Still Chose You

Still Chose You — The Kid LAROI Featuring Mustard (2021)

"Still Chose You" is a track by Australian rapper and singer The Kid LAROI, featuring production from DJ Mustard, released in 2021 as part of The Kid LAROI's debut studio album F*CK LOVE 3+: OVER YOU. The track arrived during an extraordinary commercial period for LAROI, who had risen from relative obscurity to become one of the most-streamed artists in the world in the span of approximately two years, driven by his emotional pop-rap aesthetic and a string of collaborative and solo recordings that had demonstrated his capacity to operate at the highest commercial levels of contemporary music.

DJ Mustard's production credit on the track was significant. Mustard, born Dijon McFarlane, had established himself across the preceding decade as one of the most commercially successful producers in hip-hop, known for his work with YG, Ty Dolla $ign, and numerous other major artists. His involvement in a LAROI track signaled the degree to which the young Australian artist had become a priority for industry partners who sought to attach themselves to his commercial momentum, and the production quality that Mustard brought reflected the professional environment that LAROI was now operating in.

The Kid LAROI's commercial ascent was rapid by any standard. Born Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard in Sydney, Australia, he had moved to the United States to pursue music and had initially built his profile through collaborations with the late Juice WRLD, an artist whose melodic, emotionally raw approach to rap and singing deeply influenced LAROI's own developing style. Following Juice WRLD's death in December 2019, LAROI's career continued its trajectory and accelerated through a series of chart performances that established him as a global phenomenon by 2021.

The F*CK LOVE series of projects, which evolved through multiple iterations and additions, was a commercial juggernaut. The broader project ecosystem had already demonstrated extraordinary streaming numbers by the time the 3+: OVER YOU version was released, with LAROI accumulating billions of streams across the album's various iterations. "Still Chose You" was part of the package that sustained listener interest in an evolving project that was updated and expanded rather than replaced, a release strategy that had become increasingly common in the streaming era.

The song's appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 was consistent with the chart performance that most of LAROI's 2021 material achieved. His ability to generate sustained streaming numbers meant that tracks from his album projects routinely appeared across multiple Billboard chart formats, including the Hot 100, the Pop Airplay chart, and format-specific rap and R&B charts. The commercial infrastructure around the LAROI project was substantial, with major label support ensuring promotional resources commensurate with his streaming numbers.

LAROI's label situation in 2021 involved partnerships between Columbia Records and several other entities, reflecting the deal structures that had evolved to accommodate artists whose profiles had grown faster than traditional label development timelines. The commercial muscle behind "Still Chose You" reflected that infrastructure, with promotional campaigns that extended across traditional media, social media, and streaming platform editorial programming simultaneously.

The broader critical reception of F*CK LOVE 3+: OVER YOU and its associated tracks acknowledged LAROI's remarkable commercial achievement while also noting the ongoing development of his artistic voice as a songwriter and performer. "Still Chose You" received attention as a demonstration of his ability to work within the pop-inflected, emotionally resonant framework that Mustard's production provided while maintaining the distinctive vocal character that had become LAROI's signature.

The song's production reflects Mustard's evolution as a producer beyond the minimalist "Mustard on the beat" aesthetic that had defined his early commercial work. The arrangement on "Still Chose You" incorporated melodic elements more aligned with the pop-rap hybrid that LAROI represented, demonstrating Mustard's adaptability across the full range of contemporary commercial music rather than remaining confined to his original stylistic lane. This productive tension between LAROI's melodic emotionalism and Mustard's commercial expertise is audible throughout the track.

In the context of 2021's streaming landscape, "Still Chose You" arrived at a moment when LAROI was demonstrating that his commercial peak was sustained rather than momentary. The song contributed to the ongoing narrative of an artist whose emotional authenticity and commercial instincts were combining to produce results that few young artists had achieved at comparable speed.