In their sultry R&B collaboration, “Is It a Crime,” Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis deliver a powerful and defiant anthem. The song’s core meaning is a direct challenge to the public, critics, and anyone who passes judgment on their relationships. It rhetorically asks why falling in love, even more than once, is treated like a punishable offense, ultimately concluding that a love that feels real is the only validation that matters.
The track, released on July 31, 2025, serves as a cornerstone for Mariah the Scientist’s album, HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY. It’s not just a song; it’s a personal thesis statement. It confronts the intense scrutiny that artists, particularly women, face for their romantic choices. The collaboration with Kali Uchis amplifies this message, blending Mariah’s vulnerable introspection with Uchis’s confident, unapologetic feminine power.
The Central Question: A Rhetorical Challenge
The song’s title isn’t a genuine question but a frustrated, rhetorical challenge. When Mariah asks, “Tell me, is it a crime?” she isn’t looking for an answer. She is pointing out the absurdity of being judged for something as natural and human as falling in love. The song dismantles the idea that a person’s romantic history, particularly one with “a couple” of past loves, is grounds for public ridicule or invalidation of their current feelings.
This theme is especially potent in a digital age where celebrity relationships are consumed as entertainment. The artists position themselves against this culture of scrutiny. They are not on trial, and their feelings are not up for debate. The song is a firm boundary, drawn in melodic, soulful lines. It’s a declaration that their personal lives are not public property.
The “crime” in the song is twofold. It refers to the societal judgment they face, but it also cleverly references the intensity of the love itself. This love is so all-consuming and defiant that it feels transgressive, almost like an act of rebellion. This idea is a direct and deliberate nod to another famous song, creating a fascinating layer of musical history.
A Deliberate Echo: Homage to Sade
The song’s title and central theme are a clear homage to the 1985 neo-soul classic, “Is It a Crime,” by Sade. By invoking this iconic track, Mariah and Kali are placing their song within a larger, timeless conversation about “forbidden” or scrutinized love. However, they smartly update the theme for their own generation.
Sade’s original song asks if the intensity of her love is a crime. Her love is so deep and overwhelming that it feels almost illegal, as if she’s breaking a law of nature. It’s an internal, passionate confession.
Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis take this concept and turn it outward. Their song is not about being overwhelmed by their own love; it’s about being attacked by outside judgment. They ask if the public’s perception of their love is a crime. It’s a brilliant modern reinterpretation, shifting the focus from the internal feeling to the external battle required to protect that feeling.
This connection enriches the song immensely. It’s as if Mariah and Kali are answering Sade’s 40-year-old question. Sade asked, “Is it a crime?” And in 2025, Mariah and Kali respond, “And so what? Tell me, what’s it to ya?” They acknowledge the question but refuse to be shamed by it.
Verse 1: Mariah the Scientist’s World of Misunderstanding
Mariah’s opening verse sets the stage with a profound sense of isolation. She is searching for someone, anyone, who can understand her perspective. She feels surrounded by critics and observers who look at her relationship and, as she sees it, “they’ll never get it.” This line captures the deep frustration of having your reality distorted by people on the outside.
This verse is a direct reflection of a well-documented reality for the artist. Mariah the Scientist’s own high-profile relationship with rapper Young Thug has been the subject of relentless public commentary and criticism. In interviews, she has spoken about being “used to people scrutinizing my relationship” and her desire to make her own choices without the weight of public opinion.
When she sings, “I hate the way they paint it,” she is speaking from a place of deep personal experience. It’s the cry of someone watching their genuine connection be twisted into a negative narrative by blogs, social media, and gossip forums. She feels her patience breaking, and the song becomes her outlet for that pent-up frustration.
Despite the external noise, the verse pivots to a place of internal, unwavering validation. She details the intimate, simple things she loves about her partner, like “the way that you walk and the air you breathe.” These small, personal details are her proof. They are the reality that the public cannot see or understand.
The verse concludes with a powerful resolution. She acknowledges that outsiders may not see what she sees. They may not call it love. But her final line, “it is to me,” is the ultimate trump card. It’s a profound statement of self-trust, claiming her own feelings as the only authority that matters.
The Chorus: A Defiant “And So What?”
The chorus is the song’s explosive thesis. The phrase “And so what?” is a shield and a weapon. It dismisses all the judgment and criticism she just detailed in the verse. It’s a verbal shrug to the entire world, minimizing their opinions to nothing.
The line “I fell, you fell in love a couple times” is a masterful piece of writing. She proactively admits to having a romantic past. She doesn’t hide it or apologize for it. Instead, she normalizes it. In her view, having past relationships is a normal part of being human, not a character flaw.
This line directly attacks the societal double standard that often shames women for their romantic histories. It suggests that these past loves are part of the journey, not a stain on her current one. She presents it as a shared, universal experience.
Then comes the direct confrontation: “Tell me, what’s it to ya?” This is aimed squarely at the critics. It demands to know why they are so invested. It exposes their judgment as invasive and irrelevant. The chorus is a powerful anthem for anyone who has ever felt judged for their past or their partner.
Verse 2: Kali Uchis and the Power of Unapologetic Womanhood
Kali Uchis’s verse does not just echo Mariah’s sentiment; it amplifies it with a bold, confident, and distinctly feminine energy. She enters the track with an immediate, dismissive “Is it a crime? How’s it a crime? No.” She answers the song’s central question flat-out, leaving no room for debate.
She then introduces a stunning metaphor: “‘Cause if loving me is jail, then you’re my prisoner.” This line flips the script on the idea of a “toxic” or “trapping” relationship. In her world, being a “prisoner” of her love is a desirable, protective, and permanent state. She’s “throwing away the key,” which signifies loyalty and an unbreakable bond.
