV!” When I was in college, I was tapping into some mad music. I don’t even know how I came across My Bloody Valentine, but I liked the name. I started going out and buying vinyls. It was a different time. I used to buy old Playboys and CDs—I got Aaliyah’s whole catalogue because it wasn’t streaming yet.
What was the reason for getting the Playboys?
That was just an aesthetic-type shit. I always wanted to collect them and they were cheap as hell—I used to get ’em for $5 on Etsy. I said, fuck it, I’m gonna start a Playboy collection. I still got ’em somewhere—I got the Jerry Seinfeld one!—but my collection is not as big as I thought it was (laughter). I had to cut that shit because I was in college and I was broke. I was like, what am I spending all my money on this for—just to say that I got ’em?
I wanted to go back to My Bloody Valentine. What did you like about them?
I was just bumpin’ My Bloody Valentine to listen to some new shit. I already liked rock music because I used to play Guitar Hero all the time—that’s what made me like rock music. I was playing II, III, and Rock the 80s.
Ah, I didn’t play anything after III.
You had to play World Tour! That’s the one where they gave everyone the drum sets and everything, but III was the best one. My favorite song was “Barracuda” on III, and then on Guitar Hero II it was “Cherry Pie” by Warrant.
Do you remember your first impression of Cash Cobain when you met him?
First impression? We was talkin’ already, just jokin’ and shit. I first found that dog Cash in 2016, I just ain’t know him ’cause we ain’t from the same place—he from the Bronx and I’m from Long Island.
How’d you two first start making music together then?
After we linked up, he used to have studio sessions and he’d tell me to slide. So I’d slide and the guys would be there and we’d all make songs together. He’d make a beat and be like, “Yo Chow, you wanna get on this?” And we just kept doing that. He’d start coming to my house because I like recording at the crib. We had mad songs and then one day we were like, “We gotta drop this.” 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy dropped on bro birthday and after that shit drop, everyone just caught wind of it. We uploaded it and it was just everywhere in the city—and everyone was fuckin’ with it.
What was the first song that you two finished making together?
It might’ve been on his first project—“Body Party.”
That’s on the album [2021’s Nirvana] that also had “I Just Wanna.”
Yeah, “I Just Wanna.”
Do you feel like it was different making those first songs and the ones on 2 Slizzy?
With 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy, we had so much more chemistry. We’d been going outside together. We wasn’t booked to go to the club so we were just going to little New York parties tryna meet girls—that’s all it was. Shit was really 10% music. We were on some hanging out shit, and we be getting more women now. When we made “Body Party,” that was probably the second time we ever linked up after the video shoot where we all linked up for the first time. I just got on the song because he said to get on it.
Cash was comin’ to my crib and would make like one or two songs, and we’d swerve and go out to a party. It just really happened like that, and then it so happened to be 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy. The hanging out was a big part of it—that’s why the chemistry is so good. N****s really know each other for sure.
Did you guys talk beforehand that you wanted to make music for girls and about girls?
We didn’t discuss that—that’s just what we both rapped about. Bro was the one handling the beats and it happened that we were bein’ sexy for the girls. The lyrics have always been the same vibe; it just got more advanced because we got older. And the beats is better now.
Obviously you were inspired by Drake. What about his music spoke to you?
His music’s just relatable, so I jacked Drake. Nothing was the Same (2013) and Views (2016).
Were there other rappers you were thinking about while making 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy?
Honestly nah. That was all us (chuckles).
I love the samples on the album. I love the “Hey There Delilah” song and the Prince Royce sample for “Hornitos.”
Cash sent me “HATE U DELILAH” and I was like, that shit hard. He sent it over and I finished it. “Hornitos,” I did that shit with Nu Sace and I knew they were gonna love that sample.
Are you meticulous about writing your raps?
When I’m in the studio I just punch in, it’s the same shit for real. I’m just gonna think about it and say it. Sometimes I’ll take my time to write them and they’ll come out better, like on “advance w her!” and “bangbang!”
Do you mind talking about that? Like, how did “advance w her!” change over time?
I don’t even know how to explain it for real. I was just talkin’ shit (laughter).
Was there a certain moment in real life where you realized that a lot of people were fuckin’ with you? Obviously 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy was the breakthrough.
I was outside and people were playing that shit in the car. Just hearing that shit around and people tagging us and bumpin’ us on TikTok… that’s when shit was getting real. When you outside and you hear yo shit, that’s it.
Where was the first show that you had with Cash?
Baby’s All Right—that was a 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy show. We sold it out. I don’t think we did any solo shit—we just did the whole album. Everybody knew the words and it was a light show the whole time—it made n****s feel like stars. After that we were doin’ mad bookings. We did Rolling Loud in Miami together. That shit was a movie. Some people even knew the shits there and we were still on the come up—I mean, we’re still on the come up now, but you could see people in the crowd singin’ our shit. And even if they weren’t singin’, they were jackin’ it. They were fuckin’ with us. That was the first time being on a big stage like that—we really seized the moment.
Were you nervous at all about that first show at Baby’s All Right?
Nah. Once it sold out it was like, aight bet, it’s about to be a movie. It’s not like they’re comin’ in here to not fuck with us—they’re here to show love. Soon as we walked out it was over.
Are there specific things you’ve learned in terms of being a performer?
