Jennifer Lopez’s 1999 debut On the 6 celebrates its sweet 15 this summer. She's recently dropped the single “I Luh Ya Papi (ft. French Montana)” from her upcoming tenth album. In the way that “Same Girl” before it retraces the singer’s Bronx roots, “I Luh Ya Papi” is one big callback to her turn-of-the-aughts, early singing days. The clip begins with one of Lopez’s ‘homegirls’ jokingly singing “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” one of her first hits. Then, they set up the video’s premise (to make a video that objectifies men) and proceed to envision the Boogiedown Boricua rocking a jumpsuit very reminiscent of her iconic 2000 Grammys Versace dress.
The rest of “I Luh Ya Papi” takes place in mansions, on a yacht, and around lounging, ripped, speedo-clad dudes. The cut leaves no ostentatious hip-hop video (or reggaeton or urban bachata, for that matter) trope unturned. In doing so, Lopez inadvertently(?) taps into another figure from the era (and her past)—Sean Combs. “I Luh Ya Papi” is also a little reminiscent of the mid-to-late 90s Bad Boy Entertainment/Hype Williams-esque style that may well have birthed all of the misogynistic and materialistic clichés being critiqued. With “I Luh Ya Papi,” J.Lo’s proving she’s still got it—“it” being the last laugh.