Kali’s verse is pure defiance. The line “Let ’em know we don’t give a fuck” is a raw, uncensored declaration of independence. She identifies the critics as saboteurs, claiming, “All they want is to see us breaking up.” This transforms the relationship from a simple romance into a partnership, a “we” against “them.”
The second half of her verse is a powerful assertion of self-worth. When she sings, “You can search the Seven Seas and never find, no / A heart like mine,” she is stating her own irreplaceability. She knows her value, and that self-knowledge is what makes her so impervious to outside hate.
The verse culminates in the song’s most important feminist statement. She rejects the idea that a woman should be coy or hide her intentions, a tactic some might call “girlish.” Her response is clear and mature: “Well, I’m a woman, I’m not a girl.”
This single line is a declaration of agency. A “girl” might be expected to be naive, to make mistakes, or to be swayed by public opinion. A “woman,” in Kali’s framework, is mature, makes her own choices, and owns them. She lays her cards on the table because she is confident in her hand. She is a “woman” living in a “cruel world” that often tries to reduce her to a “girl.”
The “War on Love”: Context from the Album and Music Video
The meaning of “Is It a Crime” is made even more explicit by its visual components. The song is a key part of Mariah the Scientist’s HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY album, which uses the overarching conceptual metaphor of a “war on love.” This album-wide theme frames love not as a soft, easy emotion, but as a battlefield.
The music video for “Is It a Crime,” directed by Claire Bishara, brings this metaphor to life in a stunningly literal way. The video is a courtroom drama. It picks up from an album trailer that depicted a “war on love” being declared, complete with arrests.
In the video, Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis are not just singers; they are cast as high-powered lawyers. They are dressed in sharp business attire, working to defend a client (played by rapper Karrahbooo) who has been arrested, presumably for the “crime” of loving. The video is intercut with scenes of news reports detailing riots and protests against this “war on love.”
This visual concept is genius. It takes the song’s metaphorical question and places it in a literal court of law. Mariah and Kali are seen “pleading their case” and “pulling strings,” actively fighting the system that has criminalized their client’s feelings. This reinforces the song’s meaning: they are not just passively questioning the judgment, they are actively defending their right to love.
The video ends with the verdict left open, suggesting that this “war on love” is an ongoing battle. It perfectly visualizes the song’s core tension between the private, personal validation of a relationship and the public, legalistic judgment it endures.
The Sound: Sultry, Ethereal, and Atmospheric
The production of “Is It a Crime” is essential to its message. The track is a “sultry and ethereal” R&B song, built on a minimalist, atmospheric beat. This “Latin-tinged production” creates a late-night, intimate, and slightly hazy feeling, as if the song is a private conversation the listener is lucky to overhear.
The music itself, credited to producers like Nineteen85, Mat1k, and Oliver Easton, is deliberately understated. It allows the “compelling performances” of both Mariah and Kali to take center stage. Their voices, blending Mariah’s smooth, introspective tone with Kali’s breathy, confident delivery, are the main instruments.
This minimalist approach is a purposeful choice. It creates a “soft confession” and “bold proclamation” all at once. The sound is not aggressive, even though the lyrics are. This contrast highlights the song’s core message: their defiance is not loud and reckless, but calm, assured, and unshakeable.
Some critics and fans on forums have noted the “murky synth” and “soupy mix,” even calling the beat “achingly slow.” But this, too, serves the song’s purpose. The slow, methodical pace feels like a determined, steady heartbeat. It’s not in a hurry. It’s confident in its own groove, much like the artists are confident in their own love, refusing to be rushed or rattled by the outside world.
Thematic Synergy: A Perfect Artistic Collaboration
“Is It a Crime” is a perfect marriage of two artists whose personal brands align flawlessly with the song’s message. Mariah the Scientist has built her entire career on “unapologetic vulnerability.” Her music, as noted by critics, is a “melting pot of contemporary R&B” that explores the “emotional complexities of love and loss.” She is a “storyteller” known for her “raw emotion.”
This makes her the perfect artist to deliver the song’s pained, frustrated verse. She is laying her own publicized struggles bare, turning her personal pain into a universal anthem. Her “introspective lyrics” and “moody, atmospheric soundscapes” have always been about processing complex feelings, and this song is the ultimate example.
Kali Uchis, on the other hand, is a symbol of “empowerment, resilience, and self-expression.” Her music, which blends R&B, soul, and Latin rhythms, is often about “celebrating self-expression” and “finding beauty and strength after challenges.” She is a style icon, known for her “bold fashion choices” and “visually stunning” art.
Kali is the perfect artist to deliver the song’s defiant, powerful second verse. While Mariah’s verse asks the question from a place of pained frustration, Kali’s verse answers it with unshakeable confidence. She embodies the “woman, not a girl” energy, providing the strength and resolve that perfectly complements Mariah’s vulnerability.
The Final Verdict: An Anthem of Defiant Self-Validation
Ultimately, “Is It a Crime” by Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis is a multi-layered masterpiece of modern R&B. It is a direct and personal response to the public scrutiny of a high-profile relationship. It is a powerful feminist statement about a woman’s right to own her romantic history and make her own choices.
The song is also a brilliant piece of musical storytelling. It pays homage to a classic Sade track while updating its theme for a new generation. It uses its music video to create a literal “courtroom drama,” turning a metaphorical “war on love” into a tangible, visual fight.
The song’s final message is that love is not a crime. The only “crime” is the judgment passed by those on the outside. Against this judgment, the artists present a unified, defiant, and simple defense: their love is real to them, and that is the only verdict that matters.