Amazing (Kanye West song)
"Amazing" is a song by American recording artist and record producer Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). It was released 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. The song was written by West, who co-produced it with Jeff Bhasker. The song includes vocals from American rapper Young Jeezy and was produced by West along with co-producer Jeff Bhasker. It also features background vocals from Mr Hudson and Tony Williams. The musical style of the song includes piano, bass and drums. The lyrics see West boasting and attempting to capture some of his former bravado, though his auto-tuned vocals on the song sound draggy, low-pitched and depressed.
"Amazing" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Kanye West featuring Young Jeezy | ||||
from the album 808s & Heartbreak | ||||
Released | March 10, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2008 at Glenwood Studios (Burbank, California) and Avex Recording Studios (Honolulu, Hawaii) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:58 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Young Jeezy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Amazing" on YouTube |
Since being released, "Amazing" has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Young Jeezy's appearance was commented on by a number of them, as well as the song's position on 808s & Heartbreak. The song peaked on the Swedish Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100 at number 42 and 81 respectively in 2009, and it was later certified platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2015. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams and includes aerial shots of the Hawaiian Islands, with appearances from both West and Young Jeezy. The video was well received by critics.
"Amazing" received nominations at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards as well as the Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. It was used by the NBA during the 2009 Playoffs, and is featured on both the NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K13 soundtracks. UFC Fighter Frank Mir has walked out to the song before his fights.
Background and conception
"Amazing" marked the second musical collaboration between West and Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy. West had previously made a guest appearance on Jeezy's single "Put On" in May 2008, with his contribution marking the first time he used Auto-Tune for his voice on record.[1] "Put On" was nominated for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, standing as the first collaboration between West and Young Jeezy to be nominated for a Grammy Award.[2] Jeezy spoke of fellow album track "RoboCop", which he co-wrote, stating: "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."[3][4]
Co-writer and producer Jeff 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."[5]
Composition
"Amazing" is musically inspired by the sentiments of 1980s pop music and has a stark, stripped-down modern hip-hop sound.[6] The song combines usage of piano with bass and drums in its musical style.[7][5] The track includes West boasting and trying to capture some of his former bravado and is a hype up song.[8][5] Despite West's arrogance shown, his vocals sound draggy, low-pitched and depressed, with auto-tune being used, and he mutters "I'm a problem that will never ever be solved."[8] This problem was partly created by bravado, since masculine pride has long been used as a force for the obliteration of vulnerability in rap, including usage by the likes of DMX and the Geto Boys.[8] West has assistance from the grunting of vocalists Mr Hudson and Tony Williams in the track.[8] Young Jeezy delivers a rap verse with raspiness in his voice, which is the only part of the track to include a rap.[7]
Release and reception
![](../I/Young_Jeezy_July_2005_(cropped).jpg.webp)
On November 24, 2008, the track was released as the fourth track on West's fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak.[9] Five months later, "Amazing" was serviced as a single to US rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio stations on March 10, 2009, and had been known to be scheduled for release as a single since February.[10][11][12]
The song has since received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Alex Macpherson of The Guardian pointed to Young Jeezy's guest appearance as being among "the isolated moments of levity" on the album that "are a relief."[13] The song was praised by PopMatters' Dave Heaton for being "filled with unusual sounds" and Heaton elaborated, writing of West's performance: "At first you just notice how the coldness of his voice, singing a purposely repetitive tune, is balanced by choir-ish vocals and keyboard. But there's also lower, growling backing vocals that eventually turn to a Chewbacca-like grunt, which together with the beats conveys a toughness even while the song creeps forward with gentle melancholy."[14] Heaton pointed to Young Jeezy's feature as "the perfect choice for the cold atmosphere of the album."[14] "Amazing" was described by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times as something that "sounds as if it were recorded inside a whirring old grandfather clock, a collection of precisely moving parts neatly interlocking — classic Kanye."[15] Scott Plagenhoef from Pitchfork slammed the song, calling it one of 808s & Heartbreak's "low points" and blaming Young Jeezy's appearance by opining that "when the mood is broken up by outsiders or actual rapping, the results aren't pretty."[16] Retrospectively, Okayplayer author Shamz branded the song as what puts him to sleep.[17]
