Amazing (Kanye West song)
"Amazing" is a song by American rapper and record producer Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features a guest appearance from Young Jeezy, and includes background vocals from Mr Hudson and Tony Williams. It was produced by West, while co-produced by Jeff Bhasker. The producers wrote the song alongside Malik Yusef, Consequence, Jeff Bhasker, and Young Jeezy. The song was serviced to US rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio stations as the third single from the album on March 10, 2009, by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. A hip hop song with heavy pop influences, it features piano. Lyrically, West sings an attempt to capture part of his former bravado.
"Amazing"
March 10, 2009
2008
- Glenwood (Burbank, California)
- Avex Recording (Honolulu, Hawaii)
3:58
- Kanye West
- Malik Jones
- Dexter Mills
- Jeff Bhasker
- Jay Jenkins
Kanye West
"Amazing" received generally positive reviews from music critics, most of whom complimented Young Jeezy's feature. Some praised the composition and structure, while numerous critics chose the song as an album highlight. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group. In 2009, the song charted at number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 42 on the Swedish Singles Chart. It has since been certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
An accompanying music video premiered via BET's 106 & Park on April 23, 2009. The video was shot in Kauai, Hawaii, with it prominently featuring aerial shots of the Hawaiian Islands. The visual was ranked by BET as among the top 100 videos of 2009. West provided performances of "Amazing" throughout 2009, including one for his second live album, VH1 Storytellers (2010). The song was used by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a campaign for the 2009 playoffs, before it was later featured on the respective soundtracks of the video games NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K13.
Background and conception[edit]
West's 2007 hit single "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was passed on to him by American rapper and his Def Jam labelmate Young Jeezy, who performs ad-libs on the song.[1] Following the success of "Can't Tell Me Nothing", Young Jeezy felt that West "owed him one" because of the ad-libs being used and featured him on his single "Put On" (2008).[2] The rapper recalled that West was initially reluctant to guest on the single due to his time on hiatus, before calling him back 10 minutes later and performing his verse.[2] "Put On" was the first record that West performed through Auto-Tune on, while "Amazing" marked the second collaboration between him and Young Jeezy.[3][4] The former was nominated for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group award at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, standing as the first collaboration between the two to be nominated for a Grammy Award.[5] Young Jeezy said of fellow album track "RoboCop", which he co-wrote, in 2008: "You know how you hear some songs and they just sound big? That's one of them. Right away, it just sounds like a big hit."[6][7] In a 2019 interview for Complex, fellow rapper Consequence likened West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King from that year to 808s & Heartbreak creatively; he cited writing the chorus to "Amazing" as part of his challenging involvement.[8] The song was produced by West and co-produced by his frequent collaborator Victor Alexander; the pair co-wrote it with Malik Yusef, Consequence, and Young Jeezy.[6] "Amazing" was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the album in 2008.[9]
Bhasker discussed the song's conception: "That was actually the first song [we did for the album.] I brought the beat and the music. I started the idea and [West] was like, 'That's hot.' [...] So I brought that music and he brought his editorial to it and then wrote the melody, and said we're gonna get Jeezy on it. We were searching for sort of a tribal-ish drum sounds and that just came out. It's a very simple and dark sounding piano figure."[10]
Composition and lyrics[edit]
Musically, "Amazing" is a stripped-down hip hop hype song, with influences of 1980s pop.[11][12][13] The song combines usage of tender piano with bass and drums for its style,[10][11][12] the former of which carries the harmonies.[13] Keyboards are also included, which are performed by Bhasker.[6] Throughout the song, West sings through Auto-Tune in a low-pitched and depressed voice, despite him showing arrogance.[13][14] West has assistance from the grunting of background vocalists Mr Hudson and Tony Williams on the track.[6][14] He performs the chorus, which features chants at every downbeat.[13][15][16] The song goes through a beat switch for Young Jeezy's verse, which is the only rapping present and is preceded by moaning sounds.[12][13][17] The rapper performs in a rough voice.[12][18][19] The track includes West boasting and trying to capture some of his former bravado.[10][14]
In the lyrics of the song, West boasts while trying to capture some of his former bravado, including him muttering "I'm a problem that will never ever be solved".[14] This problem was partly created by bravado, as masculine pride has long been used as a force for the obliteration of vulnerability in rap, such as usage by DMX and the Geto Boys.[14] On the chorus, West repeatedly sings "so amazing".[15] West depicts a difficulty in dealing with himself on the song, showing hopelessness that he cannot "be solved" and his "rein is as far as your eyes can see".[13] Young Jeezy's verse features him worrying about his blood pressure and the inevitability of defeat, as well as applauding West who he believes "go[es] so hard".[16][19]
Commercial performance[edit]
Despite not being initially released as a single, "Amazing" debuted at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 following the album's release.[47] The song later exited the Hot 100 before re-entering to peak at number 81 on the issue dated May 14, 2009, after being released as a single.[48] It lasted for five weeks on the chart.[49] On March 28, 2009, the song opened at number 96 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[50] The song moved up four spaces to number 92 on the chart the following week, before it later peaked at number 65 on April 18.[51][52] One week before achieving its peak on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song entered the US Hot Rap Songs chart at number 22.[53] The song further peaked at number 32 on the US Rhythmic chart issue dated April 25, 2009.[54] "Amazing" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 1, 2015, having amassed 1,000,000 certified units in the United States.[55] Elsewhere in North America, the song reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart.[56] On June 12, 2009, the song debuted on the Swedish Singles Chart at number 42.[57]
In the media[edit]
"Amazing" was used by the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 2009 playoffs as part of their advertisement campaign, with players such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant being sequenced playing basketball alongside the audio.[70] The song was used for the soundtracks of video games NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K13.[71][72] UFC fighter Frank Mir has used "Amazing" as his entrance music for his fights.[73] Kanye's daughter North West revealed in her first-ever interview on August 28, 2017 that the track is her favourite song by him, naming the reason behind this as it being "so amazing".[37][74]
Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes.[6]
Recording
Personnel