# @popbase on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc2iCbWHYV2
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70059016-popbase-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/3c2721af21.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04T04:30:01.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Pop Base (@PopBase) — https://gondola.cc/PopBase

## Caption

6 years ago today, SZA released “Hit Different” feat. Ty Dolla $ign & The Neptunes.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, working together as The Neptunes, produced 'Hit Different' alongside Rob Bisel, with SZA and Ty Dolla Sign co-writing the track during a session recorded at DJ Khaled's house that February. The release marked SZA's first new solo music since her breakout 2017 album, 'CTRL,' arriving after months of visible frustration on her part, having publicly tweeted that Top Dawg Entertainment president Punch was intentionally holding her new album back, a moment that sparked fans to rally around the hashtag #FreeSZA.

Speaking with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, SZA described the collaboration with Pharrell and Chad Hugo as almost surreal given how formative they'd been to her growing up, admitting she cried explaining to Pharrell what his music had meant to her as one of few Black kids in her suburban neighborhood. Lyrically, the song plays as a torch song about being pulled back toward a partner who's emotionally unreliable, opening with Pharrell's signature four-count intro before settling into a mid-tempo groove built around SZA's dreamy vocals and Ty Dolla Sign's smooth, cooing chorus. SZA also directed the accompanying music video herself, marking her directorial debut, with visuals spanning a barn full of animals, an open field, and choreography atop a moving car.

Critics responded warmly to the track's nostalgic structure and SZA's songwriting, and it went on to land on year-end best-of lists from outlets including NPR and Consequence of Sound. Commercially, it peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving SZA her highest solo chart debut up to that point, while also charting in Australia and the UK, helping build momentum toward her long-awaited sophomore album that would eventually follow the next year.

#sza #tydollasign #music #popculture #reels

## Stats

- **Views:** 36,590
- **Likes:** 4,663
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 22

## Tags

sza, popculture, freesza, music, tydollasign, reels

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