It’s easy to forget just how young Lil Tecca still is. The Queens native who broke through with “Ransom” in 2019 was only 16, yet he sounded like someone who had already clocked a decade in the game. That early explosion came with expectations—some met, others sidestepped—but in 2025, Tecca seems to have fully settled into his lane. “OWA OWA,” his latest single, doesn’t push boundaries so much as it lounges inside them, but it does so with a knowing smirk and a surprisingly infectious polish.
The song leans heavily on a reimagining of The Buggles’ 1979 new wave hit “Video Killed the Radio Star,” a song with a loaded legacy. But rather than using the reference as a gimmick or nostalgia-bait, Lil Tecca warps it into his own hazy universe of flexes and flirtations. His flow is casual to the point of horizontal, drifting between clever punchlines and melodic mumbles. “She want a pop star, rock star / I got new hoes on my roster,” he declares—half boast, half shrug. It’s vintage Tecca: detached, confident, and slicker than it sounds at first pass.
The “OWA OWA” video matches the song’s vibe perfectly. Tecca’s out on a low-stakes date, hopping between arcade games and grassy fields, all while the camera captures that Gen Z dreaminess: bright neon, low saturation, and an air of effortless cool. The graffitied “Dopamine” wall may be more than just a prop—if the speculation’s right, it could hint at his next full-length project. Considering his upcoming “Dopamine Experience” tour in Europe, that theory’s more than plausible.
What stands out most here is how unbothered it all feels. “OWA OWA” isn’t the kind of track that demands your attention—it coasts. But that’s the trick. Lil Tecca has always excelled at creating music that burrows in your head not because it begs you to listen, but because it’s just too smooth to ignore. The production balances icy minimalism with a familiar melodic hook, drawing you in with subtle magnetism rather than brute force.
There’s no attempt at reinvention here, no heavy-handed pivot to something “serious” or “mature.” Instead, Lil Tecca is playing to his strengths: a light touch, a knack for melody, and the ability to tap into the dopamine-drip atmosphere of post-genre rap. If “OWA OWA” is a preview of what’s to come, then Dopamine might not just be the name of a tour or an album. It might be a statement of intent.
