Gold Digger (Kanye West song)
"Gold Digger" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, featuring singer Jamie Foxx, from West's second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song includes additional vocals from Plain Pat and Don C. West created the beat in Atlanta. He and Jon Brion produced the song. It was originally set to be recorded for Shawnna's debut studio album, Worth Tha Weight (2004), but the song was later passed on to West. On July 5, 2005, it was released to American rhythmic contemporary radio stations by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the second single from West's album. The song set a record for the most digital downloads in a week, selling over 80,000.
"Gold Digger"
July 5, 2005
2004–2005
- The Record Plant (Hollywood)
- Sony Music (New York City)
- Chalice Recording
- Grandmaster Recording (Hollywood)
3:28
- Kanye West
- Ray Charles
- Renald Richard
- Kanye West
- Jon Brion
A pop rap song, "Gold Digger" samples Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman" (1954), mainly the line "she give me money when I'm in need". Lyrically, Foxx sets the stage by detailing how he was taken by a gold digger and West raps in each verse about the behaviors and characteristics of one, alluding to a woman who tricked him. The song received widespread acclaim from music critics, who often praised the composition. Some complimented the lyrical content and Foxx's feature, while a few critics highlighted the sample. The song was named to year-end lists for 2005 by multiple publications, including Eye Weekly, NME, and Pazz & Jop, the latter of which it was voted the single of the year. Numerous outlets have placed it on retrospective lists, such as VH1 and Rolling Stone. At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won Best Rap Solo Performance and also received a nomination for Record of the Year.
"Gold Digger" topped the US Billboard Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, and NZ Singles Chart, becoming West's second number-one single on the Hot 100, and his first on the latter two charts. The song reached the top 50 in nine other countries, such as Ireland and the United Kingdom. On Billboard's 60th anniversary in 2018, it was ranked the 70th biggest Hot 100 hit of all time. Having since been certified octuple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the song places among the highest certified digital singles in the US. It has also been awarded quadruple and triple platinum certifications in Australia and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively.
An accompanying music video was released in the summer of 2005, directed by Hype Williams. Throughout the video, pin-up girls and moving magazine covers appear alongside West and Foxx. It was nominated in multiple categories at 2006 MTV award shows, including Best Male Video and Favorite Video at the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Asia Awards, respectively. West performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Brit Awards and Saturday Night Live. In retrospect, West admitted he did not like "Gold Digger" and only made the song to earn money. It was covered live by the Automatic on numerous occasions, which included the 2006 Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song was covered by Will Schuester and New Directions for the second episode of Glee, "Showmance" (2009).
Composition and lyrics[edit]
Musically, "Gold Digger" is a bouncy pop rap song, having a basic sound in contrast to the majority of Late Registration.[8][9] The song is built around a looped sample of "I Got a Woman",[10][11] written by Renald Richard and its performer Ray Charles.[1] "Gold Digger" prominently features handclaps and drums[7][10][12] that recycle patterns from The College Dropout track "Get Em High".[13][14] The song begins with Foxx's interpolation of "I Got a Woman"; he first sings the line "She takes my mon-eeee".[5][7][11] It features scratches of a "get down" vocal that were contributed by A-Trak, appearing within the choruses.[1][6] A synth coda is also included on the track,[15] as well as additional vocals by Plain Pat and Don C.[1]
In the lyrics of the song, West raps about being tricked by a woman.[7][8] West spins the originally written hook "I'm not sayin' I'm a gold digger, but I ain't messin' with no broke niggas", rapping: "I ain't saying she's a gold digger/But she ain't messin' with no broke niggas!"[5][11] He accompanies the scratches during the choruses, telling the girl in question to "go ’head, girl, go ‘head, get down", as if playing along with her money-scheming games.[6] West jokes about money-grabbing groupies on the song, as well as requesting for a prenup chant, saying “…we want prenup! Yeah, it’s something that you got to have, ‘cause when she leaves your ass, she’s gonna leave with half [of your income]”.[11][16] Later on, West lets out the story of a black man that breaks up with a black woman for a white girl after becoming wealthy.[7][17]
Release[edit]
"Gold Digger" was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from the album on July 5, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam.[18][19] On August 2, a 12" vinyl was released for the song by Roc-A-Fella.[20] "Gold Digger" was eventually included as the fourth track on West's second studio album Late Registration on August 30, 2005.[21] On September 19, the song was released on a CD maxi single across Europe, through Roc-A-Fella.[22] A CD was later issued for it in France on November 27, 2005, by Def Jam.[23]
When released on the album, the song was made available for digital download.[24] "Gold Digger" sold over 80,000 digital downloads through legal music services, such as iTunes and Napster, within a week.[24][25] At the time, the song broke the record for the most digital downloads in one week and also scored the fastest download sales ever, feats that were both previously held by Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" (2005).[24][25] It was the top selling song on iTunes in 2005.[26] In 2018, "Gold Digger" was streamed 21.2 million times in the United Kingdom, ranking as the most streamed song from 2005 in the country.[27]
Music video[edit]
An accompanying music video debuted in the summer of 2005.[72] It was directed by frequent West collaborator Hype Williams, who also directed the visual for his previous Late Registration single "Diamonds from Sierra Leone".[73] The video was the first of West's to feature cameos from signees to his record label GOOD Music; they further made appearances on his albums and at his shows.[72] It was released to YouTube on June 17, 2009.[74]
Shot in a widescreen letterboxed format and using lighting, the music video begins with a cameo from Foxx and includes prominent appearances from pin-up girls.[75][76] Fictional moving magazine covers that feature video vixens are also present throughout, interspersed with various colors and scenes of West dancing.[75][76] GOOD Music artists Consequence and John Legend are both charmed by women that move easily; the former spends his time with one in a dark room.[72] A woman that appears alongside West at points is also show in some shots on her own, during which she acts angrily and holds a bright light that she shakes heavily towards the end.[74]
On a 2018 list of the best music video from each year since 2000, ShortList named the visual the best of 2005, with Niloufar Haidari saying that it "is a joy to watch" because of Foxx's presence and the "exceptional use of colour and lighting".[75] That same year, Complex named the clip as West's 20th best music video. The staff of the magazine praised West's "dance moves" and his "bold color choices", concluding by labeling the video "a perfect match" for "Gold Digger".[76] The music video won the BET Award for Video of the Year at the 2006 BET Awards, and received nominations for both Best Male Video and Best Hip Hop Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.[59][68] The visual was nominated for Favorite Video at the MTV Asia Awards 2006, alongside garnering nominations for the awards of Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2006; it was also nominated in the latter category at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[67][77][78] Also in 2006, the video received a nomination for the solo Best International Video award at the MuchMusic Video Awards, while it was presented with the Michael Jackson award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video at the Soul Train Music Awards.[79][80]
Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.[1]
Recording
Personnel