Accolades
Amazing" was nominated for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010, which made it the second collaboration between West and Young Jeezy to earn a Grammy Award nomination.[18] The song ultimately lost the award to the single "Crack a Bottle" by Eminem featuring 50 Cent and Dr. Dre.[18] At the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards, the song was nominated for the Verizon People's Champ Award, ultimately losing to "Throw It in the Bag" by Fabolous featuring The-Dream.[19][20]
Music video
Background and synopsis
![](../I/2006-08-02_-_Kee_Beach_from_Kalalau_Trail.jpg.webp)
The music video for "Amazing" was filmed in Kauai, Hawaii and directed by Hype Williams, who rented a helicopter with West for it; there was a high production value.[21][22] West blogged about being in Hawaii on March 27, 2009, with Rap-Up reporting on April 13 that West had shot the video in the country.[23][24] On the same day that Rap-Up reported him to be in Hawaii, West posted stills from the music video on his blog and wrote "AMAZING feat. YOUNG JEEZY directed by HYPE WILLIAMS coming soon. Here's some stills till then!"[25] On April 23, 2009, the video premiered on BET's 106 & Park; West had released multiple music videos for 808s & Heartbreak by this time.[26][27]
The video includes a series of aerial shots of the Hawaiian Islands and sees West contemplating nature whilst feeling lonesome.[28][27] Young Jeezy has a cameo in it, along with a girl wearing a bikini by the fire.[27]
Reception
The music video was released to positive reviews from critics. Amrit Singh claimed that the "aerial shots of Hawaii are inherently amazing" and wrote of West's appearance that "seeing him contemplating nature by his lonesome has a certain poetry to it."[27] Despite not being a fan of "Amazing" itself, Shamz of Okayplayer praised the video, writing "Hype Williams really put his foot in this video. I'm contemplating booking that flight to Hawaii as we speak."[17] The staff of Pitchfork looked at the music video as what "has some seriously high production values."[22] The music video ranked at number 91 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.[29]
Commercial performance
Along with "See You in My Nightmares", "Amazing" charted without actually being released as a single following the debut of 808s & Heartbreak. In North America, the song entered at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 63 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart on the week of December 4, 2008.[30][31]
Although the song relapsed the following weeks from its initial debut, "Amazing" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 to peak at number 81 on May 14, 2009 after being released as a single.[32] The song entered the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 96 for the issue date of March 28.[33] The song moved up four spaces to reach number 92 on the chart one week later.[33] That next week, "Amazing" entered and peaked at number 22 on the US Hot Rap Songs chart for the issue dated April 11, 2009.[34] In the same week as this entry, the song climbed again on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart to reach the position of number 74.[33] "Amazing" peaked at number 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the issue date of April 18.[35] It was certified platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 certified units on April 1, 2015.[36] On June 12, 2009, the song debuted on the Swedish Singles Chart at number 42.[37]
Live performances
"Amazing" was first performed live on BET's 106 & Park on November 25, 2008.[38] Backed by a seven-piece band, West performed the song alongside Young Jeezy before segueing into the two's previous collaboration, "Put On".[38] West provided another live rendition of "Amazing" during his appearance on VH1 Storytellers on February 28, 2009.[39] On March 21, West performed the song as the intro for his GOOD Music concert at Levi's/Fader Fort during SXSW.[40][41] He performed the solo part of the song on July 5 in Hyde Park, London for his headline slot on the final day of the Wireless Festival 2009.[42]
In the media
"Amazing" was used by the NBA during the 2009 playoffs as part of their advertisement campaign, with the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant being sequenced playing basketball alongside the audio.[43] The song was used in the video games NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K13.[44][45] UFC fighter Frank Mir has used "Amazing" as his entrance music for his fights.[46] A tribute version of the song was included on Piano Tribute Players' 2014 album Piano Tribute to Kanye West.[47] West's daughter North revealed in her first-ever interview on August 28, 2017 that it is her favourite song by him.[21]
Personnel
Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes.[3]
- Songwriters: Kanye West, Malik Yusef Jones, Dexter Mills, Jeff Bhasker, Jay Jenkins
- Producers: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker
- Recorders: Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer
- Keyboards: Jeff Bhasker.
