In February 2022, Machine Gun Kelly performed a snippet of the song at The Late Late Show with James Corden, in a medley of "Ay!", then-unreleased track "Maybe" and "Emo Girl".[1][4] The song has been considered to a return to the hip hop genre for Machine Gun Kelly, although it comes from an album that is still largely to the pop punk genre.[1][5]
Composition
"Ay!" is an emo rap[1] song that blends elements of pop punk and trap,[2] featuring "brooding but dreamy guitar loop with crisp hip-hop production". Machine Gun Kelly sings about sadness affecting his life, including "his preference for sad playlists, skipping meetings, and sleeping until 7 p.m."; he mentions cutting his hair and compares it to Britney Spears shaving her hair off in 2007 during her breakdown.[5] Lil Wayne's verse has a reference to Guns N' Roses.[1]
Reception
AllMusic said "the watery emo-trap track "Ay!" doesn't commit fully enough to any of its stylistic directions, giving Lil Wayne little to work with as he turns in a distracted, Auto-Tune-doused verse."[6] In a review of Mainstream Sellout, BrooklynVegan called the song, along with "Drug Dealer", "among its most forgettable" tracks.[7]
Music video
The music video was released alongside the single. It was filmed in Machine Gun Kelly's home from an iPhone, on the night before it was released.[8] It finds Kelly and four friends in a dressing room changing into different flashy outfits.[8][9] Lil Wayne does not physically appear, but a paper cutout of a drawn Wayne performs in the video.[5][9][10]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 13. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