I learned that shit at Rolling Loud. Not everyone is gonna know your shit, so you gotta perform anyway. When we bein’ in New York, we get spoiled ’cause everyone know our shit, so we don’t really gotta do too much. We just vibe out. When you performin’ in front of people who don’t know your shit… I learned all that from Rolling Loud and from going on tour with Tecca. I definitely had to up it, I had to bring that energy. You gon’ gain a fan if you go up there. If you start getting frustrated because n****s is not really vibin’ out to your shit, most of the time it’s because they don’t know your songs. It’s not that they don’t fuck with it, they just never heard it before. You just gotta perform.
I always used to watch videos of Uzi and Carti—they be goin’ crazy. I’d watch Kanye and Drake too. I’d be watchin’ other sets from Rolling Loud and be like, “Let me take that move right there.” Even with crowd control, I’d watch what n****s say and take certain phrases. Once you start doing shit like that, that’s gon’ make them fuck with you even more. If you go up there and start interacting with n****s saying, “Left side make some noise! Right side made some noise!” they gon’ fuck with you. If the shit is wack then the shit is wack (laughter). But if you got some good music and do some shit with the crowd, you always gonna gain a fan.
That’s why I really like “Jatty” from Hours After the Club (2023). You’re doing that exact thing.
Ah yeah, that’s for the girl interactions. Most of the time, when people be on stage and say “make some noise,” the crowd is gonna make noise (laughter). You might as well just interact.
What sort of things were you trying to do with that album? It was your first solo album after 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy dropped.
I wanted people to hear other pockets that I could get in. I wanted more of the artistry side. I really wanted to make it feel like the club—I was listening to more Jersey shit like Bandman. I was even listening to pop shit like Charli XCX, switchin’ it up. I was tryna make the songs match the creative direction of the album.
What did you learn from listening to someone like Charli XCX versus someone like Bandmanrill?
I was looking for how to structure a song—that’s what pop stars do. They not really sayin’ too much, and you gotta know what lyrics to put where. You say a couple things that’s catchy, keep repeating that shit, and you gotta know where to put it because when they sing live, they’re about to perform it. They just know what the crowd wants to hear and what will grab the crowd. There was more studying involved for the lyrics. I said Bandman because he was one of the first rappers to be rappin’ on the Jersey club shit, so I had to give him his credit on that.
What were you trying to do with Sex Drive then?
Now that I’ve studied this shit and am more advanced, Sex Drive was easier to make. I knew what the fuck I was doin’—it was a little more effortless. I’m always just making songs and, over time, I’m like “I gotta drop a project” and start picking which songs could go where.
I remember I got an early version of an album through the [untitled] app and it kept changing multiple times up until the release date. There were a lot of songs getting switched in and out.
I also added all of them skits the night before. I’m a big meme guy so I just be havin’ mad funny ass shit in my phone. I was like, “I’m about to start putting these shits in my songs.” I did one and then said, “Fuck it, I’m gonna keep adding shit to make it more entertaining.” One of them is from a movie, most of them is just videos I saw online. When I see some funny shit—or something I could sample in a song—I just save it. Like with “ms. beautiful V!” there’s the “gimme some of that vaginneeerrr”—that shit is funny as hell and I just threw that on there. That’s probably 50% or even more of why people love that song anyway. As soon as you hear that, people fuck with it. I be on some witty shit.
Are you often thinking about how to make your songs funny?
Nah, I’m not telling people, “We gotta make this shit funny.”
There were other things that changed with the album release, too. There’s the original version of “settings!” that has an En Vogue sample, which is only in the music video now.
That and “addys!” We was gettin’ away with murder before. Now that there’s more eyes on us and people keep hittin’ us up, I didn’t wanna get sued, so we’re just playing it safe.
Do you feel like that’s changed the way you approach your songs now that you’re not able to use as many samples as before?
Not really. I’m not making the beats—I just rap. Nowadays, I tell people to send me beats without samples because we might not wanna pay to clear them. Some of them shits you can get away with, though. Like the videos, those shits is just online—you can’t do nothin’ to me bro (laughter).
What was it like to bring on the women for the album? You have Flo Milli on the “swag it!” remix and Anycia on “get back!”
I always wanted to work with women but didn’t know who. It was a switch-up doing that. They bring in more fans for you because they got their own fans, so it was a good experiment. Me and Anycia already followed each other and I was in Atlanta—I think “ms. beautiful V!” was out at the time. I hit her up because I was bored as hell—she was in the studio and said to pull up. She said she liked the sexy drill shit I was doin’ and wanted to do one with me, and we just made the song that day. I also did some shit with skaiwater—he was in the next room. Atlanta just be funny like that—people say pull up and all that stuff happens. Skaiwater is my dog. We about to drop some shit in November.
Sexy drill has really blown up in the past year. What’s it been like to see all that happening given you and Cash were pioneering that style?
It’s a blessing. We knew we was up to something and to see everyone else do it, it’s a stamp now—like, we made that.
Do you ever get annoyed and feel like people are ripping you off?
Not really. That just comes with this shit. You can’t be mad when you make a wave and people try to do it. And it don’t even matter to me because they can’t do it like us—they know who started this shit. And we be showing everyone love, we’re embracing that.
I end all my interviews by asking the same question and I wanted to ask it to you: Do you mind sharing one thing you love about yourself?
I’m sexy (laughter). I’m sexy creative.
Chow Lee’s Sex Drive is out now on all streaming platforms.
Thank you for reading the 167th issue of Tone Glow. They call me Mr. Vagina (not ’cause I’m pussy but ’cause I know that pussy like inside and outside).
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