Bay Swag on Sexy Drill Movement, Working With Cash Cobain & Ice Spice Being the Queen of New York

As “sexy drill” continues to solidify its place in the New York drill scene, frontrunners like Bay Swag are becoming synonymous with the subgenre’s success. With the forthcoming project Damaged Thoughts in the works, he isn’t letting the sexy drill wave fade out anytime soon. 

Last year, the Queens native teamed up with mini-genre architect Cash Cobain on his biggest hit, “Fisherrr.” Pronounced “fur-shur,” the sensual, R&B-meets-drill track achieves liftoff with a celestial melody and a pared-down flow. Fueled by a viral live performance and the Reemskii dance challenge (created by dancer and artist Kareem “Reem” Gadson), “Fisherrr” became an instant TikTok hit.

“We made the song at the end of 2023,” Bay tells Billboard. “We teased it, then it started going viral on TikTok. Then, me and Cash were like, ‘Yo, we gotta do [From the Block],’ he said, referring to the popular live music platform where up-and-coming artists perform viral songs in front of a suspended mic. 

Their live rendition for that series racked up 2.7 million views on Youtube — then in April, the pair followed up with a remix featuring Ice Spice to solidify the track’s slot in summer rotations. Operation: Slizzy Summer was in full effect.

Before Bay Swag helped spur a new wave in New York, he created local buzz at 16 years old with his debut “Rumors.” He followed up with “Saucin,” a track dedicated to his father, Bay Lloyd, who was sentenced to 85 years in prison for a second-degree murder charge from 2012. Lloyd built a reputation in Queens as a party promoter, and toured with the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and Swizz Beatz, eventually motivating his son’s musical aspirations. 

In 2015, a chance meeting with Christian “King” Combs and Justin Combs during NBA All Star Weekend paved the way for him to join Christian’s rap collective, CYN. They collaborated on a handful of tracks, including Christian’s 2017 breakout single “Type Different,” featuring South Florida rapper Lajan Slim. 

The track dropped during the same time Swag was introduced to an up-and-coming Bronx rapper and producer, Cash Cobain. The pair didn’t collaborate until 2021 when sexy drill infiltrated New York’s regional sound and TikTok. Swag’s playful, nonchalant style blends seamlessly into Cobain’s stripped-down R&B and drill samples. They proved an undisputed match on “Fisherrr,” and fanned Bay Swag’s momentum with their follow-up “Worldwide Sniper.” Cobain’s moody soundscape bolsters Bay Swag’s lothario tales. He curtailed the one-hit TikTok sensation curse with spontaneous one-offs, including “Nothing Last Forever,” “Patti Labelle,” and “Skims” featuring D Lou. 

On his upcoming project, he navigates the emotional aftermath of a breakup on the Lil’ Mo-sampled “Make it,” while on “5 Star,” he reunites with Cobain and Chow Lee to put a “slizzy” spin on Selli Paper’s “5 Star Mami.” On the intoxicating club track “Drank,” featuring Detroit heavyweight 42 Dugg, he briefly departs from the project’s Y2K-inspired production into the menacing territory of Detroit drill. He stacks his carefree staccato bars with Dugg’s gravelly vocals and thumping 808s, boasting about the fast lifestyle, laced with sex and substances. 

On the verge of dropping his first project in three years, Bay Swag spoke to Billboard on how sexy drill is uniting a new generation of drill artists, how “Fisherrr” came together and more.  

Growing up with a father who was in the industry, which genres or artists initially influenced your interest in music?

My dad had me around [music] so much that I felt like it was the only thing for me to do. Being in the studio, in the car surrounded by music, that’s how I got the love for it. I grew up in a house full of women so my mom used to always play a lot of Keyshia Cole, Chris Brown, Trey Songz – a lot of R&B. My dad had me listening to rap [like] Future, Jadakiss, Juelz [Santana], Jim Jones, Biggie, stuff like that. 

You made a splash with “Rumors” and “Saucin” when you were just a teenager, which also led to you joining King Comb’s collective, CYN. What were those earlier days in your career like and how did you link up with Christian Combs?

Around those times, I started taking music seriously. It was during the time my father got incarcerated, so I became the man of the household. That’s when I dropped “Saucin,” which was a song about my dad and him being wrongfully convicted.

