Make Her Say
"Make Her Say" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009). The single was digitally released to iTunes on June 9, 2009.[1] It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of the US number-one hit single "Poker Face", as performed by American singer Lady Gaga. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
For the song by Estelle, see True Romance (Estelle album)."Make Her Say"
June 9, 2009
2009
3:36 (album version)
3:57 (single version)
3:17 (video version)
- Dream On
- GOOD Music
- Universal Motown
Kanye West
Background and lyrical content[edit]
"Make Her Say" is performed by Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common. It was originally titled "I Poke Her Face", but was changed to make it more acceptable for radio. The song was written by all three artists, produced by West, and features scratches from DJ A-Trak. Lady Gaga (of whom West is a fan) and producer RedOne are credited as co-writers, because an acoustic version of Gaga's song "Poker Face" from The Cherrytree Sessions EP is sampled throughout the song.[2] Gaga voiced approval of the track, saying that West "had so much insight into what the song was about."[3] Incidentally, just a few weeks later, the two revealed plans to tour together; however, the tour was later canceled.[4] In addition to the Lady Gaga sample, the song also makes musical references to T.I.'s "Whatever You Like", Asher Roth's "I Love College", and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It".
Music video[edit]
The music video for "Make Her Say" was directed by Nez Khammal and released on July 20, 2009. The video carries a minimal aesthetic, with scenes taking place in empty, wide-open spaces.
Although Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common all appear in the video, they never attended a film shoot together. The music video utilizes a split screen effect to create the illusion that the three artists were all filmed in the same location. In reality, they had shot their individual scenes on opposite coasts of the United States; Common and Kid Cudi were filmed in New York City while Kanye was filmed in Los Angeles. The group had wanted Lady Gaga to be included in the video, but she was too busy to make the appearance.[5] The video uses a shortened version of the song that cuts out the outro.
The "Make Her Say" video is also the first music video to feature the hardware from Activision's DJ Hero.
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Make Her Say" debuted at number fifty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 18, 2009.[7] That same week, it also entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-eight.[8] The song entered the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number six for the issue date of July 4.[9] The following week, it appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number seventy-three.[10]