Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)

"Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, released as the fourth track off their 2018 eponymous debut album. It features a guest appearance from American rapper and singer Ty Dolla Sign.

"Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
Song by Kids See Ghosts featuring Ty Dolla Sign
from the album Kids See Ghosts
ReleasedJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
Recorded2018
StudioKanye West's ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Genre
Length3:26
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kids See Ghosts track listing
7 tracks
  1. "Feel the Love"
  2. "Fire"
  3. "4th Dimension"
  4. "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
  5. "Reborn"
  6. "Kids See Ghosts"
  7. "Cudi Montage"

The song acts as a sequel to "Ghost Town", from West's album Ye (2018).[3][4] It contains samples of "Stark" by Corin "Mr. Chop" Littler and a speech by Marcus Garvey.

Background

"Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" was included as the fourth track of the collaborative studio album, Kids See Ghosts.[2] On the day of its release, multiple tracks were mislabeled on streaming services, except for "Freeee", which was the only track not to be mislabeled.[5][6]

On March 7, 2019, Ronald Oslin Bobb-Semple sued Kids See Ghosts and Ty Dolla Sign for sampling "The Spirit of Marcus Garvey (Garvey speaks to an all-Black audience)", along with the record labels Def Jam and Universal Music.[7] Court documents obtained by The Blast saw him claim that they "exploited the actual voice, words and performance" without authorization or monetary compensation and that he hadn't been given any of the profit made from "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)".[7][8] The damages seemed by Bobb-Semple were reportedly unspecified and an order was sent out to West, Kid Cudi and Ty Dolla Sign to stop them profiting off his work.[7]

Kids See Ghosts responded to the lawsuit on June 4, with various co-defendants for their response, including Ty Dolla Sign.[9] Bobb-Semple's infringement claim was denied by Kids See Ghosts, with the duo stating that their sample usage does in fact classify as fair use.[9] They continued, arguing that even if copyright was infringed, their actions were "innocent and non-willful" and pointed out that Bobb-Semple hasn't provided any facts to support the alleged willfulness of Kids See Ghosts.[9] The duo also claimed in the lawsuit for Bobb-Semple's original complaint to be "barred by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution" and accused him of misusing copyright.[9] West demanded for the case to be thrown out of court.[10] It has been shown by West that he is not opposed to giving credit where it is due, with him having reached out to the estate of Louis Prima to clear a sample for fellow album track "4th Dimension".[10]

Composition

"Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" is built around a sample of the song "Stark", written and performed by Corin "Mr. Chop" Littler.[3][4] The song also contains an excerpt from a speech by black nationalist Marcus Garvey.[3][4] Its lyrical content features references to "Ghost Town" from West's studio album Ye.[4]

Critical reception

The song has received general acclaim from music critics. Jack Hamilton of Slate called the song "[Kids See Ghosts]' most fun and exuberant track", and comparing its sound to English musician David Bowie, with its "booming walls of vocals, gnashing distortion, and thundering drums."[11] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic further praised the song, calling it and its predecessor "Ghost Town" as the standout tracks of their respective albums.[12]

Credits and personnel

Recording

Personnel

  • Kanye West – songwriter, production
  • Kid Cudi – songwriter, production
  • Mike Dean – songwriter, co-production, mixer
  • Jeff Bhasker – songwriter, co-production
  • Ty Dolla Sign – songwriter, featured artist
  • Corbin Littler – songwriter
  • BoogzDaBeast – co-production
  • Andrew Dawson – additional production, engineer
  • Andy C – additional production
  • Russel "Love" Crews – additional production
  • Zack Djurich – engineer, acoustic guitar
  • Mike Malchicoff – engineer
  • William J. Sullivan – engineer
  • Nico Agliettico – engineer
  • Jess Jackson – mixer
  • Sean Solymar – assistant mixer

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Kids See Ghosts.[15]

Charts
Chart performance for "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 72
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 58
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 66
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[19] 86
UK Streaming (OCC)[20] 78
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 62
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] 30

Notes
  1. Credited as co-producer
  2. Credited as additional producer

References
  1. Nguyen, Dean Van (June 9, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi: Kids See Ghosts review – a psychedelic return to godlike power". The Guardian. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  2. "KIDS SEE GHOSTS / KIDS SEE GHOSTS". Tidal. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  3. Khal (June 8, 2018). "4 Things About 'Kids See Ghosts' You Might Have Missed". Complex. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  4. Kim, Michelle (June 8, 2018). "5 Takeaways from Kanye West and Kid Cudi's New Album, Kids See Ghosts". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  5. Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 8, 2018). "A Brief Guide to the 'Kids See Ghosts' Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  6. Cush, Andy (June 8, 2018). "The Kids See Ghosts Track List and Credits Are Full of Errors". Spin. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  7. Blais-Billie, Braudie (March 7, 2019). "Kanye, Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla Sign Sued Over Kids See Ghosts Song: Report". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  8. Espinoza, Joshua (March 7, 2019). "Kanye West and Kid Cudi Sued Over 'Kids See Ghosts' Track". Complex. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  9. Eggertsen, Chris (June 4, 2019). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi Argue Fair Use Over Kids See Ghosts Sample Copyright Claim". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  10. Shokeye, Kyle (June 4, 2019). "Kanye West Requests Dismissal of "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" Lawsuit". Complex. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  11. Hamilton, Jack (June 11, 2018). "On Kanye West's New Album, the GOOD Music Rapper Focuses Simply on Good Music". Slate. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  12. Kornhaber, Spencer (June 14, 2018). "Kanye West's Rock-and-Roll Moment". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  13. Brown, Eric Renner (June 25, 2018). "Kanye West's GOOD Summer Album 2018 Series: Every Song Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  14. Bromwich, Jonah Engel (February 23, 2020). "Kanye, Out West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  15. Kids See Ghosts (booklet). Kids See Ghosts. GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. 2018. B0028759-02.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. "ARIA Chart Watch #477". auspOp. June 16, 2018. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  17. "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  18. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kids See Ghosts". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  19. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201824 into search. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  20. "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  21. "Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  22. "Top Hip-Hop Songs / R&B Songs Chart – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
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