"No Broke Boys" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tinashe. It was released on August 16, 2024 in tandem with the music video from her seventh studio album, Quantum Baby (2024). Produced by Ricky Reed, Zack Sekoff, and Phoelix, the song is a "confident R&B" track that draws thematic comparisons to Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent" and TLC's "No Scrubs", and features a concluding chorus inspired by Janet Jackson's song "Go Deep".
"No Broke Boys" received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its sharp call-outs and catchy hook, though some outlets noted its reliance on pop tropes. It was supported by a Bring It On–inspired music video, multiple live performances, and chart success in the United States and New Zealand. A 2025 remix by Disco Lines later became a global hit, reaching the top ten in several countries and topping Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Background and composition
Tinashe revealed her inspiration from Janet Jackson's song "Go Deep". (pictured)
"No Broke Boys" was confirmed for release when Tinashe revealed it on the track listing of Quantum Baby, on August 1, 2024.[1] On August 12, Tinashe went live on Instagram and revealed that the concluding chorus of the song was inspired by Janet Jackson's 1998 single "Go Deep".[2] Produced by Ricky Reed, Zack Sekoff, and Phoelix, the song has been described as a thematic descendant of Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent" and TLC's "No Scrubs".[3] "No Broke Boys" is a "confident R&B" song[4] that echos its aporophobiac theme.[5] It also touches on "intimate disappointments",[6] featuring the lines such as "The ex is on the line / Just as I expected / No one ever gets over me".[7] According to Variety, "No Broke Boys" carries "a similar knowing smirk",[8] being "laced with generic pop tropes".[9]
Critical reception
Upon his review of the song's parent album, Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop claimed the song is "actually memorable", nothing that it is "actually snappy while still being very smooth and low-key".[10]Pitchfork's Tarisai Ngangura claimed the song was "not deep enough to jolt any festering memories".[6] Nick Seip of Slant Magazine described the song as "infectious" and called it "an empowering earworm", comparing it to the 1999 TLC hit song, "No Scrubs".[11]The Line of Best Fit's Sam Franzini also offered a positive assessment, noting that "No Broke Boys" functions as a sharp call-out to uneven relationships and describing it as "wickedly fun", with its chant-like refrains positioned as a potential "mantra du jour" for the summer.[12]
Music video
Tinashe in "No Broke Boys" music video, portraying the captain of a white-uniformed cheer squad inspired by Bring It On (2020).
Tinashe initially released a lyric video for "No Broke Boys", on August 29, 2024.[13] On October 4, She teased the song's music video via her TikTok, with the caption saying "Are we getting a no broke boys music vid??".[14] In Los Angeles, she previewed the video for her audience at the Greek Theatre on October 17, while on her Match My Freak: World Tour.[15] The video, directed by Aerin Moreno and choreographed by Monica Douglas, premiered on her Vevo channel the following day.[16] It references the 2000 film Bring It On, a cheerleader team comedy.[17] Tinashe portrays the captain of the white-uniformed cheer team.[16]
In May 2025,American DJ Disco Lines previewed a snippet of his remix to the song,which immediately gained virality on TikTok.[17] It gathered over 40 million views on the platform before its official release.[4] The remix was officially released on June 6,2025,via Disco Lines' independent label,Good Good Records and Nice Life Recording Company.
According to Melodic Magazine writer Vivian Richey, the Disco Lines remix of "No Broke Boys" reworks the original R&B track into a "high-energy dance record".[4] As noted by Aaron Williams of Uproxx, the remix presents a "propulsive, EDM-tinged" sound and centers on the pursuit of a desirable partner, "preferably one with full pockets".[17]Billboard writer Katie Bain described the track as the dance world's "unofficial song of the summer", noting that it originated as an edit premiered during Disco Lines' EDC Las Vegas set before receiving an official release featuring "fresh vocals" that merged Tinashe's 2024 original with his "bouncy" production.[31]
Commercial performance
The remix has been a global success and has entered various charts worldwide. The song has reached the top ten in Ireland,[32] the United Kingdom,[33] Australia,[34] Austria,[35] Latvia,[36] Luxembourg,[37] Switzerland,[38] New Zealand,[39] Germany,[40] Lithuania,[41] and Canada,[42] and the top twenty in Sweden,[43] Netherlands,[44] and the Billboard Global 200,[45] while also reaching number 36 on Billboard Hot 100.[46] It has become Disco Lines' first and Tinashe's sixth entry on Hot 100,[25] as well as Disco Lines' first and Tinashe's second top ten on the UK Singles chart.[47]
For the chart week of July 18–24, the remix rose to number one on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, becoming the first new leader on the ranking since August 2024. It marks both Disco Lines and Tinashe's first career number ones on the chart.[48]
Personnel
Tinashe – lead vocals, songwriting
Disco Lines – production, songwriting
Ricky Reed – production, songwriting
Phoelix – production, songwriting
Zack Sekoff – production
Alicia Abboud – background vocals
Nakisa Kachingwe – background vocals
Ike Schultz – vocal production, mixing engineering
↑O'Neal Parker, Lonnae (April 15, 1999). "A Hit That Bashes Single Guys' Nerve; TLC's 'No Scrubs' Renews The War of the Sexes". The Washington Post. p.C01.
12Ngangura, Tarisai (August 16, 2024). "Quantum Baby". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
↑"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 36. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
↑"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 49. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
↑"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 35. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
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