The song was positively received upon its release, with some critics praising it as one of the best songs from Don't Tap the Glass. Despite not being released as a single when initially released, the song peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, alongside making it onto 7 more charts, its highest position being a peak at number 5 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States of America.
Composition and lyrics
The song introduces a new persona of Tyler, the Creator, Big Poe.[1][2][3] It opens with him delivering a set of instructions to the listener: "Number one, body movement (Funky) / No sitting still (Dance, bro) / Number two (Hahahaha), only speak in glory (Yeah) / Leave your baggage at home (None of that deep shit) / Number three, (Nigga) don't tap the glass".[1][3][4][5] The track then transitions to the sample of "Roked", followed by production consisting of a boom bap beat[3] and synths.[1][2][3][6][7] Music critics have described the production as evoking the style of Pharrell's early music, namely his album In My Mind[7] and work in N.E.R.D.,[7][8] as well as that of The Bomb Squad.[9] Pharrell raps two verses that boast his luxurious lifestyle.[4][10] At one point, Tyler addresses his mistrust toward fans regarding his no-cell phone policy in certain events, following with the line "I don't trust white people with dreadlocks".[4] The bridge features a vocal sample of "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II".[3][4][6][7][10][11][12]
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews. Billboard's Mackenzie Cummings-Grady ranked it as the fourth best song on Don't Tap the Glass.[13] Zachary Horvath of HotNewHipHop wrote "The mean-mugging instrumental has a confrontational energy to it with its loud and messy drums. The sharp synths (which are all over the album) complement the euphoric feeling the song gives you."[1]Clash's Shahzaib Hussain described the song as "a maelstrom of neon synths, static, and Tyler's insouciant snarl" and the sample of "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" as "scrubbed-raw, prog-pop sounds bubbling over at the climax."[6]
John Amen of The Line of Best Fit stated: "Ironically, Tyler's cadence brings to mind Blood Sugar Sex Magik-era Anthony Kiedis. The hyperbole is abundant as is the stock machismo which, at this point in hip-hop history, is hard to regard as anything but satirical in tone. Sonically, the piece is thrillingly cacophonous, overflowing with brash synths and aggressive beats."[2] Dash Lewis of Stereogum commented that the "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" sample "turns the end of 'Big Poe' into a depth charge that's sure to ignite a mosh pit."[11] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone commented the song "unfolds like an early Aughts bottles-and-models romp".[12]
Variety's Peter A. Berry described the song as "abrasive and weird" and "emitting all the casual dismissiveness of a rap star who's just refused to sign your Golf Wang shirt."[5] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times wrote the song "grabs our attention with wonderfully chunky beats and a hearty sample from Busta Rhymes's in-the-club anthem 'Pass the Courvoisier, Part II'." He believed the sample's omission of Diddy was "unsurprising but disingenuous", commenting that "Leaving baggage at home should not mean airbrushing the tricky aspects of a sampled track."[10]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated "The huge, distorted breakbeat of Big Poe recalls the rhythms produced by the Bomb Squad in their prime, amplified by the stentorian, Chuck D-like tone of Pharrell Williams's guest rap."[9]NME's Niall Smith remarked that Pharrell "materialises like a Y2K phantom, throwing a few animated verses over the Busta Rhymes-flipping beat."[8]
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