After that, it was All Star Weekend. Me and my cousins were in the car and I had actually met Justin [Combs] a couple years before that at a club in Queens. Fast forward to All Star Weekend, we seen they were out here, and my cousin was like, “Yo. I bet you I hit him and he’ll answer before you.” So I hit him and he hit him and Justin ended up answering me. We had a connection because one of my homies from Queens was running with them. He hit me and asked what I was doing. He was like, “Yo. We about to go to the club, but I’ll link you with my little brother.”

So he sent me a driver to go to his little brother, which is Christian — and my cousin stayed with him, since they’re the same age. Literally, I just walked in. I don’t know these people from a hole in the wall. I walked into the restaurant and was like “Wassup.” We clicked just like that. From there on, history. [Laughs.] Isn’t that crazy though?

How did you transition from making music in Miami with the Combs brothers to linking up with Cash Cobain, Chow Lee, and the Sexy Drill cohort?

Queens is small. Everyone knows everyone. I had a buzz and [Cash] had a buzz in our younger days. One of my homies would always tell me he got this producer, so one day he came into the studio with me and brought some beats. That’s how we met. 

Was this around his 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy era?

This was a while ago. Way before that. Like around 2017. Fast forward, I opened up a studio in New Jersey and he used to come to the studio. That’s how we really clicked. Him and Chow. That was around 2020-2021. We started making music and hanging with each other.

What was it like to see “Fisherrr” all over social media and blow up on TikTok?

We knew it was a fire song, but we didn’t know it was going to be the way it is. I feel like you never know. The songs you think is a hit don’t do nothing, but the songs you least expect [end up being] the one. It’s a blessing seeing all the kids, dancers and influencers dancing to it and having a good time. It really started a whole new dance. Shoutout Reemo. He started that s–t. It’s a whole new wave of music. It’s a whole new energy. 

How did the feature with Ice Spice happen? Was it intentional to have a female rapper on the remix?

It just made sense. She’s the Queen of New York. I was super excited. I wanted to hear how she would come on it because that’s not the typical music she be dropping. She did her thing. Shout out Ice Spice. 

Over the last year, you’ve been consistently releasing singles and helping spur this sexy drill wave. How are you putting your signature spin on this sound?

I call it being myself — and that’s a problem, too. A lot of people will try to do sexy drill and try to sound like someone, when you can just be yourself and that’ll make a difference. That’s why people will say it all sounds alike. 

You’ve also mentioned in past interviews that New York artists are more united. How is it making music in this era of New York?

It’s good vibes. Especially right now, sexy drill is good energy. Even when we’re recording the music, it’s good energy. We’re dancing and we’re just having fun together. 

In the past, drill has been criticized for its violent lyrics. How are you, Cash and Chow helping to rewrite that narrative?

We’re talking to the women. We’re telling them how pretty they are and how sexy they are. It’s a big difference. It’s fun. It makes you want to dance. We got the kids, elders, and the women, of course. We are trying to separate ourselves from that. We don’t want violence. We just want good vibes, good energy and good parties. 

From your new project, it’s interesting you chose to release “Not Like Me,” because it’s the opposite of sexy drill and more vulnerable. What inspired that track?

On that song I was talking about the relationship I just got out of. I was rapping about how I felt when the relationship was ending. It lasted for like seven years, so I was describing how I was feeling during, after, and how I feel now.

How are you feeling now?

Amazing!

You also linked up with Sheff G for one of your features on the new project? How did you two meet?

I think it was on Instagram. One of us hit each other up. He told me to come to the studio and that’s how it happened. It was bound to happen because we were on a lot of the same shows together and would see each other a lot. 

Are there any artists out right now that you want to collaborate with in the future?

I want to do music with a female artist. I like Latto. I like the music she drops. I like Sexyy [Red], SZA, Summer Walker. I really really like Dej Loaf. The female artists are doing their thing right now. I have to salute them. 

You’re coming off a really big year. What do you have in store for fans this year?

I have merch coming with Barriers [Worldwide] and a lot of new music coming. I’ve worked with a lot of dope artists and I can’t wait for the world to hear it. I have a label called Nothing About Us Regular. And in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, I want all my artists to be huge. I want my producers to have a great year. I’m building my label. I’m a young CEO. I want my artists to be bigger than me. I have so much in store for 2025.  

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