Hands On The Wheel

Throwback to ScHoolboy Q's breakthrough party anthem.

BYAron A.Aug 24, 20179.1K Views

ScHoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky were two of the most bubbling artists in the underground before their success reached a mainstream surface. While A$AP was still off the hype of Live.Love.A$AP and ScHoolboy had just released Habits & Contradictions the following year. Both artists made appearances on each others albums, with Q appearing on "Brand New Guy" with an incredible verse and then A$AP later returned the favor when he touched today's TBT, "Hands On The Wheel."

Throughout the summer of 2012, "Hands On The Wheel" took the underground by storm. With a hook sampling Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" performed by Leslie, the indie rock sampled-hook blended with the gullyness of both Rocky and Q made for an excellent banger. It was a solid introduction for anyone who wasn't familiar with Q at the time. The two artists together proved to have incredible chemistry and five years later, are still getting hounded by fans to do more music with each other (we'll get more tomorrow when Cozy Tapes Vol 2 drops). The beginning of their public musical relationship with each other was conceived after the popularity of "Hands On The Wheel."

Alongside the video, the two rappers are seen in black and white grained film, drinking 40 oz. of Olde English and smoking blunts, which is only appropriate considering the hook is "weed & brews/ Weed & brews/ Life for me is just weed & brews." It can be argued that the resurgence of 40 oz. during that time had something to do with Rocky's and Q's advocacy for the beverage in this video.

While many times, you'll see rappers collaborate earlier in their career and later on, not even maintain a public relationship. "Hands On The Wheel" was a solid introduction to the bromance between ScHoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky at the beginning of their careers. While the two continue to put out great music alone, this song was definitely a staple of 2012.

Quotable Lyrics
Nigga, weed and brews, unbelieveable
Got a freak or two, in my vehicle
Got the purple drink, got the yellow drink
Then we mix it up, call it Pikachu

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About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.