If you’re creepin’, they don’t want to know. But what is this creepin’ they speak of?

They, of course, are the trio of Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage, who have collaborated on the hit single, “Creepin’,” which saw wide release in December 2022. The track is the lead single from Metro Boomin’s second album, Heroes & Villains, released on the same day as the single.

There are some universal themes going on here, which has made it a great track to play near the end of the night at the club for all the folks that aren’t going home happy (they need attention too, right?).

The chorus tells the tale, and you’ll recognize it: “I don’t wanna know, if you’re playing me / Keep it on the low / Cause my heart can’t take it anymore / And if you creeping, please don’t let it show…”

Remember feeling like that? Whether it was a sh*tty marriage, a relationship gone sideways, or a great relationship (while it lasted) that eventually went south, most of us have gone through it, right? “Somebody said they saw you / The person you were kissing wasn’t me / And I would never ask you, I just kept it to myself…”

Ooof and ugghh. All I can say in response these situations is that it’s time to move on, which is what “Creepin'” offers up in its final lyric with Weeknd singing, “If you’re gonna do your thing, then don’t come back to me.”

And Weeknd is prominent here; if you heard this track on the radio or at the mall (are there still malls?), you’d immediately classify it as a Weeknd solo track. But producer/DJ Metro Boomin gets top billing here, producing and putting together all the pieces, including a verse for 21 Savage to riff on the same themes: “I got a girl but I still feel alone / If you playing me that mean my home ain’t home / Having nightmares of going through your phone…”

If it all sounds familiar, that’s because “Creepin'” interpolates “I Don’t Wanna Know,” the 2004 hit by Mario Winans, which also sampled an earlier song – “Ready or Not” by Fugees. Enya samples are prominently featured in these earlier tracks as well, so the well keeps circulating the water through (you can hear Winans sampled in the background vocals).

All in all, a good track, with the mellow verse breaking into a medium-tempo chorus, intensifying the theatrics and the drama for the listener. With The Weeknd prominent on the vocal and the re-use of previously loved music, it was sure to do well on the charts, which it did, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic charts.