Swae Lee is circling back to one of the most recognizable creative partnerships of his career with the official video for “Suitcase,” featuring French Montana.
The track appears on Swae Lee’s debut solo studio album, Same Difference, released in April, and reunites the two artists behind the Diamond-certified “Unforgettable.” Nearly a decade removed from that collaboration, “Suitcase” finds Swae and French working within a different moment in Swae’s career, one defined by his long-awaited move from Rae Sremmurd member and prolific collaborator to a solo artist with a full-length record of his own.
The “Suitcase” visual arrives as Swae continues rolling out material from the 16-track Same Difference, an album built around the melodic instincts that have made his voice immediately identifiable across hip-hop and pop. Rather than treating his solo debut as an opportunity to distance himself from collaboration, Swae surrounded himself with artists connected to different points in his career. Post Malone, Jhené Aiko, NAV, Rich The Kid, Slim Jxmmi and French Montana all appear across the project.
French’s appearance carries particular history. “Unforgettable,” released in 2017, became one of the defining crossover records for both artists and eventually earned Diamond certification. Their reunion on “Suitcase” therefore lands like a pairing with an established track record.
“Suitcase” is one of several Same Difference tracks to receive attention during the album campaign. The record also includes “Mural” featuring Jhené Aiko, “Don’t Even Call” featuring Rich The Kid and “Flammable,” alongside NAV collaboration “No Call No Show,” Slim Jxmmi-assisted “Working Remote” and album closer “Take My Heart” featuring Post Malone.
That guest list also illustrates the unusual position Swae occupies in contemporary music. His solo career may technically be beginning with Same Difference, but he enters it with a catalog of hits and certifications that would already constitute a substantial career for many artists.
Alongside his work with French Montana, Swae’s collaboration with Post Malone on “Sunflower” has earned 2x Diamond certification and a Grammy nomination. Meanwhile, Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” recently reached Diamond status as the song approaches its 10-year anniversary, adding another milestone to a catalog that has continued finding new listeners years after its original releases.
Same Difference is Swae Lee’s first official solo studio album following years of anticipation surrounding a standalone project. Although he previously released the solo portion Swaecation as part of Rae Sremmurd’s 2018 triple album SR3MM, Same Difference represents his first complete album released under his own name.
The distinction matters. Swae has spent much of his career occupying multiple musical identities simultaneously: one half of Rae Sremmurd alongside Slim Jxmmi, a songwriter and hook specialist, a featured vocalist on enormous pop records and an artist whose elastic delivery can move between rap, R&B and pop without much regard for genre boundaries. Same Difference gives those instincts an entire album to stretch across.
The “Suitcase” video also arrives on the heels of Swae’s Same Difference European tour, which took him through 16 cities this summer with dates across Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark and additional European markets before wrapping Aug. 29 in Szeged, Hungary.
With the tour completed, “Suitcase” keeps the album campaign moving while returning attention to a collaboration that connects Swae Lee’s current solo era with one of the biggest records in his back catalog. “Unforgettable” proved years ago what could happen when Swae Lee and French Montana landed on the same record. “Suitcase” brings them back together, this time with Swae firmly at the center of his own album.
Featured image credit: SWAE LEE
