John Legend may be taking a break from his Las Vegas residency, but he is still keeping busy. The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award) winner has announced that his new single “DOPE,” featuring rapper JID, will release May 18 via Republic Records.
A snippet of the song is available on Legend’s presave site. Based on the 30-second preview, “DOPE” sounds like a groove that will bring people to the dancefloor like his previous anthems “Green Light,” “Save Room” and “Tonight (Best You Ever Had),” among others.
Legend sings, “Wanna be her dope fiend / She show me what dope / She’s so dope / She can be my dope queen / We can make a dope scene.”
“DOPE” will follow Legend’s soulful ballad “FREE,” which he premiered at the 2022 Grammy Awards. “‘FREE’ was inspired by the spirituals and hymns of my enslaved and oppressed African-American ancestors, who were inspired by the Old Testament story of Moses leading his people to liberation from slavery,” said Legend.
It’s not clear at this time if “DOPE” and “FREE” will appear on a future project.
In November 2021, Legend announced his new record deal with Republic Records. “I am excited to partner with Republic Records in this next chapter of my career,” he said.
“Everyone at the label has been so wonderful to work with. I am thrilled to take this new artistic and creative journey with them and look forward to sharing new music with people soon.”
As noted above, Legend kicked off his residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in April. He will return on Aug. 5 for eight shows through Aug 20. After taking another short break, he will return in mid-October and will play through the end of the month.
Before then, Legend will perform at multiple festivals in Europe in July. Tour dates are available on his official website.