- Background vocals: Mr Hudson, Tony Williams
- Mix engineer: Manny Marroquin
- Assistant engineers: Christian Plata, Erik Madrid
Charts
Chart (2008–09) | Peak position |
---|---|
Hot Canadian Digital Singles (Billboard)[48] | 63 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[49] | 42 |
US Billboard Hot 100[50] | 81 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[51] | 65 |
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[52] | 22 |
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[53] | 32 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[54] | Platinum | 1,000,000![]() |
|
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | March 10, 2009 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [10] | |
Urban contemporary radio | [11] |
References
- DeVille, Chris (November 23, 2018). "Kanye West's '808s & Heartbreak' Turns 10: A Transformative Moment". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Burgees, Omar (December 4, 2008). "Lil Wayne Nominated For Eight Grammy Awards". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- 808s & Heartbreak (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2008. 0-06025-1791919-8.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Reid, Shaheem (November 19, 2008). "Kanye West Focuses On Melodies On 'Minimal But Functional' 808s & Heartbreak". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- Ahmed, Insanul (March 8, 2013). "Superproducer Jeff Bhasker Reveals the Secrets of Working With Kanye West". Complex. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Kanye's Latest A Deeply Personal Departure". NPR. November 25, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- "15 Best Kanye West Songs Ranked". Mandatory. CraveOnline. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- "Kanye West examines real vs. fake, puppet vs. human on '808s and Heartbreak'". Los Angeles Times. The L.A. Times Music Blog. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- Groza, Daniel. "808s & Heartbreak – Kanye West". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- "Rhythmic – Week Of: March 10, 2009". Going For Adds. Radio & Records, Inc. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
- "Urban – Week Of: March 10, 2009". Going For Adds. Radio & Records, Inc. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- West, Kanye (February 18, 2009). "Welcome to Heartbreak Directed by Nabil". Kanye West blog. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
- Macpherson, Alex (November 21, 2008). "Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- Heaton, Dave. "Kanye West: 808s and Heartbreak". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- Caramanica, Jon (November 24, 2008). "Music – Kanye West's '808s and Heartbreak' Chills on the Frills". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- Plagenhoef, Scott (December 2, 2008). "Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- shamz (2009). "Video: Kanye West "Amazing" feat. Young Jeezy". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- "Rock On The Net: 52nd Annual Grammy Awards – 2010". www.rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- Leah Greenblatt (September 17, 2009). "BET Hip Hop Award nominations announced". EW. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- "BET Hip Hop Awards 2009 Winners". BET. May 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- Montes, Patrick (August 28, 2017). "North West Reveals Her Favorite Kanye West Song". HYPEBEAST. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- "Video: Kanye West: "Amazing" – Looks Like Money". Pitchfork. April 24, 2009. Archived from the original on December 31, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- West, Kanye (April 6, 2009). "appreciation SHOUT OUT FROM HAWAII". Kanye West blog. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- "Kanye West Shoots 'Amazing' Video". Rap-Up.com. April 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- West, Kanye (April 13, 2009). "AMAZING feat. YOUNG JEEZY directed by HYPE WILLIAMS coming soon. Here's some stills till then!". Kanye West blog. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
- "Video: Kanye West f/ Young Jeezy – 'Amazing'". Rap-Up.com. April 23, 2009. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- Singh, Amrit (April 24, 2009). "New Kanye West (Feat. Young Jeezy) Video – "Amazing"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- Baker, Ernest; Kamer, Foster; Ahmed, Insanul; Nostro, Lauren; Spencer, Tannis; Simmons, Ted; Shipley, Al (June 8, 2018). "Ranking All 43 of Kanye West's Music Videos". Complex. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- "BET Unveils the Best 100 Music Videos of 2009 – NOTARIZED". PR Newswire. BET Networks. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- "The Billboard Hot 100 – Amazing". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- "Hot Canadian Digital Singles – Amazing". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- Ben-Yehuda, Ayala; Caulfield, Keith (May 14, 2009). "Daughtry Debuts High On Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
- "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Amazing". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- "Hot Rap Songs– Amazing". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 11, 2009. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
- "Kanye West – Amazing – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- Suarez, Gary (August 19, 2015). "Kanye West Is Having A Stellar Sales Year, Even Without A New Album". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- "Veckolista Singlar – Vecka 24, 12 juni 2009". Sverigetopplistan. Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
- Winistorfer, Andrew (November 26, 2008). "Amazing ft. Young Jeezy (Live on 106 & Park) (Video)". Prefix Mag. prefixmag.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
- "Amazing (Live From Vh1 Storytellers)". VH1. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
- Weingarten, Christopher (March 22, 2009). "Kanye West Shows Off Proteges at SXSW Set Featuring Common, Erykah Badu". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
- ibn jasper (June 3, 2009). "Kanye, Kid Cudi and Mr. Hudson performing "Paranoid" @ SXSW". Vimeo. Vimeo, LLC. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- "Kanye West Closes Wireless Festival With Crystal-themed Show". NME. IPC Media. July 6, 2009. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
- Mitchell, Gail (April 15, 2009). "NBA Drafts Kanye West For Playoffs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
- "The Game and Kanye West Ball Out On NBA 2K10 Soundtrack". Vibe. Vibe Staff. September 4, 2009. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- Greenwald, David (July 31, 2012). "Jay-Z Scores U2, Kanye West for 'NBA 2K13' Soundtrack". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- Harris, Scott (February 14, 2012). "The 30 Best Entrance Songs in the UFC". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- "Piano Tribute to Kanye West by Piano Tribute Players". Apple Music. iTunes. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Singles)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Kanye West feat. Young Jeezy – Amazing". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- "American single certifications – Kanye West – Amazing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 1, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.