What's The Weeknd's "Starboy" Actually About?

The Weeknd has got to be grateful for Brangelina's breakup. Wednesday, The Weeknd released his new track "Starboy" off his upcoming third album of the same name, and, aside from being a sick collaboration with Daft Punk, it makes an almost prophetic reference to Brad Pitt with the line "Let a n*gga Brad Pitt/ Legend of the fall took the year like a bandit." Once you get over that one ironically timely namedrop, though, you might be wondering what the lyrics to "Starboy" are about... you know, all the other lyrics.

Well, first of all it probably helps to know what the word "Starboy" means, not that all the context clues aren't there. "Starboy" is basically Jamaican slang for "celebrity." So when the chorus chimes in with, "look what you've done/I'm a motherf*ckin' starboy," the assertion is that society has pushed The Weeknd to be not only a celebrity, but the most exaggerated, extravagant version of a celebrity. And when you do a deeper dive of the lyrics, all the behavior mentioned seem to assert that extravagance. Maybe it's even assert an ironic disdain for that extravagance.

But let's start with the opening chorus, in which The Weeknd sounds pretty boastful in spite of his smooth, light tone:

I'm tryna put you in the worst mood, ahP1 cleaner than your church shoes, ahMilli point two just to hurt you, ahAll red Lamb' just to tease you, ahNone of these toys on lease too, ahMade your whole year in a week too, yahMain b*tch out your league too, ahSide b*tch out of your league too, ah

All of this sounds like The Weeknd is trying to rub his celebrity in someone's face, but who? The audience's? There might be a specific target out there, because I'm actually willing to bet that The Weeknd makes my whole year's salary in a week — I have no doubt that his side b*tch is out of my league. For normals like you or me, this is just stating facts. So there may be, in fact, some rival he's mocking here.

Eventually, The Weeknd starts rapping about how he's having too much fun to deal with haters":

You talking money, need a hearing aidYou talking bout me, I don't see a shadeSwitch up my style, I take any laneI switch up my cup, I kill any pain

Whenever someone chats with him about finances he has a deaf ear (he makes our year in a week, after all), and whenever someone talks shit, it doesn't even phase him. The Weeknd is so heavily engrossed in his lifestyle that he is unflappable. All criticism falls off him, and if something doesn't work, he changes his tune.

Perhaps the lyrics are meant to be taken a bit tongue-in-cheek, because, like I said, tonally The Weeknd never gets exceptionally aggressive. Perhaps "Starboy" is more satire about this extravagance, this bravado that rap stars have to put on. Also: perhaps not. Either way, Starboy the album comes out Nov. 25, so we can look into the rapper's true thoughts on celebrity then.

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